Dinderbeck to print onsite at Market

Dinderbeck is a word gaining more and more recognition and momentum in our city. What started as a small printmaking collective continues to grow. The Dinderbeck artist collective consists of nine Grand Rapids based artists that share a studio space on the Westside. In addition to four printmaking presses, the studio is now equipped for woodworking, ceramics, and sculpture.  They’ve been in their space on Straight St. for a little over two years. The members are Brandon Alman, Anthony Mead, Kyle Isbell, Trevor Hill-Rowley, Cory VanderZwaag, Allison Horn, Steven Rainey and the two newest members, Kate Lewis and Brandon Lake.

This group has tirelessly created opportunities for other young artists to exhibit art, as well as taking advantage of opportunities to put their own work out into the community. The collective has hosted ten exhibitions over the last two years, five shows per year. The crew just finished a huge project in their studio space, a mural exhibit titled "Time Capsule." The finished mural was calculated to occupy 1,639 square feet. The members collaborated with a few other artists, including Erwin Erkfitz and Mariel Versluis. Fifteen artists worked over a period of four months to complete the group’s largest installation thus far. Recent community involvement includes participation in Art.Downtown and SiTE:LAB as well as a current installation at the UICA for the Urbanity exhibition.

One important milestone for Dinderbeck was a Sunday Soup fundraiser at the DAAC, where they acquired the money (and moral support) to put their dreams in motion. Every artist needs an opportunity, a push, and a place to start. For many emerging artists in Grand Rapids, the Market presented by the Avenue for the Arts is just what they need to launch an artistic career.

The Dinderbeck collective, or at least a few members, have been involved with the Market since 2008. Brandon Alman, Kyle Isbell and Anthony Mead have all been involved as interns for the Market and/or Avenue for the Arts Advisory committee members. The Market has served as a great starting point for these artists as well as many others in our creative community. Kyle Isbell says about the Market, “It pretty much wouldn’t exist without Jenn Schaub, she is like ‘The Godfather’ of the Avenue for the Arts. Because of her, the Market is accessible, open to anyone and the registration fee is low. That’s how we get started.” The collective agrees that the Market functions as a great networking tool, a chance for emerging artists to interact with established artists, and for established artists to mentor the up and comers.

Brandon Alman, who is currently on the Avenue for the Arts advisory committee, generously printed the Market logo onto clothing, while onsite at the volunteer orientation earlier in the week. It was such a hit that it was decided to offer this service during the Market. Guests of the Market can bring a t-shirt or a tote-bag (anything that will hold ink) to the event on Saturday and Dinderbeck will screen print right onto it for only five dollars.

One thing that Alman appreciates about the Market is that “it connects artists with an audience that cares about handmade local goods.” At the Dinderbeck booth this Saturday, in addition to onsite printing and letterpress merchandise, there will be jewelry by Allison Horn, ceramics by Kate Lewis, and photographs by Brandon Lake. Isbell says, “When you buy handmade goods there is a human connection, more heart goes into it than commercial products.” Anothony Mead adds, “There is a lot of skill in our city. Buying local handmade things is a reaction to mass production. When you buy something from a local artist, they are likely to turn around and spend that money at a local business like Nantucket bakery.”

The printmakers of the collective- Kyle Isbell, Anthony Mead and Brandon Alman, Steven Rainey, and Trevor Hill-Rowley- work hard to achieve quality without any thoughts of convenience. Mead says that the collective strives to, “Bring the handcrafted nature back to printing from mass-production. Everything everywhere is printed and more often than not quality becomes lost. We are combating convenience with quality.” While they do use some newer methods at the studio, including screen print, some of the machinery they have acquired is heavy duty equipment dated from the early 20th century. Lately, they have been experimenting with the lost form of letterpress printing. There is nothing convenient about it in comparison with today’s computer printout. However, Alman says, “When someone mixes ink by hand and personally pulls the print, you can feel it: it’s different than a computer print or even a mass-production litho press that cranks out instantaneous results."

Cheaper, faster, and easier are polar opposites of the Dinderbeck values. By shopping local and supporting local creativity like Dinderbeck, everyone can help balance out the battle between quality and convenience.

This article was written by Jessica Hacker