Second State Press

Join us this Thursday, October 8th, from 6pm-8pm, for an evening of art viewing and art-making!

In honor of the opening reception of Chance Encounter, and in the spirit of community and collaboration, we will be hosting an exquisite co**se make-and-take printing activity throughout the evening.

While you’re there, make sure to check our in-studio pop-up print sale and support your community of SSP artists! The holidays are just around the corner…

Chance Encounter is an exhibition of selected works from our national open call presented as part of Collective Futures. Artists were given the prompt: How does your work reflect the influence of shared space, collective knowledge, and chance encounters? Participants represent artists whose work emerges from sustained relationships with spaces such as community studios, workshops, collectives, or other sites of shared production, and who view these environments as active collaborators in their process.

Crit Club! Join us NEXT WEEK, Wednesday October 7, from 6-8pm, for Crit Club with special guest artist Chris Wallace.

This free drop-in event offers a supportive space where artists of all backgrounds and experience levels working in any medium can share their work, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. Crit Club is open to all, no membership required. For this event, we have invited a member of our SSP community, Chris Wallace, to participate by sharing his work, and offering his expert feedback.

Christopher Wallace (South Paw Press) has his MFA in Printmaking from the University of North Texas and received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. Chris has taught at Frogman's Print and Paper Workshop (Omaha, NE), Maud Morgan Art Center (Cambridge, MA), and Glassell School of Art (Houston, TX). He has instructed Lithography for Conservators and Museum Professionals at Harvard Art Museums and Burning Bones Press. His work has been shown nationally and internationally. Chris teaches lithography and relief at Second State Press!
You can check out Chris' work at https://www.southpaw-prints.com/

Bring along an in-progress or completed piece of art (any medium), writing, music, or just an idea, and be prepared to share your work and your thoughts.

Image 1-4: September Crit Club.

Image 5: Work by Chris Wallace
"Ruins" Lithograph and screenprint

Join us Thursday, September 10th, from 6pm-8pm, at Second State Press! This month we are continuing to celebrate the art of independent publishing!

FREE ART ACTIVITY: ZINE-MAKING
Join us at the table and make your own zines; we will have plenty of collage, print, and book-making materials for you to play with. In addition, we welcome yo to contribute to a collaborative zine that will be added to our zine library! This is a free, family-friendly make-and-take activity.

PARLOR: POP-UP READING ROOM
This September, come see our exhibition hallway temporarily transformed into “”Parlor””, a pop-up reading room showcasing artist-made zines and books pulled from our personal archive and living library! Take a seat, escape the heat and celebrate the art of self-published independent print media.

Our Fall Class Schedule kicks off this weekend with two of our most popular classes: Intro to Screen and Intro to Riso!! No experience required and perfect for all skill sets, these introductory courses will give you the fundamentals necessary to start diving into the printmaking process and exploring your own creativity.

Next weekend, we are excited to debut a NEW workshop - DIY Recycled Papermaking with Heather Steckler Heather Steckler (who also happens to be our current CRE Fellow)! Learn everything you need to know to get started making your own handmade paper from home!

Join us Wednesday, September 2nd, from 6pm-8pm, for a very special CRIT CLUB!

This month we invite you to bring the objects you have collected that inspire your artwork for a creative process show-and-tell. You may bring finished or in-progress artwork, the objects that inspired it, both, or just your ideas to share with the group.

This free drop-in event offers a supportive space where artists of all backgrounds and experience levels working in any medium can share their work, exchange ideas, and learn from one another. Crit Club is open to all, no membership required.

Crit Club meets on the first Wednesday of every month. If you can’t make it this month, join us on October 7th.

We had a lot of fun with the team from Deloitte for a private screen printing on totes workshop! Shoutout to SSP Board Member Lauren Moskowitz for coordinating the event and instructor Maddy Conover madeleine conover for leading the group through the printing process. Featuring a beautiful custom bag design by Jenn Jones jenn jones.

Interested in hosting a private event at the studio? We would love to have you!
Email [email protected] to book.

Our fall class schedule is here, and registration is officially open!

This season, we’re excited to introduce a bunch of new workshops and classes especially well suited for at-home practice, giving you techniques and tools you can continue exploring from your kitchen table, home studio, or wherever you make.

We’ve added papermaking and cyanotype to the roster along with photolitho, wearable objects, puzzle purses, color woodcut and so much more!! There something for everyone and so many opportunities to expand your skill set or learn a totally new process. See our website for more details and updates. Link in bio!!

Announcing our 2026 CRE Fellow, Heather Steckler!!


Heather Steckler is a printmaker, papermaker, and collage artist from New Jersey. Her interdisciplinary work explores the ways we preserve memories through the images and objects we hold dear to us. Heather formerly served as both a fob holder and an event coordinator at Second State Press. She holds a BFA from Tyler School of Art & Architecture and recently received her MFA in Printmaking and a Graduate Certificate in Book Arts at the University of Iowa. She is currently based in Philadelphia, PA, where she continues to share her love of print media and papermaking through community workshops.

We are excited to welcome Heather back to the studio this August and can't wait to see the work she develops during her fellowship.

Hosted by Master Printer Cindi Royce Ettinger, the CRE Fellowship is awarded each summer to an artist whose work demonstrates an uncommon grasp of the printmaking medium and an influential and energetic approach.

Merch alert!!! 🚨

Our newest SSP merch has arrived, designed by the artists who know the studio best: our Fob Holders!!

Available in person during our Summer Mixer this Sunday at Human Robot, this limited run celebrates the artists who keep our studio running and reflects the creativity that makes Second State Press what it is!

Hat designed by Cecilia Quay celi
Bandana designed by Catherine Nelson Cat A Ran
Pocket Tee designed by Autumn Kidd Swan Girl

This is a limited run that isn’t currently available online. Join us on Sunday and be the first to snag the new merch!!