We demand a new Board of Directors at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
Our beloved printing museum faces an unprecedented situation. Board overreach has cancelled programming, rescinded residencies and cancelled exhibits of Black artists and others, and silenced community voices. The letterpress community wants answers.

Please support change at the museum! Whether you've been to Hamilton many times or have never had a chance to visit, adding your voice to the call for change matters.
Cultural institutions shape community, education, and access to important resources. When leadership fails in its duty to act in alignment and support of the mission, they must be held accountable.

A petition has been created to call for this necessary leadership change. Even if you are not part of the letterpress or printmaking or design world, your voice matters in affirming that cultural spaces deserve ethical leadership.
The Debacle Unfolds
THE TIPPING POINT:
Artist IBe' Crawley's planned residency cancelled by the Board with no explanation.
Mere days before IBe's planned residency in August was to begin, she was told by the museum that her residency was cancelled. She asked to speak to Tracy Honn, Board President or other board members to learn why, and was told they did not want to speak to her at that time. She asked if she could pay the public fee to still print, and was told she could not print there at all. In an act of intervention, IBe' still went to the museum on the day her residency was to begin, and was turned away. Meanwhile, on that same day and in the follow weeks, another group and another artist were allowed to print in the museum.

Hear in IBe’s own words what happened:
Programming Cancelled
In addition to IBe' Crawley's residency cancellation, other residencies and exhibits of artists were also cancelled without explanation. Years of staff dedication and community building destroyed overnight by opaque board decisions. Black artists disrespected, denied voices, ignored completely. LGBTQ+ and other initiatives terminated without warning or justification.
Wayzgoose Boycott
Speakers and attendees boycotting, demanding accountability. Community engagement brought to devastating halt.

Here are just a few (among many) social media posts of people who announced their boycott of the museum and conference in protest of the Board's behavior:
Rachel Simmons
Julie Chen
Jenn Graves
Melissa Blount
Ben Blount
Sarah Matthews
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Desiree Aspiras

All eight keynote speakers cancelled participating due to the Board's actions.
Over 60% of presenters cancelled due to the Board's actions.

Many attendees stated they would boycott the event too. As a result, the Board was forced to cancel the event.
Board's insufficient and unacceptable responses
The Board of Directors has largely remained silent or provided vague, dismissive statements that fail to address the gravity of the community's concerns. Their first response to the community blamed what happened to IBe' Crawley on "a series of logistical mistakes." Their second attempt at a response then blamed the staff. Comments from the community were then deleted by the Board on their Instagram (which were captured and saved HERE by community member Rob Miller).

Their responses have lacked transparency, failed to take accountability, and show a lack of care or commitment to resolving the issues. This lack of engagement further erodes trust and demonstrates a disregard for the many voices within the letterpress community.
Demand Board Resignation
Call for the entire Board—especially Angela Spinazzè and Tracy Honn—to RESIGN immediately. We demand a diverse Board that that will properly attend to the mission and legacy of the museum, and respect the museum's relationships with its multiple stakeholders.
New leadership is required
Current board has systematically excluded and disrespected artists of color and marginalized identities
Restore Community Voice
New leadership must listen to the people who make this museum special
Statements of Support from other organizations
The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum community's call for change has resonated widely, inspiring solidarity from other organizations. Many have expressed their support online and in social media. Here are just a few examples.
"Hamilton’s actions reflect both a betrayal of trust and an abuse of power. The executive leadership must demonstrate real accountability or step aside to make room for renewed trust, inclusive leadership, and shared values."
— Board of Directors, College Book Arts Association
READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE
"The sadness we feel at PIP by the Hamilton Board's exclusionary behavior is nothing compared to what Black artists felt when Hamilton closed their doors on them with no explanation."
— Partners In Print
READ THE FULL STATEMENT HERE
"I’m so sad to hear what is happening currently. I’m angry to hear what’s happening right now to the artist {IBe' Crawley} that had been turned away, I stand with you. I’ve read what you’ve written. I believe you and I hope our community keeps fighting for you. I hope you find a new place to print that will welcome you and that will celebrate you. For now, I just keep asking for the board‘s response.."
— Kim Miller of Tribune Show Print
LISTEN TO FULL STATEMENT HERE
News & Media
The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum situation has begun to garner attention from local and industry media outlets. We are tracking reports as they emerge.
Hamilton Wood Type Museum Faces Criticism over cancelled artist residencies
…
Upcoming artist panel will discuss the impact of Hamilton board's actions
Date to be announced soon.
Board Overreach and Neglect of the museum's mission
On Hamilton's website, they state the following:

OUR MISSION:
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum preserves history for creative use today.

OUR VALUES
Welcoming: We want you to feel at home.
Community-minded: We like sharing and being connected.
Open: We are authentic and transparent.
Responsive: We listen and act.
Passionate: We love to tell our story.
Steadfast: We keep and make history.

OUR VISION
What do we see in place for HWT&PM in 2047, as a result of our collection action?
In 2047 we see… An inclusive and welcoming culture in a mission-supporting space (“A museum with walls built around it”) that is a community keystone with an infrastructure that provides comprehensive digitization for accessible experiences, and preservation and protection of the collection; [with] sustainable financial security: HWT&PM is a unique model for a vibrant working museum.

The Board of Directors have been managing the day-to-day operations since the beginning of this year (even though the previous Executive Director was still there). None of their observed actions or decisions align with the museum's stated mission, vision, or values. Their closed-door actions and opaque decision-making have undermined years of community trust and progress.
Zero Transparency
Decisions made behind closed doors without community input, staff consultation. or explanation of rationale for decisions.
Staff Efforts and Community Relationships Undermined
Diligent work of dedicated staff in creating engaging offerings and building strong business and vendor relationships in the Two Rivers communty completely disregarded and overturned.
Financial harm
The Museum's mission, programming, and important collections are endangered by the board's reckless operational decisions. Due to their problematic behavior and insufficient response to the community, the annual Wayzgoose conference - the museum's primary revenue-generating event - was boycotted and subsequently cancelled. According to the museum's last published annual report (2022), Wayzgoose accounts for 21% of the museum's annual revenue. This is a significant loss, and could have been avoided.
Loss of members, donors, and sponsors
In addition to the loss of revenue from the cancelled Wayzgoose event, many members, donors, and sponsors have stated they are re-considering whether they will renew their support.
Neglect of the museum's collection
Hamilton’s wood type archive is a one-of-a-kind collection , yet it is currently being neglected. Due to storage conditions and lack of adequate attention, mold is present where type and supples are kept, endangering not just the parts of the collection, but also the health of the staff and volunteers. These are not just artifacts—they are living tools of history and craft. Their care is a responsibility of leadership, and the current board’s inattention puts them at risk of irreversible damage.
Other documents/links:
Community comments deleted from Hamilton's Instagram post: link
Executive Director role description from the executive search firm: link
Last Hamilton annual report published (2022): link
Hamilton's 990 Tax Forms (ProPublica): link
Community Response
Letterpress Community Awakens
The cancellation of Ibé Crawley's residency opened our eyes to the board's destructive actions. Artists, printers, printmakers, designers, and supporters are uniting against this institutional racism and operational incompetence.
Our community has built something beautiful over years of hard work. We refuse to let board overreach destroy what we've created together.
Take Action Now
Write to the Board and new Executive Director
Contact hamiltonboard@woodtype.org and copy/cc: new Executive Director Beth Kowalski at beth@woodtype.org. Demand board resignation, accountability for their behavior and financial endangerment, and appointing of new Board leadership.
Contact Board Now
Support our call for change
Check us out on Instagram
Search for #wearehamfam on Instagram for postcard campaigns, print actions, and letterpress community solidarity efforts.
Postcard Campaign
Sign up and Toolkit can be found
HERE (CLICK ON LINK IN BIO)
about the postcard campaign
Support Museum Staff
Send encouragement to the wonderful staff caught in this crisis. They've been building bridges while the board tears them down.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum crisis requires immediate community action. Our beloved institution's survival depends on your voice, your advocacy, and your unwavering support.

If you originally sent your letters to the Board to hamiltonboard@woodtype.org, please resend it to them again and copy the new Executive Director.
#wearehamfam - Follow our movement on social media
Our Community's True Strength
In times of violence, fear, and hate, we seek safety in community. Hamilton hasn't always been welcoming to everyone, but dedicated staff were changing that—until this board destroyed their work.

Our community isn't defined by walls. We find strength in each other, in the power of putting INK ON PAPER, and in our shared love of letterpress.
We look forward to gathering again talking about type, printing, life, and the transformative power of our craft.
Contact:
wearehamfaminfo@gmail.com