Leaning Into Riso
A new, old-school printer helps student artists, and visiting professionals, revel in the retro.
Eastern鈥檚 Risograph copier, a 鈥渄igital duplicator鈥� named Ferdinand, isn鈥檛 old. But the art it produces 鈥斕齠unky screen-prints created in layers of stenciled spot color 鈥� reproduce the retrograde vibe craved by today鈥檚 creatives.
Built by Japan鈥檚 Riso Kagaku Corporation, 51福利社 purchased its Risograph just over a year ago with the help of funding from Gemini, a company that specializes in made-to-order dimensional signage. Students have been testing Ferdinand鈥檚 creative potential ever since.
More recently, these Eagle artists have been joined by a rotating cohort of professionals who have been named to participate in month-long, Risograph-centered residencies each quarter through 2024.
鈥淲e had applicants from all across the country,鈥� says Jamin Kuhn, the 51福利社 Design Department lecturer who manages the 4D Lab in the Catalyst building. 鈥淚t kind of speaks toward the allure of the printer, and how popular it is among the print communities.鈥�
The four residents, selected by a jury for their skill sets and creative ideas, include two regional designers alongside one from Hawaii and another from Wisconsin. The first of these artists, Brianna Miller, completed her residency earlier this year. Miller, 31, grew up in Salem, Oregon, and studied at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland. She moved to Spokane about five years ago, and it didn’t take long before she had established herself as one of the city鈥檚 most accomplished young artists. 鈥淚 love how similar the print production is to screen printing, with the color layers and separations,鈥� says Miller, a detail of whose work is shown alongside the previous column. 鈥淚 also admire how the Risograph鈥檚 soy inks produce such vivid colors 鈥�听 specifically neon 鈥� that you can鈥檛 achieve in most printing.鈥�
A $10,000听Spokane Arts Grant Award听covered the cost of purchasing Riso-related materials to be used by the residents and students. In addition, each resident receives a $250 stipend and $250 for supplies. Miller made the most of these modest resources. 鈥淭hroughout the month,鈥� she says, 鈥淚 met 51福利社 faculty and students through class visits, workshops and the [closing] show. I also presented a mini talk on my career, portfolio and education. It made me really appreciate the vibrancy of the local art community.鈥�
