Help:Places

Places are the primary organizational unit of An Atlas of Modern Risography, a central project within stencil.wiki. Originally conceived as a global census of stencil duplicator users, the Atlas has evolved into a broader resource for documenting locations connected to stencil-based printing. This page provides some guidelines for working with, creating, and editing places.

History

The project began in 2013 as An Atlas of Modern Risography and was integrated into the larger stencil.wiki platform in 2014. In 2024, the Atlas migrated to MediaWiki, enabling enhanced functionality and organization.

Creating and editing places

All standard work with the data/information in places should happen via the Form:Place (which can be invoked on existing pages with the Edit with form button. When submitted, this form passes its contents to Template:Place which handles the data storage, and finally Template:Infobox place and Inventory which display the information on the page.

The articles themselves (everything not in the infobox or inventory can either be edited in the "article text" section of the form or directly on the page with the VisualEditor via the Edit button on the page (or the wikitext editor with Edit source if you prefer).

• Help:Using the place form
• Help:Validating an unknown/imported place
• Help:Writing a place article

Place Types

Before its migration to MediaWiki, all locations within the Atlas were categorized as "Studios." The transition to MediaWiki introduced a more expansive classification system, allowing for the following place types.

Note: Each place is categorized based on its primary function and may be assigned one or more types accordingly. Secondary activities, such as hosting workshops, exhibitions, or pop-up shops, do not determine a place's classification.

Studio — A creative workspace equipped with duplicator printing tools (often this is the base type if no others are a better fit).

Example: A personal artist studio that creates local posters and zines.

Print shop — A business or service specializing in duplicator printing, offering affordable printing for zines, posters, or small-run projects for artists and organizations.

Example: A local printer where customers can submit designs to be printed in bulk.

Publisher — An independent press that curates and distributes small-batch publications like zines, books, and posters, typically with a focus on experimental or independent creators.

Example: An indie press producing art books and limited-edition zines, like Zine Hug.

Store — A physical or online shop that sells printed goods (e.g., art prints, zines, postcards) and possibly tools or supplies related to stencil duplicator printing.

Example: A book store specializing in artist-made publications, such as PrintRoom.

School — A university, art school, or community center that offers workshops or classes teaching stencil duplicator printing techniques and design fundamentals.

Example: A non-profit art school hosting monthly printmaking courses, like the SVA RisoLAB.

Venue — A gallery, pop-up space, or community center hosting events, exhibitions, or print fairs showcasing duplicator-printed works or fostering community connections.

Example: the regular host of an annual Art Book Fair, such as Bergen Kunsthall.

Collective — A group of artists or printmakers sharing resources and a creative vision, often working collaboratively in a shared studio to create and promote printed works.

Example: An artist collective producing collaborative zines and prints.

Community space — A community-driven space providing open access to duplicator printing equipment, often alongside other tools, with options for short-term use or memberships.

Example: The Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC) in Portland, OR.

Archive — A historical collection of duplicator related publications, equipment, or resources.

Zine library — A contemporary collection of zines and other printed ephemera.