Summer camps are here!

Jenny Wells

Interview with Jasper Duberry

This month, we had the opportunity to interview Jasper Duberry, co-op member, recent Full Color Print Fellow, artist, and new dad (!!!), about their creative practice, inspiration, and what being a part of Highpoint has meant to them.

I am a printmaker who lives in Minnesota, where I grew up most of my life.  My printmaking is focused primarily on the form of relief through woodcuts.  Art has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.  As a kid, I would draw the Rugrats and provide coloring sheets for my kindergarten class. My love for printmaking, however, didn’t start until I learned the art form in college.  I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin (Go V-hawks!). The themes that I like to explore are those encompassing the black experience – pain, joy, excellence, healing, and resistance, to name a few. Exploring these themes has provided an avenue for me to reflect and express personal emotions, thoughts, and feelings of being a black male in America.

Can you tell me more about your current exhibition in the Threshold gallery at Highpoint?

Absolutely. First of all, I am extremely grateful and fortunate that Highpoint makes this available for it’s members to have this fantastic opportunity.  I think every artist dreams of having their own show at some point so opportunities like this are fantastic to come upon. 

The woodcuts in my show explore themes from my experiences and encompass the Black experience – pain, joy, excellence, healing, and resistance, to name a few.  As I have been working on my pieces, along with curating my show, I wanted to tell a story that ranges from pain and struggle through resistance and rallying to creating the future we want to see and victory.  I have also been drawn to using the medium and my pieces towards educating on Black history, topics and moments as well.  With that, you will see my piece “Just Us,” which is focused on the Voting Rights Acts of 1965 – which helped give Blacks and other marginalized groups protection to be able to vote in America.

I believe that the viewers, no matter what walk of life they are from, will be able to resonate with the pieces.

You've been involved with Highpoint in several capacities, including co-op member and Full Color Print Fellow. Could you talk about your experience?

My experience with Highpoint started with the Full Color Print Fellowship. It was truly timing and stars aligning that brought me to Highpoint. After being gone for several years, I had just moved back to Minnesota and was looking around for a printmaking studio.

What drew me to Highpoint was their state-of-the-art studio, availability of many different printmaking styles, and a clear commitment to diversity and community.

When I reached out to check it out, I was introduced to the Full Color Fellowship and told about it.  That confirmed my prenotion on how Highpoint showed its commitment to diversity and community.  My experience with the fellowship and time after it has been nothing short of amazing.  My favorite part of being at Highpoint through these experiences has been the opportunity to meet many visiting artists, getting to explore many different techniques and classes along with non-stop continual support from staff and other members on whatever venture or idea that I want to explore from themes to materials or research to help foster my thoughts and ideas. I would say my highlight so far has been the opportunity to hang my pieces in the Threshold Gallery.  Special shoutout to Josh, who is always available for questions and ideas and helping make this show physically happen. 

“Highpoint is a community where everyone belongs. A place where everyone is able to be themselves both personally and artistically and has the freedom to explore whatever idea or theme they would like to without fear and provided the tools and guidance along the way to help them get there. ”

Obviously, being part of the Full Color Print Fellowship, I would say that this is something I am very passionate about and would love to see continued and for others to know about.  I would also challenge those who don’t think about representation in art to take some time to educate themselves on it.  This can be seen and not seen on many different levels, from the art that we are shown (and again not shown) in museums to deciding who dictates what messages and art should be seen, and at its smallest scale, it is programs like this that start to turn the tide with some of these ideas and concepts. 

Highpoint has been a huge help with both my creative process and my early career as a printmaker.  From a creative process standpoint, Highpoint has been instrumental not just in the equipment and space it provides as far as co-op but also in the continual education in the form of classes and access to visiting artists, shows, and resources as well. 

Some of the best magic about Highpoint is how all the artists here are on similar journeys of wanting to improve, help one another, and be successful. There hasn’t been a single day that I am in the studio where a fellow co-op member hasn’t asked what I was working on or made a suggestion for technique or simply an artist to check out.  This magic also carries over into our careers as far as getting the opportunity to meet possible patrons and collectors at the many different co-op shows and gatherings. 

instagram.com/jasperduberry
jasperduberryprints.bigcartel.com

From the Back of the Bus, now on display through December 31, 2024.

Interview with Grace Sippy

My name is Grace Sippy and my primary method of creating art is through printmaking. I earned a BFA in Printmaking at the University of Iowa and an MFA in Printmaking at the University of Alberta. For over 15 years, I have explored all the print disciplines, whether through my own practice or by way of teaching at the university level, workshops, and demos. Though my primary art form has been printmaking, over the years, different mediums have been part of my practice, such as drawing, photography, and artists' books.

 If I had a double of myself, they would have learned all the disciplines of book arts (paper making, book forms/binding, letterpress, etc.); I have done a little of each of these things and have taught them, but I have never gone through a lot of formal training.

We recently asked Grace about their experiences at Highpoint and what it has meant for their creative practice.

Can you tell us about some of your current projects/ideas/inspiration?

My current work pursues a completely new exploration of concept, technique, and methodology, compared to what I have previously concentrated on for over a decade. Loss, grief, the ephemeral, and a deep longing for the past are themes sometimes experienced in Motherhood. It began with an artist book, 7 Seconds, that I printed and made imagery for while a Grand Marais Art Colony Juried Artist in Residence in 2020. Starting the book was a process of healing and processing a loss I had suffered a year before. Over the next two to three years, I slowly bound the book, ultimately completing it in 2023.

Since receiving the McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowship in Printmaking, I have been working on some paper sculptures and a collagraphic series incorporating text from 7 Seconds. Using garments once worn by my young children, I have transformed them into collagraphs and explored several ways of creating prints from them. Some exist as embossments, others inked and printed. Chine-collé and embroidery are used for other elements in the print: mimicking fabric, text on tags, or small garment details. The transformation of the garment to a printing matrix is a paradox, destroying the garment in the process but creating something new, a remnant of what was there. This currently untitled series presents a reflection of loss and grief: of hopes of having a child, of a child since grown, and the loss of a child.

Can you tell me more about your goals/process during your current McKnight Printmaking fellowship and what growth/changes/inspiration you have found along the way?

I have been highly motivated to get as much work done during the fellowship as possible for a few reasons. One is that the course of making this work is one of healing for me and of processing different aspects of Motherhood. These are things that cannot be forced or rushed, but the fellowship is a period where I get to have a lot of time to devote to it through artmaking. There is a dichotomous aspect to the work where part of me wants to feel heard, and part of me wants to hold a secret. Another reason to explore as much as I can is that I likely will not have as much time to devote to my practice after the fellowship ends.

The framework of graduate school keeps coming to mind—time, resources, support, starting a new vein of work, the spirit of exploration, etc. The work I’ve been creating during the fellowship has been very different than what I’ve been doing for a long time, so naturally, there’s been a lot of investigations. Paper, for example, a range of weights, textures, colors, etc. I’ve also been working on some paper sculptures, something I haven’t done in over a decade, and collagraph, a printmaking technique I haven’t done in a long time. Working with text and images created some challenges with the collagraphs. One was figuring out how to integrate them together in a way that made sense for the concept while considering aesthetics. For this series, I’ve used embossment, embroidery, letterpress, and chine-collé, among others. Collagraphs are wonderful because you can print them as intaglio plates, relief plates, or both at the same time. I’ve also been able to capture lots of detail with just embossing (also called blind embossing: running plate through the press with no ink on it.)

You've been involved with Highpoint in several different capacities. Could you talk about your experience, what it means to you, and the lessons learned?

I’ve gotten to experience many aspects of what Highpoint has to offer: co-op membership and exhibiting opportunities, receiving the Jerome Early Career Residency and McKnight mid-career fellowship, as well as teaching demos, samplers, workshops, and classes, so it has been very rich for me as an artist and individual. Community is one of the biggest benefits of being at Highpoint, and it feels like a special blend of workplace and family. I’ve been involved with HP for six years now; some friends have come and gone, and some remain. I remember a “regular gang” of co-op members—we all sat in more or less the same places at the work tables—and me feeling welcome. We’d have conversations while we worked, and I’d get to know them while they got to know me. That group has shifted somewhat, but it remains a warm memory for me.

Being able to scratch the teaching itch has also been very impactful. Before we moved to the TC, I was an assistant professor in printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; I taught all levels and areas of printmaking and courses in typography and basic drawing. I even taught a broad course on book arts, with paper making, artist books, and printing. After a couple of years, I was let go due to major budget cuts, which left me discouraged and disillusioned. I had worked so hard and so long for that “dream job,” had done all the right things, and was still let go. It was one of several types of losses I experienced within a short period, and I learned nothing is guaranteed and to not put anything or anyone on too high of a pedestal. When I came to HP, I began teaching demos, samplers, and, eventually, full classes and workshops. It is not the same as teaching at the university level, but it’s still an outlet for my desire to help others, share knowledge, and connect through a common love of art. I don’t know what teaching and artistic practice will look like for me going forward, but I’m trying to keep an open mind.

HP provides so many great programs. The educator in me has a heart for all education-related programs. Anything that helps folks learn about and experience printmaking gets me excited. Being able to teach at HP is always so rewarding; I love to engage with students.

Has Highpoint or the co-op impacted your creative process or career?

Highpoint has definitely impacted my career as an artist and educator. Through the co-op, I’ve been able to continue my printmaking practice with more technical options than my home studio; I’ve also gotten to sell some work and gain some visibility, both as an artist and educator. The various programs I’ve been part of have led to further opportunities. In terms of impacting my creative process, having the space and equipment to explore what you could otherwise not afford through HP is huge. As I mentioned earlier, the McKnight alone has been an explosion of creative investigation for me.

Highpoint is. . . an epicenter—a major resource with a resounding impact.

gracesippy.com
Instagram.com/grace.sippy

Current/Upcoming Exhibitions:
McKnight Printmaking Fellowship Exhibition, opening March 7, 2025, at Highpoint

I will have a piece at Rosalux Open Door 19 at Rosalux Gallery. It runs from December 7th to 29th, with an opening reception on Saturday, December 7th, from 7 to 10 p.m. 

Interview with Melissa Sisk

This month, we had the opportunity to interview Melissa Sisk, co-op member and active community member, about their creative practice, inspiration, and what being a part of Highpoint has meant to them.

My name is Melissa Sisk, and with over a decade of experience in directing, designing,  and creating visual graphics, I’ve built a career focused on both educating and entertaining through visual art. My journey began with creating medical illustrations and animations, transitioned to managing and developing board game art, and more  recently, teaching graphic design classes at Dunwoody College of Technology. I’ve also enjoyed engaging in portfolio reviews, speaking events, and art panel moderation. More recently, I’ve been expanding my practice into the world of traditional printmaking,  specifically silkscreen printing.

Part of my creative practice is motivated by my love of the natural world and a desire to help others, which led me to earn a Master of Science in Biomedical Visualization. After graduating, I worked at the National Institutes of Health, where I created graphics for publications, marketing materials, and research. Here, I learned how to practice merging creativity with utility, using design to educate and inform while remaining visually captivating and aesthetically strong. 

A career-changing opportunity led me to Minnesota, where I joined my dream medical animation company. Here I got to further explore the intersection between art, science,  and storytelling while bringing client’s visions to life. I believe that the most powerful visuals are those that marry beauty with precision. This experience taught me how taking risks can lead to incredible rewards. 

Today, I combine my passions and experiences by teaching at the college level and creating at Highpoint Center for Printmaking. For me, creative practice is about pushing boundaries—experimenting with new techniques, materials, and ideas. I’m always looking for ways to grow, learn, and refine my work to better communicate the messages I’m passionate about. It also brings me great joy to amplify the work and voices of others. 

Can you tell me about some of your current projects/ideas/inspiration? 

I’ve recently taken a short break from creating new art after completing a significant project earlier this year: my first solo art show. This project came to life after I spent the summer of 2023 in the south of France. I was inspired by my experience of being an outsider and reflecting on what “otherness” means, both literally and metaphorically. I  began thinking about how I could reflect that in my work, and before the plane landed back in Minnesota, I learned about an open call from Alliance Francaise for artists to host their own exhibitions. 

This experience deepened my passion for screen printing, and I’m now reflecting on new directions for my work, including expanding my creative practice further into other printmaking techniques and exploring new themes of identity, belonging, and cultural perspectives. At the heart of my work is a desire to spark curiosity and inspire reflection. Whether I’m creating educational visuals or personal artwork, I aim to create pieces that resonate with the viewer long after they’ve seen them.

What drew you to printmaking? Which processes speak to you? 

I’m drawn to the versatility of printmaking, where each technique—whether it’s screen printing, etching, or lithography—offers a unique way to tell a story. My original goal in learning screen printing was to create my own graphic novel. Both graphic novels and screen printing allow me to transform intricate designs into tactile, expressive works that resonate visually and physically. Although I’m still in the early stages of developing this graphic novel, I’m gathering experiences and knowledge that will serve as stepping stones, guiding me toward that goal in the future.

You've been involved with Highpoint in several different capacities. Could you talk about your experience?

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from screen printing is the importance of letting go of control and embracing the unpredictability of the process. Unlike other mediums, screen printing often requires a balance between precision and chance, and  I’ve come to appreciate how mistakes can lead to unexpected discoveries that push the boundaries of my work. 

Equally important was learning the courage to ask for help. The kindness and expertise shared by the co-op community helped me embrace the process in new ways and encouraged me to view my strategies differently. As a result, I was able to grow both personally and artistically while steadily moving forward in my work.

As an educator, I believe the Jerome Residency is one of the most important programs offered at Highpoint, as it supports the artistic and career development of early-career printmakers.  Artists in this program are not only encouraged to demonstrate imagination and rigor in producing new work, but also embrace curiosity and eagerness to learn technical  proficiency and craft. Their practice embodies a distinctive vision and authentic voice,  pushing the boundaries of convention through innovation, creative risk-taking, and  thoughtful inquiry. By supporting these artists, we help cultivate not only a dynamic and  forward-thinking artistic landscape but also a generation of empathetic, open-minded,  and inquisitive individuals who will engage with the world in meaningful and  transformative ways. 

Being a co-op member of Highpoint has profoundly impacted my mind and soul,  providing me with invaluable access to a vibrant artistic community and resources that have enriched my practice. The collaborative environment has allowed me to learn from fellow artists, expand my technical skills, and refine my creative vision. Additionally, the opportunity to work in a professional studio has strengthened my confidence, giving me the space to experiment, take risks, and push the boundaries of my work. This experience has not only deepened my artistic growth but has also broadened my professional network and opened doors for future opportunities in the field. 

melissasisk.com 
Instagram & X: @sisk_meli

Interview with Mads Golitz

My name is Mads, and I am an artist and educator in the Twin Cities. I received a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. After graduating in 2020, I moved back to the Midwest and have found a home in Minneapolis’s arts community these past few years. Since moving here, I have grown as a teaching artist through various roles at Highpoint, starting as an Education Intern and currently as the Education Programs Assistant. 

We are pleased to introduce and celebrate Mads Golitz, our newest addition and Education Programs Assistant. We recently asked Mads about their experiences at Highpoint and what it has meant for their creative practice.

Can you tell us more about your current work:

Recently I have been reviving a past art style that depicts playful dancing figures. They originated as expressions of joy during hard times. Lately, I’ve been drawing inspiration for them from queer love and community. I am enjoying applying this old work to new print techniques, as well as exploring their connection to other themes in my life that I am hoping to explore more through my work this coming year. In short, I am a bit all over the place right now but excited about the direction I am heading. 

What drew you to Highpoint?

Highpoint was on my radar since moving to Minneapolis. It was exciting to see the various opportunities that were consistently being offered. Even now, I appreciate the range of levels of experience that Highpoint programming accommodates. It was encouraging to see classes for folks new to printmaking alongside grants for mid-career artists. For that reason, I saw Highpoint as a place where an artist, at any point in their career, could join and grow.

I might be biased here, but I feel most passionate about Highpoint’s education programs, especially for the youth. When students come to Highpoint for field trips, it is often the first time they have tried printmaking. I believe it is important to show kids spaces where people make art as a community and that they can see themselves making art in those spaces. The same is true for adults. I love to teach introductory classes to see folks who would not consider themselves artists discover or rekindle a love for creating.

Has Highpoint impacted your creative career/practice?

I am incredibly grateful for what Highpoint has done for my career. It has given me the space, resources, and opportunities to grow as an artist. From my time here, I have strengthened old printing techniques and learned new ones. Most importantly, Highpoint connected me to an arts community from which I can seek support, inspiration, and guidance. It has also allowed me to give back as a member of that community, taking on more responsibility as I step into new roles.

Interview with Horacio Devoto

Meet artist Horacio Devoto. Horacio has been a Highpoint co-op member for about two years and, along with Laura Youngbird, was recently awarded the 2024-25 Full Color Print Fellowship. They will spend the next year working with a mentor and creating in the cooperative printshop.

We recently asked Horacio about his experiences at Highpoint and what it has meant for his creative practice.

My earliest experience with Highpoint was attending Free Ink Days in 2011 with my son. I have such fond memories of those days, seeing my son’s eyes opened to the possibilities of printmaking. I think Highpoint’s public access programs like Free Ink Days are a wonderful gift to the community.

For someone like me, without formal training as an artist, Highpoint has offered so many opportunities. I started by taking classes and was amazed by what one can do in printmaking. For years, I worked in large-format photography, but, with printmaking’s greater authority, one can manipulate the subject matter and control the hues, textures, and layers.

When the opportunity to become a Highpoint member arose, I jumped at it. I continued taking classes, but as a member, I had access to incredible equipment and became part of a community of artists committed to the painstaking process of printmaking. This community is creative and kind–there is always someone to turn to when I can’t quite get the picture in my mind to translate to ink and paper. I take inspiration from my fellow Highpoint members, and the print studio produces some of the most beautiful prints I have ever seen.

My most recent work involves photographs and printmaking. I am interested in how humans act in the natural world. Some have described my recent work as apocalyptic, and, given the state of the climate, that seems right.

Remembering Cathy Ryan

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Cathy Ryan passed away on Saturday, October 5th, 2024. She was a beloved friend, co-op artist, active community member, and board member and will be missed by so many. Cathy’s lifelong love and commitment to art and community have inspired and left a lasting impact on us all.

In accordance with Cathy’s wishes, her partner Doris and her family will not be hosting a memorial service or end-of-life celebration.

To make a memory gift in Cathy's honor, please make a donation to the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA).

Cathy made an impact in so many organizations and individuals’ lives throughout her career and art practice. Many know that Cathy was a talented printmaker and book artist who received the MN Book Artist award in 2022, the Jerome Book Arts Fellowship in 2011-12, and had her work included in the 2012 Quarry publication “1000 Artist Books.” She has been an artist-in-residence at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, co-curated The Contained Narrative: defining the Contemporary Artist’s Book exhibit at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and received an artist residency in Salzburg, Austria. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in private and public collections, including the Minnesota Historical Society, Hennepin County Library Special Collections, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library Special Collections.

“Cathy was a talented artist with a rich career devoted to education and philanthropy. We are grateful for Cathy’s warmth, knowledge, and presence within our community as a co-op member and Board member. “ — Jehra Patrick, Executive Director

Cathy Ryan (second from the left) at the opening reception of The Contemporary Print: 20 Years at Highpoint Editions

Additionally, she contributed to the broader Twin Cities arts community through her service on MCBA and Highpoint’s Board of Directors. Cathy was a longstanding member of our community here at Highpoint; she has been a member since 2005, a co-op member since 2011, and a Highpoint board member since 2021.

“Beyond the abundance of artistic accomplishments and philanthropic efforts, Cathy Ryan was simply a great human being. Her loss will be felt deeply within Highpoint and well beyond our walls.” — Josh Bindewald, Director of Artist Programs

Cathy Ryan, URBAN OASIS (detail), screenprint, letterpress, collage, digital photography, 2020

Cathy Ryan, CHRONICLE, screenprinted and letterpressed on Rives BFK. The binding is drumleaf, and the cover is Hanji Irish Grey over a bookboard. The box is Japanese book cloth over a bookboard.
Photography: Petronella J. Ytsma.

Most importantly, Cathy was a wonderful human and friend and will be terribly missed in our community. Thanks for keeping Cathy's memory and her partner Doris in your thoughts.

Announcing the 2024-2025 Jerome Early Career Printmakers

Left to right: Emma Ulen-Klees, Conor McGrann, Nancy Ariza

Please join us in welcoming the 2024-2025 Jerome Early Career Printmakers Emma Ulen-Klees, Conor McGrann, and Nancy Ariza!

Three artists are selected annually to participate in the Jerome Early Career Printmakers Residency at Highpoint. Thanks to the generous support of the Jerome Foundation, this program has existed since 2003 and has served more than 50 early career printmakers.

The Jerome Residency program is open to early career Minnesota printmakers who already possess training in one or more traditional printmaking techniques. Early Career is defined here as an artist with a record of creating and exhibiting original work who has not received consistent development and production opportunities and significant recognition, awards, and acclaim regardless of age or recognition in other fields.

These artists will use the co-op studio at Highpoint to pursue their printmaking practice toward their culminating exhibition, which will open in June 2025. In addition to studio access and their eventual exhibition, Emma, Conor, and Nancy will enjoy periodic studio visits with invited guests, along with learning and professional development opportunities.

Special thanks to our esteemed panelists Bo Young An and Luis Fitch for their careful review of the outstanding applicants.

About the artists:

As a new(ish) father to a two year old daughter, Conor McGrann has found that his artistic practice has changed quite significantly since she was born. As such, he says “I am so excited for this opportunity, as it will allow me to invest the time and resources I need to fully develop a new way of working as an active artist and parent. I really love intaglio printmaking in all its forms. I find it to be a perfect and at times frustrating collaboration between myself, the materials, and the process. Even after many years of work the act of making a plate always provides surprises. I hope to use this time at Highpoint Center for Printmaking to lean into the “how did that happen?” moments to make work that is fully in conversation with the process and material restrictions intaglio offers.”

Conor McGrann is an artist that makes things usually on paper, living and producing work in St. Paul, MN. He is the Digital Studio Arts Technician at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he maintains the printshop and photolab and facilitates the use of digital and analog interactions for faculty, staff, and students in the Art & Art History Department.

In his own work Conor has a particular interest in the translation errors and systemic breakdowns that occur when filtering work between digital and analog production methods. His work is focused on the relationship between political systems, geography, the built environment, sense of place, and culture. He received his MFA in May 2021 from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and his BFA in printmaking from Syracuse University in 2009.

About her Practice, Nancy Ariza offered this: “Pattern serves as my primary visual language through which I explore my Mexican heritage, seeking to understand my lineage and deepen my connection to my ancestors and culture as a second-generation immigrant. During the residency, I will focus on exploring new ideas that are rooted in Chicana feminism while still working in abstraction. I’ll be revisiting large-scale printing and continuing to investigate experimental printing techniques using powdered pigments. I’m also looking forward to receiving feedback on my work from guest critics and fellow Jerome artists in residence.”

Nancy Ariza is a Mexican American printmaker, educator, and arts administrator. In her studio practice, Ariza explores intergenerational relationships, storytelling, and memory as a way to understand and honor her Mexican heritage. Often working in woodcut and screenprinting, her artwork combines traditional and experimental printmaking techniques. Ariza has exhibited across the United States in group shows at Blanc Gallery in Chicago, IL; Janet Turner Print Museum at California State University in Chico, CA; Klemm Gallery at Siena Heights University in Adrian, MI; among others. She is also the founder of Amilado Press, a collaborative print studio in Minnesota.

The multiscalar realities and consequences of environmental degradation, transformation, and fragmentation are central to the work of Emma Ulen-Klees. She states: “Through research, and the intensely personal process of archiving, extinct flora and cartographic text/imagery become material actors in ever evolving environmental narratives. The material reality of each subject is further reflected in my method of making and each projects’ form, allowing me to experiment with both the physical and conceptual capabilities of different mediums.”

“The Jerome Fellowship will allow me to push my practice by continuing these ongoing projects, as well as providing support and foundation to experiment and grow new ideas! While I look forward to the advancement of a long term project archiving extinct plants through paper embossings, I am also excited to translate a series of ink paintings/drawings exploring the history of cartography and its symbols, into prints for the first time. I often process ideas through series, or sequential works, so the particular ways many print matrices hold a memory through transformation will be a great push for those ideas. I am especially interested in how lithography, and monotype will bring out different elements within this work. Beyond these particular projects I happily anticipate the unpredicted and unexpected paths my work may take over the course of the fellowship, whether by happy accident, or generative community feedback. It is this mutual exchange between subject and process (which feels particularly rich in printmaking) that I most look forward to learning from.”

Emma Ulen-Klees is a multidisciplinary artist and writer whose work centers the fragmentation and transformation of landscape. Her individual but interconnected projects come together to mourn extinction and absence, magnify the accumulation of plastics, and interrogate the distortionary nature of western cartography, while still allowing for the beauty and awe vital to emotional relationships to place. Ulen-Klees earned a Printmaking BFA from California College of the Arts (2014), and MFA from Cornell University (2020). Past awards include the Ralls Scholarship in Painting, Yozo Hamaguchi Scholarship in Printmaking, as well as the Kala Art Institute Emerging Artist Residency. She has exhibited at the Missoula Art Museum (Missoula, MT), Zolla/ Lieberman Gallery (Chicago, IL), Jack Hanley Gallery (New York, NY), Safe Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Anglim Gilbert Gallery (San Francisco, CA) as well as in Oakland, Berkeley, CA, and Ithaca, NY. Internationally she has exhibited in Osaka, Japan and Hjalteyri, Iceland.

About the review panelists:

Bo Young An is best described as a creative. Her practice includes, but is not limited to, curation, illustration, design, murals, and education. An received her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts from the University of Washington, Seattle, and her MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2022. Her work has been shown at exhibitions in Seoul + Hanam (KR), Honfleur (FR), Leon (SP), and Seattle + Wisconsin + Minnesota (USA).

Luis Fitch is an internationally renowned Mexican artist, mentor, and creative entrepreneur specializing in visual art and working across gallery and urban art settings. His legacy transcends barriers, cultivates cross-cultural connections, and infuses design with meaning and purpose. His relentless commitment to bridging divides through his creative endeavors inspires the world—a testament to the enduring power of art and design to foster unity and understanding.

His artwork is featured in over 380 private and institutional collections throughout the United States, Europe, Dubai, Mexico, and Latin America, including prestigious institutions such as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis, and many more.

Luis's creative journey continues to evolve, marked by recent milestones that underscore his indomitable spirit. Notably, he was commissioned to illustrate four stamps for the United States Postal Service, a testament to the profound impact of his artistry on a national scale. Additionally, Luis crafted the first-ever art collection by a Mexican artist for Target stores, commemorating the revered Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) tradition. His involvement as the Commission Chair of the State Flag and Emblem Redesign, appointed by the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, further exemplifies his dedication to shaping cultural narratives.

Bo Young An and Luis Fitch

Remembering Sally Gordon

This week, we received the heartbreaking news that Sally Gordon, a beloved friend, artist, and long-time community member, has passed away. It is with a deep and profound sadness that we relay this news. Sally was extremely close with her family, and there was much comfort in knowing that she was enveloped in their love when she passed. 

A memorial for Sally is being held on Friday, May 31st at the American Swedish Institute. A short service will begin promptly at 1 PM, followed by a celebration with food and drink and a playlist of Sally’s favorite music, ending at 5 PM. 

Find her obituary and memorial information here.

Sally joined the the co-op at Highpoint in June of 2003 and she was a constant presence. Stone lithography was her domain, she learned the technique at the University of Minnesota Twin-Cities. Sally was an incredibly gifted draftsperson, a former arts writer for the Star Tribune called her “the Human Xerox Machine”. It’s no wonder that lithography, the printmaking technique most closely related to drawing, was her chosen medium. I think it’s fair to say that Sally was routine oriented. She typically parked in the same space in the lot behind Highpoint. She always sat at the same spot and in the same chair at the co-op work tables because that was the one place where the light was just right. The images that she made affectionately illustrated the people (her family) and scenes from everyday life or Her World as she called them in her 2019 solo exhibition at Highpoint. An exhibition that she was reluctant to agree to at first but ultimately embraced. 

Sally Gordon at the Prints on Ice Co-op Exhibition, 2023

Sally was a lover of music. Her musical tastes were diverse and surprisingly contemporary. Even though she liked to rock out while drawing on her stone, Sally was never unavailable. Sally would slide her headphones off to converse with anyone at any time, including the many curious schoolchildren that looked over her shoulder on their way to the classroom. Sally brought her perfectly wrapped homemade caramels to Highpoint every year as a holiday treat. On at least one occasion, she organized a co-op soup exchange. She had the best hooded sweatshirts, including those that read “Live, Laugh, Lithography” and “Trust me, I’m a printmaker". There are countless, charming anecdotes about Sally but of all the interesting things about her, most important is that she was a genuinely good person. Whenever Sally came to Highpoint, she brought a brightness with her. Sally is going to be dearly missed in our community.

With input from her family, and when the time is right, we will permanently commemorate Sally at Highpoint.

Sally Gordon and her husband Gallen Benson at the Highpoint’s 20th year anniversay party at the Minneapolis Institute of Art

Photo from Sally Gordon’s recent Threshold Gallery exhibition

Written by Josh Bindewald, Director of Artist Programs and friend of Sally.

Teaching Artist Learning Community (TALC) Update!

Left to right: TALC program facilitator Isabel Arevalo, participants Lynda Acosta, Boniat Ephrem, Meher Khan, Zamara Cuyún, Whitney Terrill, and program facilitator Nancy Ariza. Not pictured, Constanza Carballo

We are excited to share an update on Highpoint’s newest program, the Teaching Artist Learning Community!

TALC is a paid program designed for early-career Minnesota-based BIPOC artists interested in growing their teaching and studio practice in printmaking.

Six artists were selected this fall to join the inaugural program: Lynda Acosta, Constanza Carballo, Zamara Cuyún, Boniat Ephrem, Meher Khan, and Whitney Terrill.

Over ten weeks, the cohort met weekly with Nancy Ariza, Highpoint’s Artist Education Programs Manager, and Isabel Arevalo, Teen and Adult Programs Intern, for printmaking instruction and discussions on pedagogy and professional practice skills of being a teaching artist to develop their printmaking workshops.

They received instruction in drypoint intaglio, water-soluble monotype, and relief printing, as well as access to Highpoint’s Sampler Sessions and private instruction from programming staff. Discussion topics included writing a teaching philosophy statement; introduction to pedagogy and teaching artist professional practice; lesson plan writing and Backward Design, scaffolding, and differentiation; elevation; building a positive classroom culture; creating resources and aides; and reviewing and negotiating contracts.

Whitney Terrill in the Highpoint Co-op.

Meher Khan screenprinting in the education classroom.

The cohort visited Mia’s Print Study Room to expand their knowledge of contemporary printmakers and met guest artist and educator Melodee Strong, who shared professional advice and feedback on their teaching philosophy statements. 

This spring, the cohort members will lead printmaking workshops between February and May at Highpoint and offsite at partner organizations. They will also exhibit their work from April to June in the Threshold Gallery. The exhibition entitled Reflected Impressions, Endless Possibilities will feature new work by the cohort members inspired by their teaching philosophies and reflections on participating in TALC. 

This program is generously supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board 2024 Creative Support Grant.

Join us on June 5, 6-8 PM, for Ink and Insights: Conversations with Highpoint’s Teaching Artist Learning Community to meet the artists and celebrate their achievements.

Keep an eye on our upcoming classes to take a workshop with a cohort member: highpointprintmaking.org/classes

Interview with Highpoint Editions Artist, 2023 McKnight Fellow, and community member, Carolyn Swiszcz

We recently interviewed Carolyn Swiszcz, longtime Highpoint contributor, member, artist, and collaborator about their original introduction to Highpoint and what it has meant for their creative practice.

About: Carolyn Swiszcz has mastered the art of shining a rose-colored spotlight on the everyday with her playful style. As an avid creator, Swiszcz turns mundane suburban scenery into jewel-toned landmarks in her multimedia artistic practice, which ranges from music videos to zines to more traditional paintings.

Carolyn working in the Highpoint Editions Visiting Artist Studio in 2017.

I’m a painter and printmaker based in the Twin Cities. I have a printmaking BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I’ve been a Highpoint Editions artist, and I'm currently a 2023 McKNight Printmaking Fellow at Highpoint. My husband Wilson Webb, a fellow MCAD alum, is an on-set photographer in the film industry. 

I met Cole Rogers while at MCAD and he invited me to make work with Highpoint Editions; I was part of the organization fairly early. Right from the beginning, Cole and Carla set the tone creating a quality, sustainable organization with high artistic and institutional goals. I am so happy to see Jehra Patrick in her new role as Executive Director and I trust that Cole’s successor will also continue the excellence that I have come to expect from Highpoint.

Andrea Carlson (left) and Carolyn Swiszcz (right) during the 2023 McKnight Printmaking Fellowship studio visit

I’ve done two rounds as a Highpoint Editions artist (2004 and 2017), and each time, my artwork has grown leaps and bounds. I’ve learned new processes and ways of working that I never would have come to on my own. The Highpoint “imprimatur” has been, for me, an essential confidence boost that has inspired me to pursue stretch-opportunities and exhibitions.

Carolyn and her husband Wilson printing a monoprint during her McKnight Printmaking Fellowship, fall 2023.

The Editions, co-op and education programs are all top-notch but I’d like to put a shout out for the exhibit space. The shows are something I’ve come to depend on for inspiration and they make Highpoint a destination for the arts community. There have been some recent exhibits that really stand out not just in the context of printmaking but in the Twin Cities art world as a whole. I’m thinking especially of 2021’s “A Contemporary Black Matriarchal Lineage in Printmaking.” There’s always new work that opens up my mind both technically and culturally. 

Wilson and I see and appreciate Highpoint's commitment to inclusion in the people it exhibits, publishes, grants, and educates.

Highpoint Editions, Highpoint's fine art publishing and visiting artist program invites artists to experiment with the medium of printmaking, create work in the visiting artist studio, and collaborate with the printing staff to create original editions. Since HP's inception, HPE has worked with dozens of artists and produced hundreds of prints and originals. Over the past year and a half, HPE completed projects with Julie Mehretu, Brad Kahlhamer, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. 

Thank you, Carolyn! We are very appreciative of your involvement on so many levels! You can find more of Carolyn’s work here.

If you would like to support Highpoint or arts programming, consider donating or joining as a member.

Interview with Anda Tanaka, printmaker, instructor, and HP's Apprentice Printer

Anda Tanaka is a Minneapolis-based artist and educator working primarily in printmaking and drawing. She has exhibited work in solo, juried, and group shows around the country, most recently at Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis and the Octagon Center for the Arts in her hometown of Ames, Iowa. Anda holds a BA in music and studio art from St. Olaf College and an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). She is currently the Apprentice Printer at Highpoint Center for Printmaking and has taught courses at both MCAD and Highpoint. As a printmaker, she is always excited to learn new techniques and has recently taken continued education classes in monoprinting on clay, bookmaking, and waterless lithography. When not in the studio, you can find Anda outside cycling, cross-country skiing, open water swimming, or walking her cats, Triskit and Millie.

I joined the Highpoint co-op almost ten years ago. I was drawn to the studio because it provided a way to continue learning and experimenting with printmaking after becoming interested in the medium as an art major at St. Olaf. Joining the co-op gave me a solid community and network as I began to establish my studio practice in Minneapolis. After finishing my MFA at MCAD in 2022, I was able to join the Highpoint team as an Apprentice Printer, bringing along my long experience with the space as a community member.

I have been involved at Highpoint as a co-op member, adult educator, and printer. Throughout all these roles, I am passionate about problem-solving printmaking challenges with peers, students, and colleagues. Our staff and community members are generous with their time and expertise and are continually learning from one another.

Highpoint Editions staff printing "The Beautyful Ones" May Have Arrived, print by Njideka Akunyili Crosby

As Apprentice Printer, I work with our Senior Printer, Zac, and our Studio Interns in the Highpoint Editions “Pro Shop.” Highpoint Editions works with invited artists, local, national, and international, to create collaborative prints. In collaborative printmaking, the artist drives the aesthetic and conceptual side of a project while the printers provide technical skills and expertise. If you stop by the Pro Shop, you may find me mixing ink, preparing paper, packing prints, printing, or chatting with visitors about printmaking. My favorite part about my role is that I can share my enthusiasm and knowledge of printmaking with visitors and artists every day.

During the past few months, Senior Printer, Zac, and I have been interviewing printers at various shops across the U.S. and Canada to network with peers and learn about how different studios operate and collaborate with artists. It has been valuable to step back and look at the big picture alongside all the super-detailed printing work we do on a daily basis.

Having Highpoint in the Twin Cities has allowed and encouraged me to become deeply invested in the printmaking community as an artist, educator, and printer. Highpoint was my first studio after completing undergrad, the site of my first self-designed printmaking course, and where I have learned the ins and outs of the print publishing world.

I am currently teaching Intro to Intaglio at Highpoint and will be taking part in the winter HP co-op show, “Prints on Ice” as well as the Arrowhead Biennial in Duluth. And, now that the snow has started to fly, it is time to start training for the Birkebeiner cross country ski marathon, a winter tradition for me.

Meet the 2024-2025 Full Color Print Fellows

Congratulations and welcome to the 2024-2025 Full Color Print Fellows Horacio Devoto and Laura Youngbird! Horacio and Laura will enjoy 12 months of access the the cooperative printshop at Highpoint, artistic and professional development opportunities, exhbition opportuntiies, and more!

Find more information: highpointprintmaking.org/full-color-fellowship

Free Ink Day at Highpoint!

Free Ink Day

October 28, 12 - 4 pm at Highpoint

A free event for the whole family – costumes are welcome!

Join us for our Fall Free Ink Day! For this event, we are using a technique called Pochoir, which is printmaking with stencils. All materials for the planned activity are non-toxic and supplied by Highpoint. No registration is necessary – just drop in, bring your creativity, and be ready to get inky! Staff and volunteers will be able to answer any questions along the way.

It’s a spooky time of year and Halloween weekend, so costumes are welcome, candy is provided, and ghost, pumpkin, and monster stencils will be ready for printing!

Interested in volunteering? We would love your help!

Meet the Jerome Residents

Left to Right: Mei Lam So, Izzy Shinn, and Gidinatiy Hartman

ANNOUNCING HIGHPOINT’S 2023-24
JEROME EARLY CAREER PRINTMAKERS

Highpoint is pleased to announce the 2023-24 Jerome Early Career Printmaking Residents Mei Lam So, Gidinatiy Hartman, and Izzy Shinn. The nine-month residency begins in September and will culminate in May with a June 2024 exhibition in Highpoint’s galleries. Between now and then, though, much experimentation, progress, and growth will occur. The program will include four special guest critiques that occur at intervals during the residency. For more about each of the residents, read on:

Mei Lam So (she/her) is a Minneapolis-based visual artist whose medium includes printmaking, textile printing, and ceramics. She received her BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MFA in Printmaking and Ceramics from the University of Iowa. Originally from Hong Kong, Mei’s work explores topics surrounding the acculturation process of bicultural Asian immigrants. Mei has exhibited her work nationally.

Mei offered this about the upcoming residency, “I look forward to enacting some developing ideas and creating a new body of work with the community support of Highpoint's technical and conceptual expertise.“

Izzy Shinn (they/he/she) is a butch Twin Cities-based printmaker and comic artist specializing in intaglio etching and ink illustration, having earned their BFA from the University of Minnesota. With a focus butchness, lesbian life, and history, their work is tied intimately with themself and their own experiences, showcased through characters and archetypes, exploring the sexual and social stigmatization of women, the body, and the queer subject.

Most recently, they have worked as a summer workshop studio assistant at Penland School of Craft. They have exhibited and sold work in various local venues, such as the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, and the North Suburban Center for the Arts. They have also self-published multiple mini-comics and zines and participated as an exhibitor in the 2022 Minneapolis-based Autoptic Festival.

When asked what they’re most looking forward to in the residency, Izzy said,  “What I'm most excited for is the time and resources to experiment more with intaglio printing methods, specifically multi-plate printing, chine collé, and plate shape variation. I'm also very much looking forward to delving into this newer, more personal facet of my work and exploring how drawing from intimate and archival sources will influence my style and practice.” 

Gidinatiy Hartman (they/them) has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Their artwork is about creating visual representations of the Deg Xinag and other Native languages and is centered around a desire to reclaim their family’s Athabascan language, which was taken from them due to colonization. United by a sense of whimsy and wordplay, their art seeks to make it easier for people to learn Deg Xinag and other Native languages. They aspire to have multiple modes of representation, including visual art, that makes language revitalization more accessible to people.

Gidinatiy said this about the upcoming residency, “I am looking forward to being in a printmaking studio because it gives me the opportunity to use a variety of printmaking methods again. I am excited to continue the same work I did for my BFA, creating artwork related to my Native language: Deg Xinag. Also, I look forward to being more involved in the printmaking community and being able to get feedback and input on my artwork.”

Highpoint would like to thank this year’s panelists Tamara Aupumaut and Heidi Goldberg. Tamara Aupaumut is a multidisciplinary artist and independent curator living on Mni Sota Makoce, also known as Minneapolis. She works in a variety of media, including printmaking. Heidi Goldberg earned her BA from Hamline University and MFA in printmaking and works on paper at The University of Michigan. She taught studio art at Concordia from 1995-2022. Her works have been exhibited in local, regional, national, and international juried exhibitions. She lives and works in the sand hills near the National Sheyenne Grasslands in North Dakota. 

The Jerome Early Career Residency is in its 21st year of programming and is funded with a generous grant from the Jerome Foundation. The program is open to early-career Minnesota printmakers — defined here as artists who show significant potential yet have not received a commensurate amount of professional accomplishment or recognition, regardless of age or recognition in other fields. You can find details about the program, application process, and creative benefits on our website

About the Jerome Foundation –  Created by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill (1905-1972), The Jerome Foundation seeks to contribute to a dynamic and evolving culture by supporting the creation, development, and production of new works by emerging artists. Based in St. Paul, MN, the Foundation makes grants to not-for-profit arts organizations and artists in Minnesota and New York City.

Association of Print Scholars at Highpoint

Highpoint hosted a cohort of print historians, curators, and educators from the Association of Print Scholars for a workshop Funded by the Getty Research Institute in the Highpoint studio at the end of July. Participants came to Minneapolis from all over the United States, along with two others who traveled internationally for the workshop, one from Montreal and another from Basel, Switzerland. Cole Rogers and Josh Bindewald provided a thorough, technically-focused, and participatory walkthrough of intaglio printmaking. Participants were able to create two images on copper plates using the techniques of drypoint, engraving, line etch, aquatint, and spit-bite. They were also guided through the process of making prints from their plates. Cole and Josh also demonstrated additional advanced intaglio techniques, including sugar lift, soft ground, chine-collé, and multiple plate printing. 

Amidst and between their studio sessions, the scholars viewed and discussed intaglio publications that Highpoint Editions has completed. They were also able to examine seminal historical prints during several visits to Mia. On their last day in the printshop, the scholars had the opportunity to apply their knowledge by identifying the techniques used in each other's prints and discussing what they had learned. The single greatest takeaway was their surprise at the level of skill needed to correctly wipe a plate, the scholars were emphatic about it!

The workshop was a long time in the works and took a great deal of planning. Originally it was to take place in the summer of 2020, but due to obvious circumstances, it was delayed. This was a case of good things worth waiting for, Josh said this about the workshop: “Teaching this group was so rewarding, their enthusiasm was palpable and contagious! All week long, they peppered us with intelligent questions and insights. It was just such a great experience all around.”

Thanks to the Association of Print Scholars for entrusting us to teach them intaglio and to engraving expert Todd Bridigum for helping introduce the ancient art of engraving to the group!

Co-Founder and Master Printer Cole Rogers celebrates 22+ years at Highpoint Center for Printmaking

Cole Rogers in the Highpoint Editions Print Shop by the ink wall

After an impressive twenty-two-year career at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, Co-founder, Artistic Director, and Master Printer Cole Rogers has announced he is stepping down from his position at Highpoint. We offer Cole our support for his next steps, celebrate his influential career at Highpoint, and recognize his legacy in the greater printmaking field.

When we asked Cole if he is retiring, he said, “What’s that? I plan to collaborate with artists making prints and being an active community member.” As creatives, there is not quite a word to describe what it means to “retire,” but it’ll be a continuation of the craft. One thing's for certain, Cole Rogers's legacy in the printmaking community and the number of artists that have been impacted by his presence and expertise is incalculable.

See the Star Tribune Article here.  

As Cole departs, we celebrate his career and legacy. Since its opening in 2001, Cole has worked with over 50  international artists creating hundreds of prints and multiples from internationally known artists like MacArthur Fellows Julie Mehretu and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, to Do Ho Suh, Jim Hodges, to self-taught artist Donovan Durham. Highpoint Editions’ Print publications have been acquired for the permanent collections of over 70 major museums, corporations, and numerous private collections throughout the United States and abroad. Cole has been honored with ‘Printmaker of the Year awards from the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Mid-America Print Council and is a lifetime member of Southern Graphics Council International and Mid-America Print Council.

Highpoint was founded on the idea of bringing artists together to make prints, learn, explore, and find community through the medium of printmaking. In founding Highpoint, Cole and Carla have built a lasting hub for printmaking that includes members, artists, enthusiasts, collectors, students, neighbors, and families.

We are excited for Cole and Carla as they embark on their next chapter together and we know that they will continue to be honored members of Highpoint’s community for years to come. 

Cole Rogers printing ɹǝɯɯnS  ɟo  by Jim Hodges 2016

I am so grateful to have shared this adventure with many wonderful HP Board members, staff, interns, and co-op members, and tens of thousands of community members and stakeholders.  It has been an honor and privilege of a lifetime.
– Cole Rogers

Cole Rogers working with artist Dyani White Hawk on test proofs for her 2019 Takes Care of Them suite.

Having the opportunity to work with Cole was a gift. He is an incredible printmaker and human being. Having the opportunity to collaborate with someone with that level of expertise opens doors of possibility. My practice has benefited tremendously through the opportunity of creating prints through Highpoint Editions. I am but one of many people whose practices and lives have been enriched through participation in Cole and Carla’s vision of creating increased accessibility to printmaking. I am so proud of and grateful for, the work we created together as well as the lasting friendships that came through the experience of the beauty of collaboration.
– Artist Dyani White Hawk

Cole Rogers with artist Julie Mehretu who is signing her 2003 print Entropia (review).

Cole is one of the most talented and generous printmakers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He embodies the full spirit of democratization of printmaking in the creation of Highpoint with the artists and students he has worked with over the years. He’s given an enormous gift to the community of Minneapolis.
– Artist Julie Mehretu

Cole Rogers artist Willie Cole while signing his 2012 Sole Sisters print.

Cole Rogers is a wonderful blend of patience, professionalism, and optimism. He cares and believes in the creative potential of both artists and ideas and that belief leads to amazing collaborations. Artists fall in love with potential. Cole Rogers, as the founder and Director of Highpoint, nurtures this potential through optimism, patience, and professionalism to help artists create amazing prints.
– Artist Willie Cole

Highpoint staff, Highpoint Editions artists and exhibition curator Dennis John at the opening night of The Contemporary print, 20 Years at Highpoint Editions.

We plan to honor Cole with a special event this summer and look forward to sharing details with you in the near future. 

FULL PRESS RELEASE:

By: Carol Schuler

Highpoint Center for Printmaking’s Co-Founder Cole Rogers retires and celebrates
22+ years as Master Printer and Artistic Director

Highpoint Center for Printmaking Continues Successful Legacy

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (Apr. 18, 2023) – Co-founder, Artistic Director, and Master Printer Cole Rogers has announced his retirement from Highpoint Center for Printmaking. Established in 2001, Highpoint nurtures the art of printmaking by providing educational programs, community access, and collaborative publishing opportunities. 

Founded by Cole Rogers and Carla McGrath, Highpoint Center for Printmaking is recognized as the only community-based printmaking center of its caliber in the Upper Midwest. Executive Director Jehra Patrick will continue that vision for Highpoint to further the art of printmaking in exceptional ways.

“I am proud of the work Highpoint has done over the past two decades, born out of a first discussion and dream in August of 1997,” said Rogers. “I am so grateful to have shared this adventure with hundreds of accomplished artists, many wonderful Highpoint Board members, staff, interns, and co-op members, and tens of thousands of community members and stakeholders. It has been an honor and privilege of a lifetime. My time at Highpoint is ending, but I will continue printmaking and teaching as the future unfolds.” 


During his 20+ year tenure as Artistic Director and Master Printer of Highpoint, Rogers collaborated with scores of artists to cultivate their vision through printmaking. He guided Highpoint’s curatorial committee, led and facilitated artistic programming, managed printshop staff, and scouted and nurtured new talent for the Highpoint Editions visiting artist program. Rogers has collaborated with over 50 professional artists to create hundreds of prints and multiples: from internationally known artists like MacArthur Fellows Julie Mehretu and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, to Do Ho Suh, Jim Hodges, to self-taught artist Donovan Durham. 


 “Cole is a dedicated organizational leader, mentor, educator, and friend to many," said Highpoint Executive Director Jehra Patrick. “His deep love and commitment to printmaking has impacted our local community and is evident nationally. Together, Cole and Carla cultivated a thriving community of artists, learners, collectors, and enthusiasts brought together by printmaking — we are honored to steward this legacy of artistic and educational excellence into the future.”

“Artists fall in love with potential,” said artist Willie Cole. “Cole Rogers, as the founder and Director of Highpoint, nurtures this potential through optimism, patience, and professionalism to help artists create amazing prints.”

“I am so proud of and grateful for the work we created together as well as the lasting friendships that came through the experience of the beauty of collaboration,” said artist Dyani White Hawk. “I am but one of many people whose practices and lives have been enriched through participation in Cole and Carla’s vision of creating increased accessibility to printmaking.”

“Cole is one of the most talented and generous printmakers I’ve had the pleasure of working with,” said artist Julie Mehretu. “He embodies the full spirit of democratization of printmaking in the creation of Highpoint with the artists and students he has worked with over the years. He’s given an enormous gift to the community of Minneapolis.”

“In founding Highpoint, Cole Rogers and Carla McGrath created what is now one of the Twin Cities’ most vibrant and vital nonprofit art spaces,” said Siri Engberg, Senior Curator and Director of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center, and a founding board member. “The professional print workshop is a haven for artists working in the medium – a place of perfect synergy where one’s vision can be realized through Cole’s technical collaboration and innovation at the highest level. I have yet to meet an artist he has worked with who has not been positively changed by the experience of working there.”

Highpoint is forming an executive search committee to identify the best possible successor. 

About Highpoint Center for Printmaking: 

Highpoint is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the art of printmaking. Its goals are to provide educational programs, community access, and collaborative publishing opportunities to engage the community and increase the appreciation and understanding of the printmaking arts. Highpoint Center for Printmaking offers a variety of programming including educational classes for kids, adults, and community members, a print shop co-op space that provides access to local artists to create work in a supportive workshop environment, a visiting artist program with national and international artists who can produce work with a master printer, creative residency, fellowship, and scholarship programs to support early career and professional artists, and a gallery space that is fully accessible to the public. Highpointprintmaking.org 

A Note from Cole Rogers

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

HIGHPOINT CENTER FOR PRINTMAKING ANNOUNCES THE 2023 MCKNIGHT PRINTMAKING FELLOWS:

NATASHA PESTICH AND CAROLYN SWISZCZ

Natasha (left) Carolyn (right)

Highpoint is delighted to announce the 2023 McKnight Printmaking Fellows Natasha Pestich and Carolyn Swiszcz. During the second week of January, the four finalists for the 2023 McKnight printmaking Fellowship hosted esteemed panelists Alexis Lowry (curator at Dia Art Foundation, New York) and Andrea Carlson (visual artist) for studio visits. Alexis and Andrea’s review of the applications began back in November and concluded with the selection of the 2023 Fellows, Carolyn Swiszcz and Natasha Pestich.

About the 2023 McKnight Printmaking Fellows:
Natasha Pestich is a Minneapolis-based artist and educator. Working primarily in site-specific installation and works on paper, her work seeks to draw out the complex ways values and systems are questioned, internalized and expressed both in our daily lives and at pivotal moments of conflict, loss and renewal. Pestich has showcased her prints in alternative spaces and museums in the United States, Canada, Rome, and Scotland and is the recipient of numerous grants. 

Carolyn Swiszcz is a painter-printmaker known for her images of lonely suburban buildings. Born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she moved to Minnesota to attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design where she earned a BFA in 1994. Her work has been exhibited at Highpoint, The Drawing Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Miyako Yoshinaga Gallery in New York. She lives in West St. Paul with her husband, photographer Wilson Webb, and their daughter. 

The fellowship officially began February 1st and will run through January 2024. Each McKnight fellow is awarded $25,000 in unrestricted funds, access to the cooperative printshop and classes at Highpoint, professional development opportunities provided by Springboard for the Arts, studio visits with invited arts luminaries as well as many other benefits. Carolyn and Natasha’s fellowship year will conclude with an exhibition in Highpoint’s galleries in January 2024.

Highpoint would like to thank Andrea Carlson and Alexis Lowry for providing their expert insight in reviewing the applications for the 2023 fellowship. We would also like to thank the McKnight Foundation for their continued support of this program and Minnesota artists.

About the panelists:
Andrea Carlson is a visual artist who maintains a studio practice in northern Minnesota and Chicago, Illinois. In 2003 Carlson received a BA in Art and American Indian Studies, and an MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2005. Her work has been displayed in public spaces, while her paintings and drawings often create alternative landscapes and narratives within colonial institutions. Carlson was a recipient of the 2008 McKnight Fellow, a 2017 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors grant recipient, a 2021 Chicago Artadia Award, and a 2022 United States Artists Fellowship.

Alexis Lowry is curator at Dia Art Foundation, New York, where she is responsible for the permanent collection, as well as exhibitions, commissions, and public programs across Dia’s sites and locations. At Dia Chelsea, she has overseen new projects by Lucy Raven, Rita McBride and Kishio Suga. At Dia Beacon, she organized the first North American retrospective of Charlotte Posenenske’s work, as well as installations by Larry Bell, Mel Bochner, John Chamberlain, Mary Corse, Melvin Edwards, Charles Gaines, Barry Le Va, Lee Ufan, Robert Morris, Michelle Stuart, and Anne Truitt. Prior to joining Dia, she was curator of the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, Providence, and a freelance project manager for Creative Time, New York. She has recently contributed to publications for Art in America, Art Monthly, the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College, Orlando; Drawing Center, New York; and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; in addition to books produced by Dia. In 2021, Lowry was the first invited curator-in-residence at the Bauhaus Foundation in Dessau, Germany. She is on the board of directors of the Triple Aught Foundation and serves on the advisory council of The Great Northern. She obtained her PhD from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts in 2019.

Interview with Savannah Bustillo, Jerome Resident and Co-op Artist

My name is Savannah Bustillo and I am a queer Latinx printmaker, book artist, and papermaker originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I received a BFA in studio art with a concentration in printmaking from Washington University in St. Louis, and have spent time working with different art non-profit spaces like Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in D.C, the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, and Women’s Studio Workshop. Currently, in addition to being a part of the Highpoint community, I also work with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Fireweed Community Woodshop, and the Walker Art Center.

I moved to the Twin Cities in 2019 because of the amazing printmaking and book arts scene that’s here. Highpoint is such a pillar of the printmaking scene, both in the Twin Cities and beyond, so finding a way to be a part of the community was something I wanted from the beginning.

Highpoint, like so many print shops I have been fortunate to be a part of, does such incredible things but is a relatively small operation. It’s approachable as a community space in that regard - I love walking into the studio and knowing the staff and other community members. While I was featured in a show at Highpoint in 2020, I really got to know the community through a 2021 Jerome Early Career Printmakers Residency, and have continued on as a co-op member since then.

I feel very strongly about the fellowships, scholarships, and residencies that Highpoint uses to support emerging artists and people that have been historically underrepresented in the print shop. So often printmakers will talk about the democratic origins and abilities printmaking has to reach large groups of people. However, printmaking cannot endure as a discipline and claim to still be connected to those values if we don’t remember in equal measure that it takes effort to support new generations of emerging printmakers and those that are too often excluded from the printshop. As a community member I am proud to see Highpoint support emerging artists with the Jerome Residency, and the new Full-Color print fellowship and scholarships. These are key first steps in working towards creating an even stronger and more vibrant community.

It is difficult to convey how formative the Jerome Residency was for me. As an emerging artist, studio space, especially as a printmaker, is hard to come by and a difficult stretch financially. Not only was having that space for 9 months so key to continue making, but gaining a whole community of support - my fellow residents, Highpoint staff, meeting other artists in the studio regularly, having designated critiques — all of these aspects were fundamental to pushing my studio practice forward.

I began my residency focusing heavily on research and writing, and I was a little slow to get into the studio for the actual printing if I’m honest. Josh was particularly encouraging in that respect — and reminded me that output is not the point. The critiques were also key; our conversations, like all good conversations, stayed with me and helped me focus the body of work I wanted to create for our show. That mindset - of using this residency as an opportunity to create a completely new body of work, with each piece being slowly developed in tandem with the other works - was a new way of working for me. I had never had the time or resources to make work at that pace and so holistically before. I wanted the work I created for the show to all focus on the different visceral aspects of language - how language is spoken, pronounced, attached to smells, flavors, reading, scribbling. My work has been exploring histories of language for a while, but using more emotive and visceral responses in the work was a key change to make it more approachable for viewers. I feel that everything I produced was really an extension of the efforts, conversations, and support of the community around me, and that is special. I’ll never forget that.

Interview with Board Chair, Jerry Vallery

I’m originally from the Washington D.C. Growing up, my family spent a lot of time experiencing the great museums, theaters, and galleries that DC has to offer. My parents also believed in giving time and talent to those causes and organizations that were important to you. Through that, not only did I develop a love and appreciation for the arts in many forms, but I also saw firsthand what it meant to give back to your community. 

I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees from Florida A&M University and moved to the Twin Cities in 1996. Much of my professional life has been spent in corporate sales, and consumer insights and analytics roles. I like to say that my job is about blending science and art, by leveraging data to craft compelling stories.  

I live in Minneapolis with my wife, Teresa, and our son Landon. We enjoy the local arts community, spending time outdoors, and traveling.

WHAT DREW YOU TO HP?

I was really drawn to Highpoint’s mission. It often goes unmentioned how ambitious the commitment is to provide a state-of-the-art workshop for practicing artists; to establish an Editions program that creates work through collaboration with nationally and internationally recognized artists; to maintain a beautiful gallery space and execute several exhibitions each year; and, then to enhance local arts education by providing education programming for hundreds of school-aged kids each year. 

How could you not want to be part of an organization like that??  

Jerry viewing artwork at the QUE CONSTE /FOR THE RECORD opening reception

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR INVOLVEMENT?

Since joining the board, I have served as Secretary, Board Co-Chair, and now as Board Chair. My experience has been truly wonderful. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from so many experienced board members, artists, and especially from our founders Carla and Cole. The knowledge, expertise, and passion at all levels is a constant inspiration to me.


WHAT PROGRAMS DO YOU FEEL MOST PASSIONATE ABOUT?

If I’m forced to choose one(!), then it would have to be education programming. Central to HP’s mission is promoting the art of printmaking. And, I believe an important step in achieving this is to provide an introductory experience that is both welcoming and that gives that student a sense of possibility…that feeling that “I can do this”. I think Highpoint does an awesome job at providing that experience.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE PART OF THE HP COMMUNITY?

I think being an active part of the HP community means you believe in the connection and relationship between art and community more broadly. You believe that arts organizations shouldn’t exist in a vacuum, where they create and exhibit work that fails to acknowledge the world beyond its walls. It is not a static state that we reach and stop, of course, but an ongoing shift in how we engage. So, for me, being part of the HP community means that you care about that engagement.  

I am really excited about the future of HP. We will continue to keep the endeavor of promoting printmaking as our north star. But there should be excitement and curiosity around exploring new ways to continue this journey. Whether it is leveraging technology to expand access to our collections or creating work and curating exhibits that expand our audience. While we build upon a strong foundation, we should challenge ourselves to reach out into new directions.

© Highpoint Center for Printmaking