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Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street's Reading Room 220 will be a reference library and literary and visual arts-based community space in New Orleans' Upper 9th Ward neighborhood.

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Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street's Reading Room 220 will be a reference library and literary and visual arts-based community space in New Orleans' Upper 9th Ward neighborhood.

Press Street's Reading Room 220 will be a reference library and literary and visual arts-based community space in New Orleans' Upper 9th Ward neighborhood.

Press Street's Reading Room 220 will be a reference library and literary and visual arts-based community space in New Orleans' Upper 9th Ward neighborhood.

Press Street's Reading Room 220 will be a reference library and literary and visual arts-based community space in New Orleans' Upper 9th Ward neighborhood.

Press Street
Press Street
Press Street
Press Street
1 Campaign |
New Orleans, United States
$5,155 USD 71 backers
103% of $5,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk

Reading Room 220 Donor Plaque

$5 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
10 claimed

Big Class No. 2 Book + Above

$15 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
6 claimed

Invitation to Opening + Above

$25 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
17 claimed

Press Street Book + Above

$50 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
6 claimed

BC Thank You Book + Above

$100 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
9 claimed

Shelf Naming! + Above

$200 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
2 claimed

Desk Naming! + Above

$500 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
2 out of 4 of claimed

Centerpiece Naming! + Above

$1,000 USD
Est. Shipping
January 2014
0 out of 1 of claimed

About Press Street's Reading Room 220

Press Street is an arts and literary non-profit organization and community center serving the downtown neighborhoods of New Orleans.

Press Street’s Room 220 began as a literary group in the former Colton School, and has since become an online literary journal with frequent readings in Antenna Gallery and other auxiliary spaces around the city.  Press Street's new facility at 3718 St. Claude Ave. allows for the creation of The Reading Room 220, the physical incarnation of Room 220 that will serve as a reading room, reference library, and literary and visual arts-based community space. 

Since 2005, Press Street has created a wide variety of events, publications, and educational opportunities that support and promote arts and literature in the Upper 9th Ward community and New Orleans at large.  Upstairs in the Antenna Gallery, we produce an array of risk-taking solo and group exhibitions, curate the Miniplex film series, host Room 220 Happy Hour Salons (and Live Prose), and celebrate Big Class youth publishing releases. Downstairs is currently the home of Big Class, which offers after school tutoring, creative writing support, and workshops, as well as the Signals Flat Flie and Archive, which collects new works on paper from artists around the United States.

The Reading Room 220 comes out of the continued need for dedicated literary spaces in New Orleans, as well as Press Street’s desire to have the building accessible throughout the day. Based on designs from Daniel Kautz, builder and Antenna collective member James Goedert will lead a team in adapting the space into a modular room that can focus at any given time on the new library, workshops, Signals, or Big Class.

Your generous donation will lead to the construction of this new community space for New Orleans.


What We Need & What You Get

The $5,000 we hope to raise will go directly into building out the space so that it can truly operate as a modular room.  The renovations will allow for the creation of a display/work table that also functions as storage for the Signals Flat Files.  The center display is paramount for unifying the room and will free up much needed wall space for reading nooks and desks.  Any addtional funds raised will go towards the continued build-out of the space, including the planned building of built-in desks for Reading Room 220 patrons and Big Class students, and shelving for the resource library program.


If we aren't able to reach the full funding we will pursue an alternate vision of the space that will limit the usage to Big Class and Signals Flat Files until further funding is acquired.

All donations are tax-exempt under Press Street's 501(c)3 status.  If that's not enticing enough, check out the fun rewards we've put together to the right.

The Impact

Press Street's facility is street-level and eminently accessible by our neighbors.  During gallery openings, film screenings, events, and Big Class after-school programs, our community has made clear to us a need for a continuously open "third space" dedicated to the work of New Orleans' writers and artists.  The Reading Room 220 would provide a space for engaging with this work through workshops, conversations, and individual pursuits.  It would also allow for these conversations to exist alongside Big Class's creative writing, publishing, and tutoring programs for youth ages 6-18, creating a rare context in which these students can see their work as part of a larger cultural conversation.  In programs so far, the space has struggled to balance these programs.  The new build-out will achieve that necessary balance and allow for new opportunities.

While the room will be open during the day for quiet contemplation, book perusal, work space, and printing services, it will also be adapted to host adult workshops in the evenings following Big Class.  These workshops will cover a wide variety of topics that encompass Press Street's multidisciplinary interests.

Finally, the room will enable Press Street to further open up the space for other non-profits and community services to use for meetings and workshops.

Press Street hopes that The Reading Room 220 can follow the example set by Antenna, Big Class, Draw-a-thon, Miniplex Cinema, and Room 220's current incarnation in establishing a cultural resource that our community can enjoy for years to come.

Other Ways You Can Help

While we know not everyone can contribute right now, there are so many ways you can help us spread the word to make The Reading Room 220 a reality.

  • Social media!  Post this campaign to your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.
  • E-mail us and we'll pass on flyering information.
  • "Like" Press Street on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get all the latest updates.
  • Tell your friends!
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