Smiling With a Ghost — Ben
Past as reference for future projects.
Much like scrolling through old photos on a phone, I’ve been opening and rediscovering print files from our earlier works when we first claimed ourselves as bearbear. Doing this in tandem with packing boxes and transitioning into our next move has us rethinking who we currently are as artists. With owning a business, we unknowingly started taking on responsibilities that swapped out some of the more joyful and purposeful tasks that give our project fuller meaning.
With this new move, we are aiming to get back on these tracks.
Like many artists, I know that I’m my own worst enemy. Diana sees (good) things in me that I cannot and vice versa. We’re trying to learn to accept the things we see in one another and talk through it. Supporting each other is what bearbear is. The smallest version of community is two, knowing our differences but still feeling equal… and building upon it.
I am reprinting a couple of our original zines to remind myself to let go and have some fun. The first is Tip-Up, a short visual story from 2019 on how the process of tip-up fishing works. The price of this second edition will be the same as the first edition: $10 each. This project is a small poke on my shoulder as we work on our next book, which we are excited to just let happen, opening the door to joy and freedom for the artist.
Reminders... Happiness as activism, creation for creations sake, accept boredom, ignore your phone unless it’s for someone you love, stay in the know but don’t get sucked in (seems oxymoronic, yeah?), loosen your jaw, bake some bread!
WISCONSIN – VOTE APRIL 1st! – SUPREME COURT ELECTION – DON’T MISS IT!
Milwaukee Zine Fest is April 19th! – Madison Print & Resist Fest is April 26th!
There’s some misinformation circulating that the Spring Election date is April 11th (it is not). Double check your sources and remember to vote on the first of this coming month. It’s not an April Fool’s joke, nor is it a drill. Add it all to your calendars PLEASE.
For Small Press Pals
If you happen to have a booklet maker and a collator, you might be able to trick your collator into sending your sheets directly into the booklet maker! This is especially great for those who print newsletters. Figured it was worth sharing as it might help someone out there.
If you have a collator that can feed out the back but requires a special port connection… You can trick it into feeding through the back by shimming the guide plate to send paper in that direction as there might not be a sensor for it. Thanks as always to
whom I often refer to in these types of posts. Reference image and video below.
Help us build the Riso Midwest Catalog!
We’re still collecting listings of current and active Risograph-focused print shops, community spaces, publishers, events, zine libraries and shops across the USA's Midwest. The more submissions we receive, the more useful the catalog will be.
Comb your brain! Send us info on Riso via link below:
Publishers & presses
Print shops & community spaces
Artists working in Riso
Zine and art book fairs, & events
Zine libraries
Places to buy and sell zines
Other Riso stuff that you think pals should know about
This is a companion catalog to RISO West Coast published by
. Shout out to Amelia & Adam for their knowledge and generosity.Riso Midwest Catalog is currently organized by BearBear and a crew of rockstar Midwestern volunteers. If you’re based on the East Coast or elsewhere on Earth and want to start a companion catalog for your area, please reach out.
Deadline to submit is May 31st, 2025.
Shhh, Save the Date
Psst, this has yet to be formally announced this week, but we wanted our closest community to hear about it first: Our studio move is literally happening TODAY and we are making our one-color Risograph printer travel across Bay View to pop-up at Cactus Club this Summer. Full details soon. Save the dates for RISO BASICS at Cactus. New dates, new time, new venue. It’s the end of an era but we’re excited to see what comes next.
Final Scene
I am really enjoying the new bread book by Richard Hart. Morning buns! Cardamom rolls! Sourdough extravaganza!
Lake life & hand bells,
Ben