The Portland Pins Project was created in 2009 by Bryan Bruchman (HillyTown) and Kris Johnsen (Emblem Studio) in Portland, Maine. Many thanks to Jess Hovey and Jenna Quartararo for help in assembling the pins.

We asked local artists to submit their own hand-made designs for 1″ buttons, then we mixed the end results all up in a gumball machine so people could buy great, unique artwork for very little (for 25 cents you get one or two pins from the machine). Currently, you can find our original machine at Eli-Phant (253 Congress St., Portland, Maine). A second machine will find a new home every month or so, with the location changing in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk and other special events. It is currently at Find on Free St. in Portland.

Contributing artists for the first round include:
Alicia Ines Sampson
Amanda Vickerson
Anna Low
Becca Case
Bryan Bruchman
Jeff Hoffman
Jeff Woodbury
Jenny McGee Dougherty
Jesse Lane
Jessica Esch
Kate Sullivan Jones
Katherine Hulit
Kris Johnsen
Ladybeast
Lisbeth Miller
Martha Miller
Ryan Lamunyon
Shannon Cote
Tim Wilson
Tyler Stiene
Will Ethridge

… and many more

If you contributed to the pins project and would like to have your name (and website, if you have one) listed here, please let us know!

We are always accepting new pin designs to be added to the assortment. Deadlines that appear here for submissions are a way for you to make sure your pins get made and added to the machines before each First Friday, since that’s when the most pins are usually dispensed, but designs can be submitted at any time.

Need ideas or tips for creating your pins? Try printing your templates on different colors of paper, or using paint, crayons, colored pencils, or markers to color the background. Consider transparencies and mixed media. Collages are great, but be careful not to make the artwork too thick, or it may not be able to be made into a pin. If using heavy paper or cardstock, make sure it is at least as large as the outer circle on the template, and in that case materials with a heavier surface work better (they wouldn’t be covered with plastic – which can make for interesting textures).

Anyone can submit designs – professional artists, cubicle doodlers, witty quote scribblers, etc. In the end they will all be mixed together and dispensed at random. There is no limit to the number of pin designs you may submit – you can submit a template sheet with just one circle used, or multiple sheets that are completely filled in. Please make sure to include your name and email address on every template submitted so we know which work is yours (this will be key for the website).

*Designs made for our Pin Machines are not available for bulk orders or purchase without approval from the individual artist. These designs are scanned in for the website but are never duplicated or sold in other places besides our pin machines.

Please leave your finished designs in one of the drop boxes at SPACE Gallery (538 Congress St., Portland, ME), Eli-Phant (253 Congress St., Portland, ME) or the Art Mart (522 Congress St, Portland, ME). You can also mail them to us directly at the following address:

Portland Pins
536 Congress St. #303
Portland, Maine 04101

If you are looking to get custom pins designed and/or produced, we can help you. Check out Emblem Studio’s reasonable rates for 1″ pins.

Please direct questions, concerns, requests, and all other correspondence to pinme@portlandpins.com.

Portland Pins was recently mentioned in Downeast, The Maine Mag, The Portland Daily Sun and the Maine College of Art Blog. We were also nominated for a League Of Young Voters Step Up To The Plate 2009 award. Thanks!

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