STONEROLLER COOPERATIVE 

Gowanus Studio Space

Designing for shared labor, collective care, and creative infrastructure


Before founding Stoneroller, Libby Clarke spent seven years as a working artist and core contributor at Gowanus Studio Space (GSS), a Brooklyn-based community of artists, printmakers, and designers. She served as Publications & Information Manager while building her art practice back up after years in commercial design.

GSS offered space, time, and shared responsibility. Libby responded with systems, structure, and a deep respect for the artists doing the work.

Designing to Support the Studio, Not Control It


GSS was never meant to operate like a top-down institution—and the design systems needed to reflect that. Libby created and maintained all public-facing materials, from signage to show invitations, with clarity and consistency. She worked within the studio’s existing visual language—refining rather than replacing.

She designed internal templates, produced handbooks, and documented meeting notes to keep the member-led steering committee functioning. When GSS needed communications, Libby stepped in. When it needed a break, she took hers. It was that kind of place.


Building a Responsive Website and Streamlining Tools




The studio’s website needed to reflect the care, professionalism, and transparency of its members. Libby built and maintained a responsive site, updated content, and clarified event and exhibition information. She also organized shared Google Drive systems, trained members on file storage and scheduling, and simplified the use of social media platforms—without diluting the tone of the space.

She made sure design served the work—not the other way around.




Organizing from Within


GSS didn’t run itself. Libby helped coordinate member shows, taught classes, and created and managed an intern program. She also developed and administered community surveys to ensure that member voices were heard and acted on.

As part of the steering committee, she advocated for stronger internal communication, more access to opportunities, and better documentation of collective decisions.

Libby created and ran the intern program, bringing in local students 

What GSS Made Possible

Gowanus Studio Space changed Libby’s life. It gave her space to reconnect with her art practice, develop her voice, and remember what design is for. It taught her how to build a flexible, adaptive space for team work. Every system she’s built at Stoneroller carries some of that GSS DNA: a commitment to shared purpose, ethical clarity, and design that helps people keep showing up.

“I came in needing a place to make things. I left a better artist, a better designer, and a better citizen. The generosity of that community continues to shape everything I do.”
—Libby Clarke
Founder, Stoneroller Cooperative
Stoneroller Cooperative
Based in Maplewood, NJ. 
Serving clients nationwide and beyond.

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