Pressed for duty: All Along inks its place in growing niche

At All Along Press, founders Elysia Mann and Steven Brien invite the public to come in and learn about screen-printing, letterpress and linoleum block printmaking. Their shop is a one-of-a-kind communal art space, dedicated to inspiring collaboration and a “DIY ethic.”

“The idea of what we want to do has kind of been evolving. We want it to get really open and have people come in and participate – kind of like a collective,” explains Mann.
Mann and Brien conceived of the idea for All Along Press in the months following their graduation from Washington University in St. Louis.

Looking for an artistic niche in which to thrive, they observed the need for a community space that would allow people, especially those not currently involved in a university printmaking program, to learn about the printing process.

“It’s funny, with all the printmaking people St. Louis has now, I’m surprised it didn’t already have a collective shop,” says Brien.

“We bought this tiny little press and decided to start a shop up in our attic,” Mann continues. “It was so cold in the winter the ink wouldn’t move.”

Realizing that they would need a different space to allow their project to flourish, Mann and Brien sought out their current location on Cherokee Street. They are now in the building that previously housed the Beverly Gallery.

“The guy that owns the building was really excited about making sure that somebody came in who was going to be, you know, involved in the neighborhood and stuff like that,” says Mann.

Therefore, they packed up their press, stocked up on materials and moved to Cherokee.
“The little tiny press was the first thing we had in our attic, and we’ve been using it ever since, and it’s great. You can actually do quite a few things on it,” says Mann. Soon, an etching press will be added to the mix.

“The press we just ordered is going to take two months to get in, and once we have that we’re going to have another big opening. I think at that point we’re going to start the collective.”

Shops like All Along Press are opening up across the United States. In Providence, R.I., a non-profit group called AS220 opened up a community shop in September 2007. The position of the shop’s artistic director, Morgan Calderini, is funded by a grant from Americorps VISTA.

“I think the fact that we are not-for-profit sets us apart from some of the for-profit groups in Manhattan, for example,” says Calderini.

Calderini is the only full-time staff member; the rest of the responsibility is spread among a group of artists.

“We have 15 key holders that have 24-hour access and monitor the shop for 12 hours each month,” Calderini explains. “People can rent shop time in four-hour blocks or a month at a time. We offer classes and one-on-one assistance to people without a background in printmaking.”

Calderini says the community has been very receptive and has created a great atmosphere in the shop. Referring to the proliferation of shops like the All Along Press, Calderini says, “It’s great the momentum that’s getting behind this sense of having people work together and share instead of artists being behind closed doors, working by themselves.”

Currently, Mann and Brien are thriving off of their custom work for clients and the work that is displayed in the store in the front of the shop. They print wedding and fundraiser invitations in addition to working with musicians in the St. Louis area and in other cities to create album covers and inserts. The walls of the front of the shop are lined with shelves filled with Mann and Brien’s own work as well as the work of other artists from the St. Louis community.

“The store part is already pretty collective. We have a bunch of people who sell their work here,” says Mann. As far as their own printmaking is concerned, Mann says, “The stuff we sell up in the front is stuff we enjoy making. I think there’s something really great about making something and selling it…The more handmade stuff that’s out there, the better.”
Brien agrees that there is a special, organic quality to the work they sell.

“See, I’m really not into the whole gallery thing. To me, it is very rigid – especially commercial galleries or galleries that are very exclusive – it’s like defining what is culture from the top-down. When you have your own store and you’re selling your own stuff, it puts all the emphasis on the creative part of it and none of it on this sort of so-called culture,” explains Brien.

“We’re not trying to make any brands or anything like that, we’re not even trying to make much money off of the stuff we sell,” adds Mann. “We just want to see people enjoy it.”

You can e-mail Tiffany Frye at tiffany.m.frye@gmail.com.