The Bindery accepts class proposals on an on-going basis. We pay teachers fairly, reimburse for materials, and provide all marketing and ticketing administration. The Bindery is a safe, comfortable, and dynamic teaching environment, with students coming from all walks of life.

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We accept serious and well thought-out proposals at any time on almost any topic as long as it centers on book arts in some way. This can include binding, printmaking, letterpress, zines, writing, typography, digital layout, paper arts... etc!

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To propose a class, please send us an email at info@binderymke.com. The email should be as detailed as possible including class description, materials/costs, length of class, how many sessions are necessary, and the number of students possible. We'll get back to you if it sounds like a fit!

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We look forward to working with you!​​

The Bindery is rarely hiring, but if we are, open roles will be listed below with links for more information.

 

We are happy to accept resumes/portfolios at any time from highly qualified professionals, for future reference. We keep these on file only from those who have at least three years of working experience in bookbinding, letterpress, layout, book design/production, or printing.

 

We cannot respond to employment inquires or submissions beyond any role listed below. Thank you for your interest in joining our team! 

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• The Bindery is not currently hiring.

The Bindery accepts volunteers throughout the year depending on need. This includes for Milwaukee Zine Fest (Please head over to the MZF volunteer form to sign up there if you are interested.)

 

If you would like to volunteer for a day or two in the shop, please reach out to info@binderymke.com to see if opportunities are available. Please note that volunteering in a busy bindery environment is not necessarily fun, glamorous, or even a stellar learning opportunity. (Transparency upfront goes a long way!)

 

Volunteers help with the following:

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• Basic shop cleaning: sweeping, wiping down surfaces, equipment and tools

• Sorting, cleaning, and organizing metal or wooden type

• Organizing materials, drawers and cabinets

• General maintenance indoors and out: shoveling, weeding, painting, wall touch-up

• Taking photos/video at events or around the shop for social media and marketing

• Organizing spreadsheets and other data-management tasks​​

Occasionally we offer equipment and tools for sale that either are no longer useful to us (but have a lot of life left) or that just come our way via someone else, and need to be passed along to a good home. These can be found below.

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If you are interested in listing an item via The Bindery, please reach out. We have a vast audience of folks looking for niche items and are happy to help connect you. The Bindery takes a small commission off most sales we help secure: please reach out for details.

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• The Bindery does not have any equipment for sale at this time

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Financial backing:

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The Bindery is a micro-arts business existing in a difficult economic environment. Keeping our doors open to the community, and our educational/pro-bono programming in place is a struggle annually. If you have the means to support our mission via financial backing, please reach out to our owner, Zachary Lifton, directly so that we can begin a dialogue: zachary@binderymke.com. Your generous support is critical to our survival and any/every amount counts. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

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Partner up:

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We regularly partner with other organizations (both locally and otherwise) to offer programming or products collaboratively in ways that benefit both parties! Have an idea to run by us? Excellent: please reach out to info@binderymke.com.

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Donate items:

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The Bindery is always on the look out for the following types of items that help support our programming and educational offerings. We cannot always accept all items: please reach out if you'd like to bring by any of the following for our team to assess:

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• Bookbinding or letterpress print shop tools and equipment. Items needing TLC are fine.

• Paper and cardstock of all varieties, colors, sizes, textures, and weights.

• Bookbinding and print materials such as cloth, glue, decorative paper, and ink.
   

• Books with content related to book/print arts to add to our community resource library.

• Zines and chapbooks of all kinds to add to our community collection and example library.

• Magazines with visual content appropriate for all ages (for collage).

• Books from 1930 or prior: especially with interesting bindings. Items needing TLC are fine. Please do not bring anything moldy or damp into the building. Mold can spread easily and cause havoc!

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(Please let us know if you have something not listed above that you think might be of interest.)

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