Skip to content

2014 Wayzgoose Steamroller Smackdown at the SLU Block Party

Twelve (mostly) local teams aim to make a prize-winning impression

By Mandolin Brassaw August 6, 2014

wayzgoose-image

If you’ve never seen the Steamroller Smackdown run by the School of Visual Concepts, you’ve been missing out. Lucky for you, though, it’s that time of year again for its  annual Wayzgoose letterpress celebration (now in its 13th year), when teams use a two-ton steamroller to compete against one another and print large-scale posters that are then judged for best design. “We’re looking for the team with the coolest poster overall,” says SVC letterpress studio founder and manager Jenny Wilkson.

This year, this great (and free) event is joining forces with another great (and free) event, the South Lake Union Block Party. Twelve groups will compete in the Smackdown on Friday, August 8 at Denny Way and Westlake Ave N. Among them are design teams from local titans Amazon, Starbucks and Oracle, along with other notable Seattle designers from CityArts, Tether, and Paper Hammer. Whether you’re rooting for the powerhouse or the underdog, they’re all bound to deliver great design. And since the large majority of the teams are on home turf, no one will mind if your local pride gets a little out of hand.

Here’s what you can expect: Each team will have created a large, custom linoleum cut (3-foot-by-4-foot) inspired by the culture and vibe of the South Lake Union area that they will then ink by hand with large rollers and print with the help of an asphalt steamroller instead of a traditional printing press. Each pair of teams has one hour to accomplish the task. (If you don’t catch them at Wayzgoose, the prints will be on display at the SLU Discovery Center at a future SLU Art Walk—date TBD—and then ultimately housed at SVC.) See the full schedule of teams and times here.

Want to get in on the fun? While simply watching the Smackdown spectacle is impressive, you can get yourself inky—sadly, you can’t drive the steamroller—by trying your hand at letterpress printing on two portable proofing presses at the Wayzgoose onsite plein air poster-printing tent, where you’ll use moveable type and imagery to create a one-of-a-kind, commemorative print to take home. Suggested donation is $2 and all proceeds benefit the SVC letterpress program.

If you don’t want to get inky but love handmade products by local makers, stop by the Letterpress Marketplace, where more than 20 vendors will be selling letterpress-printed goods, including local faves Paper Hammer, Constellation & Co, Tutta Lou Press, Bison Bookbinding and Letterpress, and Anagram Press. The professionals have already gotten messy on your behalf.

 

Follow Us

Holiday Hunt in Pioneer Square

Holiday Hunt in Pioneer Square

A daily ornament drop turns December into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.

The holidays tend to bring out the kid in all of us. And if opening presents and eating too many treats weren’t enough, there’s also a scavenger hunt in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood. Pioneer Square’s Holiday Ornament Scavenger Hunt has returned for its third year. Twenty-five handblown glass ornaments—all made at Glasshouse Studio—are hidden across 25…

Chit-Chat Kids

Chit-Chat Kids

Phone a friend.

Twenty years ago, before everyone walked around with a device in their pocket, kids used to call each other on a landline—often tethered to the kitchen in their home. It was a simpler time, when parents didn’t have to worry (nearly as much) about a potential predator contacting their child. Nowadays, things are different, which…

A Plate for Pickleball

A Plate for Pickleball

The design celebrates the state’s official sport. Additional plates are on the way.

Washington served up a new license plate last week, honoring the state sport of pickleball. In the works for three years, it’s the second of seven specialty plates to hit the market since getting approved by lawmakers earlier this year. “We’re thrilled to see our efforts become reality,” says Kate Van Gent, vice president of…

Seattle-Based Agency Brings Real Voices to NBC’s New Campaign

Seattle-Based Agency Brings Real Voices to NBC’s New Campaign

DNA&STONE built the project around candid conversations to understand what audiences want from reporting.

“I turned off news altogether. I want to be able to form my own opinions. Just tell the truth.” These lines open NBC News’ new national campaign, a 60-second ad that drifts over forests, farms, neighborhoods, and cityscapes while Americans talk about how worn out they feel by the news. The landscape carries the conversation…