Stepping away from Highpoint is not an easy decision, but it is the correct one at this time. Pretty much anyone who knows me is aware of my deep love and commitment to printmaking, Highpoint Center for Printmaking, and Highpoint’s mission. I am proud of Highpoint's work over the past two decades, born out of a first discussion and dream in August of 1997. That discussion developed into a business plan which was researched and crafted over three years, eventually resulting in Highpoint opening its doors to the public in early 2001. From the very inception of Highpoint, it was intended for the organization to be passed on to new stewards to carry Highpoint's mission into the future. I am incredibly proud of what Highpoint has become over the 25+ years since that early crazy idea Carla McGrath and I shared while cleaning up after a printmaking class in the Walker Art Center's Art Lab.
Highpoint was a pretty risky idea at first, and luckily, we were able to build a small group of believers who became Highpoint’s first Board of Directors. Early on, we did a lot of informational lunches and coffees with community members and visited other studios around the country as we built the business plan. We both had a lot of experience and knowledge under our belts and we believed there was a strong need for a place like Highpoint, but it was unclear whether the community would embrace what we envisioned. It was a huge leap of faith leaving jobs we both loved for this new and unformed undertaking. We leased HP’s first space and got to work. We were visited by Mary Abbe, then the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Arts reporter. After telling Mary our plans, she gave us a side eye and a droll ‘uh huh’ which sounded a lot like ‘we’ll see’ but she generously wrote a nice article about our new venture. Fast forward to 20+ years later and both Carla McGrath and I feel incredibly fortunate to have seen this idea bloom into what Highpoint has become and to have had the support of so, so many amazing people along the way.
I have loved the opportunities to work closely with hundreds of accomplished artists: from internationally known artists like MacArthur Fellow Julie Mehretu and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Do Ho Suh, and Jim Hodges, to the self-taught artist Donovan Durham. And I am so grateful to have shared this adventure with many wonderful HP Board members, staff, interns, co-op members, and tens of thousands of community members and stakeholders. It has been an honor and privilege of a lifetime.
Hundreds of studio interns have passed through Highpoint over the years, many going on to graduate printmaking programs, several to Tamarind Institute’s Professional Printer Program, and a few have started their own studios. Others are working professionally as printers at some of the most well-respected print publishers across the US including the Lower East Side Print Shop, Gemini GEL, Pace Editions, and Universal Limited Art Editions. Several Highpoint co-op members and interns have even relocated across the country to work at Highpoint, which is obviously a huge compliment. I’m still surprised and always deeply touched when I meet someone from another part of the country who knows about Highpoint.
The exhibition The Contemporary Print: 20 Years at Highpoint Editions curated by Dennis Michael Jon at the Minneapolis Institute of Art was a highlight of my career. Seeing eight of Mia’s Target Galleries filled with so many wonderful works by Highpoint Edition’s artists felt like a big family reunion. Being able to share all that work was amazing, over 8,000 people viewed the exhibition including 700 on the final day, and this was during the COVID pandemic. Highpoint Edition’s Archive was created to share and preserve this body of work with the public, and Mia’s acquisition of the archive was a big and important milestone.
— Cole Rogers, Co-Founder, Master Printer, Artistic Director