Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Christlieb.
Hi Lauren, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Red Bird Press really began when The Printing Museum closed its doors. I met with the museum’s Studio Manager, Jessica Snow, to discuss potentially acquiring the equipment. The plan was to write a proposal to the board and ask that they give it to someone in the community that would help keep it alive and accessible to the community of Houston – instead of auctioning it off to private studios across the country. I thought it was a long shot, but then I got a call one Monday evening, not too long after that, and learned that the museum needed to have everything out of its building by the coming Friday. The community came together and helped us pack and move most everything into storage, until we could secure a space.A few months later, we found what seemed like the perfect spot. Initially, we were just checking places to get a sense of rent costs, but this space couldn’t have been better—it had parking, air conditioning, and was right next to a coffee shop that we knew and loved already, Bohemeo’s. I thought – this is it, we gotta move! And the community really came together AGAIN and helped get this equipment into the space.
It still feels like a fever dream at times! But today, we host workshops over several different print processes, book arts, cyanotypes, fun Ink & Drink events (drink with your friends and learn the basics of letterpress – working with some of our 100 year old wood type!) and we also have membership options for artists to be able to come use the presses and make work! We’re currently fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas for our 501(c)3 status, but are aiming to get our own 501(c)3 status up and running next year. Our goal is to be able to offer more free/low cost workshops to the community and my hope is that once we have our own non-profit status – that it will open up fiscal opportunities like large donations and grant funding.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Getting Red Bird Press to where it is now has involved a lot of work, especially when it came to moving equipment into the space! Everything is heavy. Everything. They are also large in size – and while our space in Tlaquepaque Market is great, it only has a single door opening – moving required a lot of help, and the community did not let us down. It required people who know how to move presses, people willing to lift and move heavy things, taking presses apart to get them in the door, ect. The moments of moving a press inside the space is always exhausting, stressful, and of course, very exciting too! We would not be where we are without the help from our community, neighbors, and friends.
The financial side has also been a challenge. Everything in a print studio costs money—equipment, maintenance, materials, ink, solvents, etc.. and the big recurring one – rent and overhead expenses. It adds up incredibly fast. Learning how to navigate those costs and plan for things I didn’t expect with our space has been a major part of the process. We’re working on different ways to generate revenue everyday and we hope that we’ll be able to gain enough of it to be able to offer more free workshops and outreach to our community in the next year.
Another big lesson has been figuring out who the right people are, to help. Not everyone understands how these machines work, the process of printmaking, or what a space like this needs, and it took time to find people I could trust and rely on. Finding people who can understand the mission of our space and what we do has been incredibly important in helping us be successful. It’s been a process, but one that has helped build the community around the studio, and it’s made our space stronger.
So no, I don’t think that I could say it’s been smooth.. but the hard parts are what have shaped the studio and taught me the most. And I am continuously learning everyday, different ways to handle different situations, courses, running a business!! It’s new but there’s a significant amount of passion that is present and that passion is what I believe is carrying me through all of the growing pains.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I started working in the print medium after I took a silkscreen class with Patrick Masterson when I was a grad student at UH. I was in the photo program and after I took that class, I just fell in love with the medium and I wanted to learn more. I took as many print classes as I could and I started teaching printmaking in my 2nd year of grad school. I continued teaching for a number of years there, after I graduated and I just loved it.
When our print studio opportunity first came about and I had that initial meeting with Jessica, she was showing us the equipment with a quick run down of letterpress. I didn’t have much knowledge on the medium but easily became quickly obsessed. (In a good way!) She taught me everything I know about using the presses and setting type and photopolymer, all the tips and tricks, and she’s always a phone call away anytime I’m in the middle of a project and is just such a rockstar at troubleshooting with me virtually! (Jessica now lives in Colorado, but she comes to visit a couple times every year!) There’s always more to learn, just like with every medium, and with every letterpress project, I learn something new! It’s hard to say what my favorite print process is now! Screenprinting, Letterpress, and Intaglio – I think, are my faves.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Oh Houston! I love that we’re truly a melting pot. Also, obviously, the food! There is so much fantastic food. (Have you tried Mimo yet?!) But, even though it’s a big city, Houston still feels like a collection of neighborhoods and creative pockets! Every neighborhood has its own different vibe/energy. I love how diverse it is, and you can always find people who want to help, collaborate, or just show up for you. The art community is large which is an obvious positive attribute. There are people from all kinds of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives all woven together in a way that feels real, not curated. I think it keeps me grounded and consistently learning with an open mind.
What do I like least? Well, the traffic is an obvious answer. I wish we had a better public transportation system and that our bike lanes were clean and more available. The humidity and heat can be brutal in the summers, and lastly.. Houston is always growing, which is exciting, but it also means constant construction. I’d say the heat, the traffic, the public transportation system, and the bike lanes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.redbirdpresshtx.com
- Instagram: @redbirdpress.htx
- Other: https://linktr.ee/redbirdpress
Image Credits
Photo taken by: Hannah Oakie
