In two days, Alsuin Preis will be marching alongside her 13-year-old daughter and hundreds of thousands of people in the nation’s capital. She needed to get ready.
She pressed the imprint of the letters against the white cloth and a few minutes later, lifted the imprint to see the result. “We are all immigrants,” read the banner in blue letters, stark against a white background.
“It’s beautiful,” said Preis, an Irish immigrant, as she watched a volunteer carry it away to dry. She then shuffled to another station to make way for others.
Studio Two Three was controlled chaos Wednesday as dozens of people packed into the facility in Scott’s Addition to make T-shirts, banners, protest posters, fabric flags and printed ephemera.
Most planned to carry their creations during the Women’s March on Washington on Saturday, whose numbers may reach unprecedented levels for post-inauguration demonstrations.
Organizers have said the march is meant to promote women’s equality and defend other marginalized groups.
“It’s saying, ‘We’re here, we’re watching, and we are prepared to make our voices heard,’ ” Preis said.
For Douglas Tanoury, 62, his participation in the march along with dozens of his friends wasn’t even a question.
“I never thought at my age I would be marching,” he said. “It feels like time is going backwards. But I feel socially obligated to do so. I know what is it like to be an immigrant in this country.”
He flattened a newly minted banner that read “You Are Not Alone” on a table.
Ashley Hawkins, the executive director of the studio, said Wednesday’s workshop and others like it are part of their “Art of Activism” series, which grew out of a demand from the community. More than 160 attended Wednesday’s workshop and an identical one held on Sunday, Hawkins said.
“We started off as a print shop, which I think is so grounded in democratic ideals,” Hawkins said.
They plan to donate some of the workshop’s registration proceeds to the American Civil Liberties Union, whose representatives also plan to attend a roundtable discussion at the studio in February.
Eventually, Hawkins planned to make a poster of her own, once the studio had died down. But that likely wouldn’t happen for hours.
“It’s such a good vibe in here. The price was so accessible, there are people here from all different backgrounds. It’s great,” Preis said. Admission cost was $15.
