Our History

Highpoint Center for Printmaking was established by Co-founders Carla McGrath and Cole Rogers in April 2001 and is the only accessible, community-oriented facility of its kind in the Upper Midwest. Until Highpoint opened its doors, broad public access to the printmaking arts was virtually non-existent in this part of the country.

Highpoint Center for Printmaking

“Highpoint opened its doors in 2001 in the spirit of service. To this day, we (directors, staff, and board) continue to push ourselves earnestly in our pursuit of making the art of printmaking an accessible and vibrant part of our community’s lives. As we look back over these first 20 years there is much to be proud of– and it is all thanks to our community’s unwavering support of our work.”  – Co-Founders Carla McGrath and Cole Rogers

“Before they opened Highpoint Center for Printmaking in a storefront on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis, McGrath and Rogers spent a few years methodically shaping their vision for the center and developing a business plan. . . The long-term stability of Highpoint’s mission was a central consideration as McGrath and Rogers planned to open Highpoint. As a nonprofit, Highpoint has a board of directors responsible for the organization's longevity independent of its founders. . . The inclusion of public programming and education alongside print publishing and the cooperative workshop further stabilizes Highpoint financially while strengthening the center’s role in the community.” —James Wehn, Pressing Innovation (Madison, WI: Chazen Museum of Art, 2022)

Highpoint Center for Printmaking officially opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2001, debuting as the only accessible, community-oriented art center of its kind in the Upper Midwest. Up until this point, broad public access to the printmaking arts was virtually non-existent in this part of the country. 

Having reached its capacity at its first location, in 2008 Highpoint launched HP2, a capital campaign, to raise funds to purchase and renovate a 10,000 sq. ft. building at 912 W. Lake Street, in South Minneapolis. Thanks to generous foundations and hundreds of individuals, HP2 was a great success. Highpoint’s future is now stable and secure in a permanent home, allowing HP to continue its significant contribution to the printmaking arts and our community’s cultural life.

Highpoint’s Education and Community Programs provide access to the art of printmaking to diverse school-age visitors, adults, and community members of all skill levels and backgrounds through hands-on workshops, affordable classes, internships, school partnerships, and teen programs. Since 2001, Highpoint has partnered with more than ninety-five different schools that have visited youth workshops and camps, often multiple times, to learn printmaking. Annually, Highpoint serves thousands of youth visitors. HP also hosts public events such as Free Ink Day, which are designed to provide free and fun printmaking experiences for the community.

Through school partnerships, students K-12 learn about printmaking techniques through tailored workshops, where they can try their hand at printmaking, learn about the history and process, and create their own works of art. Highpoint helps integrate the print arts into classroom studies, making the art form accessible and engaging. Many youth classes are provided at no charge, and schools often receive support to pay for their transportation to the studio. Highpoint also hosts yearly programs such as ACCESS/PRINT, a mentorship program, and an exhibition for teen artists. The education programs at Highpoint have always been centered around the idea of access, making printmaking exciting and educational, and providing opportunities for all ages to learn and engage in the art of printmaking.

Highpoint’s Co-op: “When Highpoint was first imagined, an important priority was to provide a workspace that a community of printmakers could share. Coming from a teaching role at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Artistic Director Cole Rogers recognized that students were being introduced to printmaking, but often stopped making prints once they graduated and lost access to their university print shop. Providing a well-equipped and affordable space for printmakers to continue their practice was one of the primary reasons Cole and Carla began dreaming about what would become Highpoint. Twenty years later, we are grateful for each of the 300+ individuals that have chosen to print in the artist cooperative at Highpoint, and their collective impact on the organization and one another.” – Presstime, 20 years of Highpoint, 2021. 

Highpoint Galleries: In the first 20 years of Highpoint, the galleries have hosted roughly 200 exhibitions featuring local, national, and international prints displaying a wide range of techniques and themes. Current annual shows include Jerome Early Career Printmakers Exhibition, McKnight Printmaking Fellowship, twice-yearly Co-op Exhibitions, a yearly international print exhibition, an Access/Print Student Show, and biennial juried exhibitions. Highpoint has hosted international exhibitions featuring work by artists from Mexico, Japan, Scotland, Pakistan, Cuba, Poland, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Canada, Taiwan, the Arctic Circle, Great Britain, Sweden, and Australia. Highpoint’s gallery space is always free, open to the public, and accessible.

Highpoint Editions (Highpoint’s publishing arm) provides visiting artists with the support, guidance, and technical assistance of Highpoint’s Master Printer and skilled printing staff. Professional local, national, and international artists are invited to create original work at Highpoint. While artists are visiting, they frequently participate in programs such as demonstrations, lectures, and/or workshops for Highpoint members, students, artists, collectors, and the broader community. 

The magic of Highpoint is the synergy created among Highpoint Editions artists, the co-op members, adult and youth classes, and the galleries – all in the same space - sharing and supporting the mission of fostering the art of printmaking through creation, access, education, exhibits, lectures, newsletters, and other mediums. A dedicated Board of Directors and devoted staff, along with artists, students, and interns - all are aligned to fulfill this mission into the future.

In 2020, the Minneapolis Institute of Art acquired the complete 20-year archive of Highpoint Editions — 310 published prints and multiples, along with 1,200 items of ancillary production material from 40 artists. A major exhibition of Highpoint’s archive, The Contemporary Print: 20 Years at Highpoint Editions, was presented at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) in 2021.

Artist Support Programs:
Jerome Early Career Printmakers Program (since 2003) annually provides three selected early-career artists extensive access to Highpoint’s printshop with technical support and group critiques. The program brings emerging printmakers together in a collaborative workshop environment that encourages experimentation and the expansion of each printmaker's art. The artists are featured in a group show at the end of their nine-month residency. Funded by the Jerome Foundation, this printmaking residency provides important support and substantial recognition for early-career artists and offers them significant opportunities to work and learn with other printmakers in a professional environment.  

McKnight Printmaking Fellowships (since 2019), supports outstanding mid-career Minnesota printmakers. Annually, two selected fellows receive access and support at Highpoint for twelve months. The McKnight Printmaking Fellowship recipients are featured in public presentations or an artist lecture, and an exhibition at the end of their grant year.

Full Color Print Scholarships and Fellowship Program (since 2022) The Full Color Print Fellowship provides a year-long printmaking fellowship for two artists from communities that have been underrepresented within the co-op at Highpoint. These artists receive access to the print shop, a stipend, free classes, artistic mentorship, technical support, the opportunity to exhibit work, and other resources. Full Color Scholarships are also available to artists of color to attend printmaking classes at Highpoint, with no prior printmaking experience necessary.

Thank you to Minnesota, the Twin Cities arts community, co-op members, donors, partnering foundations and schools, interns, staff, and everyone who has collaborated with Highpoint over these many years! We could not have envisioned what Highpoint would grow into – a permanent space for education, printmaking, and engagement – and we certainly could not have done it without the support and enthusiasm of the entire community. We offer our sincere and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made this possible over the last two decades. Thanks to our community’s amazing support, Highpoint will continue to further the art of printmaking in exceptional ways for years to come.