BRATTLEBORO — Daniel Chiaccio, the director of First Proof Press, a community-based environmentally friendly printmaking studio, is giving the community - from enthusiastic amateurs to seasoned professional artists - the opportunity to create their own work with the space and equipment he is providing.
People can schedule time in the new studio, at 183 Main St., to create etching projects on copper or zinc, woodcuts, photopolymer imagery, and relief and screen prints.
The shop, which celebrated its grand opening March 6 during Gallery Walk, is outfitted with a wide range of equipment for various media, from fine art lithography to letterpress printing to screen printing. Chiaccio is also making space available for studio users to sell their work.
First Proof Press was funded with more than $12,000 from 128 people in 60 days via the crowdfunding site Kickstarter.
“For the past five years I have been working on honing my craft and establishing a network of artists, building a strong community of printmakers,” Chiaccio said in his appeal.
Chiaccio said printmaking clicked for him when he was enrolled at New Hampshire Institute of Art reaching toward an illustration degree.
“Going into the print labs there, it was a very dedicated group, and I just loved the process of the medium,” he said.
Chiaccio was frustrated at times while taking an elective etching course at school but, by the end of it, his perspective completely changed.
“I made one good print,” he said, “and I knew that was what I was doing.”
As an intern at Zea Mays Printmaking, in Florence, Mass., he learned “various, safer and less toxic methods of printmaking, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals and dangerous studio environments,” he wrote on Kickstarter.
Chiaccio says he was always a creative kid. While growing up in Maine, Lego bricks became his go-to outlet for his creativity, as well as an occasional fort-making session in the woods.
“I didn't think I would be running my own shop back then,” he said.
But now he is, and he said is excited to be able to have a space “where people would come in and use all this crazy equipment. They can sign up for the day and just hang out and print art.”
Chiaccio said that one advantage about running his own business is that he gets to do it exactly how he would like to.
“The good thing is, I can sort of set it up how I want, and since it is just me doing it I can basically achieve my vision,” he said.
He added that he couldn't have envisioned it in a more original place.
“I thought this was a really good setup, because I'm right beneath an art gallery” - Mitchell-Giddings Fine Art, the previous tenant in First Proof's space.
The two enterprises complement one another, he said: “If people want to see prints in person, they can just walk upstairs.”
'We can't have things like this in our house'
Brattleboro has its arms wide open to new creators, and Chiaccio, of Easthampton, Mass., saw that.
“I noticed when I was touring and visiting this place it's a very artistic town,” he said. “There are a lot of artists here.”
With those artists come a variety of interests. Chiaccio said that printmaking is different from other art forms because of the process of using equipment.
He said an issue that many printmakers bump into is an obstacle: the large area and the specialized machines needed to do these projects.
It's not a medium conducive to working at home.
“The big drawback is we can't have things like this in our house, big presses with all this space,” Chiacco said, “so ideally, [members] would come in knowing kind of what they want to do, but I am here to coach and give advice.”
To use First Proof Press' facilities, an artist can rent access for a full day for $49.95 or become a member, selecting one of four six-month plans, which range from $49.95 to $375 per month, depending on the frequency and intensity of the studio's use.
Users can use a web-based system to schedule time in the workshop.
“It's kind of like a gym membership, except you come certain days,” said Chiaccio.
If printmaking sounds like a foreign language, but it's something that you would like to try out or start seriously working with, First Proof also offers workshops, most of which Chiaccio teaches personally.
Workshop topics include etchings and aquatints, woodblock printing, linoleum printing, photo-based screen printing, and a “drypoint line and monotype mash-up.” One-on-one instruction is available as well.
“I think it's for everybody,” Chiaccio said.
“Printmaking can be intimidating,” he acknowledged. “It's very process-driven. I'm trying to get rid of that intimidation and just say anybody here is welcome.”