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Minuteman Press Bristol and the fairtrade awards

Minuteman Press Bristol is delighted to have been invited to enter the first ever Bristol Fairtrade Business Awards.  The ceremony will be hosted by the newsreader, journalist and presenter George Alagiah OBE.

The principles and practices of Fairtrade have always been dear to our hearts at Minuteman Press Bristol. As a commercial enterprise we have continued to support Fairtrade in our purchasing strategies.

Our presentation has now been submitted and we’ll be at the awards ceremony in Leigh Court, Bristol in March 2012. We’re all very excited.
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Minuteman Press Bristol Wins Again!

Minuteman Press in Bristol has won another major national printing industry award.

The ‘Top Appearance Award’ was presented at the Nettle Hill Conference Centre, Coventry, by the president of Minuteman Press, Robert Titus.

“Minuteman Press Bristol have pulled out all the stops to make their print centre an attractive place of work and a welcoming place for clients,” said George Holzmacher, Senior Vice President of Minuteman.

Alexis Jochman, designer at Minuteman Press Bristol, said: “We are very proud. It’s a great accolade and compliment given that we have achieved this without aiming to win this award. It was a team effort and we have succeeded in updating and smartening our place of work”.

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The Predominant Wish

The Predominant Wish, a Masonic Study by Major Ranulf Watkins-Pitchford, is a second edition hardback book, published by The Lodge of Living Stones.

Printed on 120gsm bond paper, hand sewn and case bound, this is the very first volume of The Lodge of Living Stones library proudly produced by Minuteman Press Bristol.

A print run of 150 books was commissioned by The Lodge of Living Stones to celebrate the installation of the new Worshipful Master.

To purchase the publication, please visit The Lodge of Living Stones.

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Artist Emily Ketteringham

Minuteman Press Bristol is delighted to be hosting the work of Bristol artist Emily Ketteringham.

Emily has created many colourful screen prints and charming drawings of buildings and iconic locations in Bristol and the area. A selection of Emily’s work has been reproduced by Minuteman Press Bristol using our large format Hewlett Packard inkjet press.

Emily’s artwork is distinctive and great fun. Simple illustrative lines are brought to life by rich areas of bold colour or pattern. The technique lends itself perfectly to the subjects depicted, such as the brightly coloured houses of Ambrose Hill, the Tobacco Factory and areas of Southville – all of which are popular scenes in Bristol.

Emily’s pictures are on display in the windows of our print centre at 15-19 Nelson Parade, BS3 4HY.

Emily welcomes commissions and her work can be seen here.

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M Shed

M Shed is Bristol’s newest museum and boasts the motto: ‘Your museum – your story’. And with exhibits including Rick Hurst’s donated skateboard and trainers on display, Minuteman Press Bristol quickly realised that M Shed is no ordinary museum.

We were fortunate to obtain tickets for the launch of M Shed, a significant moment in the history of the Bristol.

The new museum is located in a former mid-20th Century transit shed, the detail of which has remained exposed to create an atmosphere of nostalgia. The link with the museum’s external industrial environment has also been maintained with views of the working steam trains, cranes and the occasional ship passing by (though increasingly rare).

M Shed consists of three galleries each divided into sections:  Bristol Places (ground floor), Bristol People (floor one) and Bristol Life (floor one). An exhibition gallery and roof terrace are located on floor two.

The galleries display a variety of attractions, from the momentous to the everyday, hence the skateboard! But it is this mix of the ordinary and the historical that make M Shed remarkable compared to other museums.

Interactive terminals in each section encourage visitors to learn more about the exhibits through fun games and local stories. Rather than the conventional writing on walls and panels, this approach looks set to maintain the interest of visitors in the years ahead while being easily updateable. It’s well presented, high tech and cutting edge.

The walk-on Bristol Lodekka double decker bus and working traffic lights were a particular highlight for the children who accompanied us, prompting cries of: ‘Anymore athat yer off da bus, I oan’t tell ee again!’ Wallace and Gromit exhibits also rated well with the youngsters! There are many opportunities to touch, try on and actively explore various items, which are appreciated by both adults and children.

The ground floor exhibition is organised into regions of Bristol, presenting a logical layout for the uninitiated visitor, with a display of historical maps at its centre (who knew there were so many ways of spelling Bristol? Brygstow, Brightstowe, Brightstovve etc). Minuteman Press Bristol noted the empty frames in each area of the Bristol Places gallery providing an opportunity to add a personal message and leave a lasting contemporary contribution to the exhibits.

It was great to see our friends at the Grant Bradley Gallery preserved for posterity in a high profile location. Not forgetting the largest bomb ever found from the Second World War, which was defused in Bedminster and paraded through the streets of London.

Links with Bristol Museum were evident throughout M Shed, examples including art and mapping, but without duplication. The positioning of the two museums has evidently been carefully taken into account.

Bristol People and Bristol Life on floor two contain a rich tapestry of the characters and fabric of Bristol, brought to life in film, audio and tactile exhibits and displays. Detailed consideration has been given to the most effective communication of information to the visitor in an exciting experiential way: the result has been a huge success.

The Nintendo system was an unusual choice for an exhibit that brought a smile to many, but it does have its place in social history. A fascinating (and macabre) display concerning the Bristol Riots of 1831 featuring a carved humerus. Film footage of the St Paul’s riot in 1980 provided an intriguing comparison.

The giant map of Bristol and its surrounding environs covering the ground floor is a great example of M Shed’s interactivity. Families crouch searching for their homes and other familiar locations (fun to observe), while from the second floor balcony others peer down between hot air balloons to gain a bird’s-eye view of the city.

The view from floor two is breathtaking. Cabot Tower, Wills Memorial Tower, Arnolfini, Bristol Cathedral etc… it’s all there. It’s an unusual perspective of the city that we all thought we knew well.

Concluding comments from other visitors included:

  • Just what Bristol needed. What a fantastic experience
  • Highly interactive
  • M Shed is money well spent
  • Not what we were expecting
  • Very impressed with the exhibits and their display
  • A lot for children to see and do, whilst learning about the city of Bristol
  • I love Bristol, I wish we could stay forever

M Shed is at Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol BS1 4RN. 0117 352 6600 and best of all it’s free to visit.
M Shed.

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Minuteman Press Bristol are World Book Day Givers

Minuteman Press Bristol has been appointed as a book giver for World Book Day 2011. Minuteman will be distributing copies of John le Carré’s modern classic The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.

One million books will be given away in preparation for World Book Night.

Alexis Jochman, graphic designer at Minuteman Press Bristol, said: “We’re so thrilled to have been selected to take part in this massive scale project and to be given our first choice of John le Carré is doubly exciting! We can’t wait”.

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We’ve had a Makeover!

The print centre frontage at Minuteman Press Bristol has had a makeover. We’ve got a new colour, restoration, a new decal, upgraded lighting and distinctive 3D lettering.

Alexis Jochman, our graphic designer who project managed the redesign, said: “The vision was to bring the high profile location of the print centre frontage up to date, to deliver a degree of sophistication in its look and feel. I am really pleased with the outcome.”

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Bristol Radical History Group

Minuteman Press Bristol has been appointed as printers for the Bristol Radical History Group. The group has produced a series of 16 pamphleteer publications dealing with diverse Bristol related subjects.

01 Cry Freedom Cry Seven Stars
02 We Come For Our Own and We Shall Have It
03 A Brief History of Corporations
04 The Bristol Manifesto
05 John Locke
06 The Life and Times of Warren James
07 Race War
08 Yesterday’s To-morrow
09 Nicotiana Brittanica
10 Radical Brewing
11 A Barbarous and Ungovernable People!
12 Tolpuddle and Swing
13 Bristol’s White Slave Trade
14 Anarchism
15 Votes for Ladies
16 Anglo-Saxon Democracy

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Motivation Cookbook

Minuteman Press Bristol has proudly collaborated with Motivation Charitable Trust in design and production of their very first Motivation Cookbook.

The collection of more than 25 global recipes has been amassed by volunteers and dedicated Motivation staff, and is thoughtfully arranged in a logical order from starters to cocktails and subdivided by the region of origin. All recipes are accompanied by carefully selected images.

From initial tentative meeting, studying the brief, and considering the design process, to creating the first prototype and further editing to the birth of the final product, Minuteman Press Bristol has helped to create a stunning publication.

Motivation’s Communications Officer and Editor said: “I just wanted to say thanks again for the cookbooks – they look fantastic! They went down really well at the launch, which was a good opportunity to gauge people’s reactions!”