An internship at Power and Light Press is a great opportunity for beginner printers to learn more about letterpress and the workings of a small creative business. We would love to find out more about your experience, interests, and expectations to make sure we’ll be a good fit, and get a sense of how we might structure your time here.
Diverse experiences and viewpoints are important to us. We encourage folks of all backgrounds to apply. Experience with printing is welcome but not required - the desire to learn is most important!
Internships are unpaid, but housing is provided free of cost. We hope to offer scholarships soon!
TO APPLY
Please submit the following to info@powerandlightpress.com
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a Cover Letter explaining your interest in the internship
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a resume or other record of relevant work experience
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2 - 3 images of your personal work - may include prints, posters, cards, writings, broadsides, books, or other creative materials
- take a look at our Google Calendar to check availability, and share your preferred start and end dates
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your answers to these questions:
+ What are you most interested in learning about while you're here? Printing and production processes / creating a product line / running a creative business / other?
+ Do you have any experience with letterpress or other forms of printing?
+ What kinds of printing equipment do you have experience with?
+ What interests you about letterpress printing?
+ What are some of your favorite print shops / artists / projects and why?
+ What interests you about working at Power and Light Press?
+ What do you hope to get out of your time here?
IMPORTANT DETAILS!
- We request a minimum commitment of one month, with a maximum of three months. 3 - 4 days/week at the shop is ideal, which then leaves some time for you to work on personal projects or find outside part time paid work, if necessary. This town doesn't have a ton of job opportunities, but we can try to help you find additional work if you let us know what sort of stuff you're up for.
- While the internship is unpaid, we are finally able to provide you with free housing! This has been on our wishlist for years, and the right opportunity finally came along. You will be housed in an apartment in a historic building within walking distance of the shop and all downtown restaurants, shops, coop, trailheads, etc. The apartment is furnished and equipped with all the basic necessities.
- In exchange for your work at the shop (and once you're sufficiently trained on the equipment), we can offer access to the presses so you can work on your own projects on your own time. This has worked out well for other interns in the past, and they've been able to work on art projects, or even pick up additional income by printing custom work.
- Attention to detail is very important to us at Power and Light Press. A lot of the work we do involves a discerning eye, repetition, and patience!
- Please be aware that we work with equipment that can be dangerous when not operated properly or carefully. Please keep in mind that long scarves, headphone cords, necklaces, etc can present a safety hazard, and are not permitted while operating our equipment.
- One of the biggest and most important requirements for any intern is that you have a strong sense of independence - both in your work ethic at the shop, and also in your general attitude towards life. We are located in Silver City, New Mexico - this is a small town in a remote area and, while there's actually a (relatively) sizeable population of active, engaged young (and old) people, it's not exactly a thrill-a-minute kind of place... If you love hiking, hot springs, wide open spaces, time to yourself, sunshine and weird old hippies and cowboys, then you'll fit right in here. If you crave social stimulation, Starbucks, and a bustling nightlife, then it might not be the best place for you. We love living here, but it’s certainly not for everyone so we want to make sure you know what you're getting into! Please let us know if we can answer any questions about the town/area.
Please let us know what other questions you have for us - we’re looking forward to learning more about you!
- Kyle & the Power and Light Press crew