Come spend two weeks in rural Vermont, immersed in the daily hands-on work of our printshop and press!
Location: Glover, Vermont, USA
Duration: 2 weeks, from June 18 – July 2, 2024. Apprentices are expected to be able to participate for the full two weeks.
Cost: $500 for two weeks.
Printers, artists, dreamers, painters, makers of all kinds are invited to work with us! APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY MARCH 1, 2024.
2024 Bread & Puppet Printshop Apprenticeship Overview
Graphic images, chiseled into masonite, printed and painted on cloth, and paper have been an integral part of Bread & Puppet Theater’s shows since the very beginning in the early sixties. Peter Schumann, Bread & Puppet’s founder, director and artist, created and continues to create the content, both pictures and texts, of nearly all our publications and posters. Our emphasis is on utilitarian uses of art, for such vital activities as celebration, decoration, information, argumentation, rumination and puppetry!
We are committed to making Bread & Puppet a space of thriving and belonging for all.
ALL applicants will be considered regardless of their ability to pay. We understand that our fees are too high for many people who might want to apply. Therefore, if you are selected for the apprenticeship program, we will work with your financial situation to enable you to attend this program. If you can afford to pay the full price, or have access to outside funding, your support helps us offer fee reductions for those who need it.
A note on fees for college students
Talk to your professors about the potentiality of college grant money to help cover your apprenticeship fees. Often colleges have money earmarked specifically for their students participating in summer apprenticeships. It is also sometimes possible for students to receive college credit for completing a Bread & Puppet apprenticeship. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email Solveig: [email protected].
Please note that the focus of the apprenticeship program is specific to the work being made and not a particular syllabus. We are not a school and we do not conduct classes in printmaking, but instead provide a learning experience based on the work that the Bread & Puppet Press produces daily. Apprentices will develop printing skills and have use of the facilities to make their own work during certain hours and on off days. The apprenticeship program is an intensive and often intense communal living and working experience. To be a B&P apprentice is to be “thrown into” the ongoing life and production of the community and to learn by engaging with this often chaotic but also highly structured environment. Apprentices need to be self-motivated and adaptable. There will be other theater apprentices on the farm at the same time, so it should be a fun and lively experience.
What to expect:
Apprentices will learn by engaging in different aspects of Bread and Puppet Press production, which may include printing masonite cuts, painting banners and posters, setting type and printing on our Vandercook SP-20 printing press, as well as special projects to prepare for summer exhibitions, like printing circus flags and banners!
All meals are included and are prepared for everyone by the Bread & Puppet cooks, with collective help, except on Mondays, our weekly day off. On this day apprentices will be responsible for their own meals. Dietary allergies and needs will be accommodated to the best of our abilities. Everyone, including press apprentices, is expected to pitch in with food prep and clean up. We use outhouses, conserve water, compost leftovers and generally try to be thrifty.
Accommodations:
The accommodations are simple, even rugged. You will be camping, using outhouses, and have minimal access to running water. It can be wet and chilly even in late June. Be prepared to rough it!
Apprentices must be 18 or older. Dogs, drugs, and underage drinking are not permitted. Sorry, no trailers or campers.
PLEASE RESPOND WITH A LETTER OF INTEREST UNDER 300 WORDS BY MARCH 1, 2024.
IN THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE LETTER, PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME, AGE, WHERE YOU ARE LIVING, AND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS. All communication after the initial letter will be via email.
This is a chance for us to get to know you. Please let us know why you were drawn to the Bread & Puppet Press apprenticeship. What skills, interests, proclivities, talents, life experience do you have that would make you especially suited for this particular apprenticeship? Additionally, feel free to mention any printing experience you may have. You can also include a couple of pieces of artwork if you’d like, though just sending a letter is fine, too. It is not necessary to include a resume, but if you really want to, you may. If you have questions, feel free to ask.
Send letters to:
Bread and Puppet Press Apprenticeship
Solveig Schumann
753 Heights Rd
Glover VT 05839
Or
