Ink, Community, and a Press in Motion

El Pueblito Letterpress Studio Open House

Ink on fingertips. Laughter in the air. The steady rhythm of a press doing what it has done for centuries.

instructor Andrew Furse helping people with getting a print on thei valentine's card

On Saturday, February 14, the doors of the new El Pueblito Letterpress Studio at Northern New Mexico College’s El Rito Campus opened wide for a Valentine’s Day Open House that brought together more than 40 community members from Abiquiú, Española, El Rito, Santa Fe, and beyond. What unfolded inside the El Pueblito Building was more than a tour, it was an experience rooted in craft, connection, and tradition.

Under the guidance of instructor Andrew Furse, visitors stepped into the world of traditional letterpress printing. They handled handset type, learned how to space lines with metal leads, rolled rich ink across carefully locked forms, and felt the satisfying resistance of small presses as paper met plate. For many, it was their first time seeing how the printed word was made before the digital age, one letter at a time.

The studio quickly became a space of shared discovery. Families gathered around trays of type. Children and adults alike composed their own Valentine cards, carefully arranging letters in mirror image before inking and pulling their prints by hand. Each card carried the distinct impression of the press, slightly varied, textured, and unmistakably human. Some guests created keepsakes. Others made heartfelt gifts. All left with something tangible they had crafted themselves.

The afternoon offered more than ink and paper. Guests shared vegetarian posole, cookies, and conversation, filling the studio with warmth and curiosity. Participants asked thoughtful questions about technique, typefaces, and the history of the presses. Designs were compared. Mistakes were celebrated. Strangers became collaborators. In the steady cadence of printmaking, there was room to slow down and connect.

The open house reflected the steady growth of programming already underway in the studio. In October, El Pueblito Press hosted Protest with PRINT: Letterpress Poster Making, a two-day workshop rooted in the idea of art as activism. Participants designed and printed their own protest posters using letterpress and stencil-making techniques, exploring the historic role of posters in social movements. Over the weekend, artists amplified personal messages, built solidarity through design, and engaged with the long tradition of print as a powerful public voice.

In November, the studio continued its momentum with a Weekend Workshop in Letterpress Greeting Cards, where participants spent two immersive days learning typesetting, layout, ink mixing, and press operation. By the end of the workshop, each student produced a small edition of original cards, gaining both technical skill and confidence in the slow, rhythmic discipline of printmaking.

Together, these workshops established the studio as more than a classroom. It became a place where craft intersects with culture, where skill-building meets self-expression.

open house Looking ahead, the creativity continues. On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the studio will host Introduction to Tetrapak Printmaking, led by instructor Vivian Jean. This innovative workshop transforms recycled Tetrapak packaging into detailed intaglio prints using the college’s presses — eliminating the toxic chemicals traditionally used in etching and bringing sustainability into the printmaking process.

What unites all of these events — from protest posters to greeting cards to Valentine prints — is intention. Letterpress requires attention. You choose each letter. You align each line. You apply pressure carefully. And then you lift the page.

In a world built for speed and screens, that kind of deliberate making feels radical.

The El Pueblito Letterpress Studio stands as a living space for tradition, experimentation, and community. One poster. One card. One carefully inked impression at a time, the press continues to move — and with it, a growing creative community in Northern New Mexico.