Ten Years of Lettering in Portland with LetterPDX
Written on June 15th, 2024 by D. T. Grimes
Ten years ago, we had a dream to see Portland lettering folks bring some of their work together once a month, talk shop, and share their experience with friends. This was the catalyst that sparked the formation of The Portland Lettering Collective.
The first LetterPDX meeting was on Thursday, May 15th, 2014 with only four members in attendance. We quickly got comfortable talking about letters, telling stories, and finding friendship under the lens of our mutual interest. Nowadays, each event brings out anywhere from 25 to 50 Portland letterers!
I didn’t maintain a leadership position in the group for long after its formation. Luckily, two other founding members kept it going for a few years. When one eventually stepped back, the weight fell squarely on the shoulders of Ms. Lauren Krzyzynski.
Lauren is a treasure. She maintained the regular meetings and Instagram handle for the past ten years in spite of “not being a letterer” herself (her words). She excels at bringing people together and is a friend that everyone feels lucky to know.
The LetterPDX 10 year anniversary event was held on May 29th, 2024. It was my honor to prepare an engrossed appreciation for Lauren at the anniversary gathering:
Although the night was filled with a bit too much excitement in the form of a gnarly flat tire on my poor pickup, it was a wonderful evening of chatting with old friends, making new ones, and sharing a love for letters, Lauren, and LetterPDX.
Here’s to the future of lettering in Portland!
