ABOUT US
Morgan Calderini and Arley-Rose Torsone met while working at an arts non-profit called AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island, in 2007. Arley-Rose, a graduate from Parsons the New School for Design, had been working there as the in-house graphic designer when Morgan, a recent Rhode Island School of Design grad, appeared on the scene to help start up a community printshop just down the hall. It wasn't long before they started making excuses to collaborate with each other, and their working relationship soon blossomed into something much more! (To read the full love story, check out our LadiesInLove Blog!)
It wasn't until the two were engaged that Arley and Morgan started to research the options for same-sex wedding invitations, curious to see what else was out there. When they saw that most invitation designs for same-sex couples meant having rainbows or little bathroom symbols of the same gender somewhere on the design, they knew their work was needed to ensure that all couples had the opportunity to find invitations of the highest quality of design and craft.
It wasn't long untll they acquired a few Chandler and Price letterpresses and moved into their new space at the Hope Artiste Village in Pawtucket, RI. From this post, Ladyfingers Letterpress buzzes with activity: All design and illustration work is done here by Arley, and all printing and production also takes place here by Morgan. Together they bounce ideas off of one another, collaborate and find inspiration from the creative community of artists that surround them. Together (with the help of their newly acquired staff of Hillary and Jill), they are Ladyfingers Letterpress.
Arley-Rose Torsone, Lead Designer
As a designer, Arley's goal has always been to create beautiful things that serve a meaningful purpose. After graduating from Parsons the New School for Design in 2004, she left the hurried lifestyle of New York City to pursue a slower pace of life that allowed for spontaneous campfires, late-night jam sessions and plenty of time to cook, draw, and love. Her life-long passion for drawing has developed into a fanaticism for typography, old-fashioned sign painting and hand-drawn type. With an appreciation for the old as well as a fluent understanding of the new, her unique style acts as a bridge between antiquated craftsmanship and a new era of tools and skills.
Morgan Calderini, Project Manager, Letterpress Printer
Morgan Calderini surrounds herself with rather odd yet satisfying specialties: hot air balloon building, printmaking, and pie baking are all things she takes very seriously. After having received her BFA in Printmaking from RISD in 2007, Calderini chose to redefine the hierarchical printshop archetype by establishing and managing Rhode Islands only community printshop at AS220 with a grant from AmeriCorps VISTA. She's taught letterpress at the AS220 Printshop and Penland School of Crafts. When she's not baking blueberry pies or hunting for long lost litho stones that people have been using as door stops, she's learning to fly Atlas, her 70 foot, 54,000 cu. ft. hot air balloon that she built.
Sydney von Dembowski, Accounts and Billing
Sydney is an old friend of Arley and Morgan's, with a bookkeeping relationship dating back to their days at AS220 when Sydney did the books, Morgan ran the printshop, and Arley was their graphic designer. A coincidental run-in at a kareoke night reunited these friends and now Sydney is basically running the show. The money show, that is.
Kat Cummings, Letterpress Printer
Not only is Kat an established letterpress printer and teacher, she's also a great lover of cheese, musicals and dogs. She also seems to always have the answer to really difficult questions and is always ready to brainstorm brilliant ideas, so naturally, we like having her around :)
Jungil Hong, Letterpress Printer
Jung is one of the most precise artists we've ever met. Her incredible artwork is executed with an exact focus and brilliant vision. We are very lucky to have such a talented craftsperson as one of our letterpress printers!
Hillary Parker, Client Coordinator
This chick's got it all: a charming disposition, unwaivering positivity, and the organizational skills of a jedi master. We are very happy to have her on board as our correspondence chief!
Jill Colinan, Master of Repetitive Tasks
If you want something folded expertly - and done 120 times in a row -Jill is your gal! She comes in from time to time to help us with assembly and finishing on large projects. She's also a talented artist in her own right, but we just love to have her around cuz she's so damn good with her hands!
Emily Robudoux, Intern Extraordinaire
Emily is our high school intern who comes in from the Met School, an awesome alternative high school here in Providence that offers apprentice-like internships as a learning tool for their students. She's also an incredibly talented writer who helps us out with some blog posts from time to time on our Ladies in Love blog!
Celine Hermel, Former Intern
Celine arrived from Germany in the summer of 2012 and rocked our world for three solid months. In that time, she learned to print on our C&P Platen press and observed the daily ins and outs of running a letterpress and stationery business. We were sad to see her go, but have stayed in touch! Letterpress buddies 4-ever!