The Center for Book, Paper, and Print is housed in two different locations at the esteemed Columbia College in Chicago. Recently, the Center for Book and Paper Arts has merged with Anchor Graphics into the all inclusive title above. I met with the master printer and director David Jones, who founded Anchor Graphics twenty five years ago, and learned all about how Anchor got its start. It was an inspiring visit and I'm also glad I got to learn about the print scene and print culture in Chicago which I can tell is very strong.
Our first stop was to the book and paper studios where I found an extensive letterpress collection, a large selection of presses, a darkroom for photo processes, and a whole wing dedicated to a huge papermaking studio. From there we made our way to Anchor Graphics and stopped by the Papermaker's Garden, which is a garden with all sorts of plants grown to be used as fibers and material in the papermaking studios. It is an awesome initiative into sustainability and it's exciting to see artists using these resources to create works of art. When we arrived at Anchor, bright sunlight flooded the studio which illuminated a big French Tool press as well as all of the other lithography and etching presses. Anchor has worked with a variety of artists such as Cannonball Press, Kathryn Polk, and Enrique Chagoya and continues to publish new work. They also offer a variety of residencies and internships. What is really admirable about David Jones and The Center for Book, Paper, and Print is that through working with Columbia College, they are able to make print accessible to a wide variety of community members who may have not had the opportunity to experience and learn about print otherwise.
Anchor Graphics:
http://www.colum.edu/academics/anchor-graphics/index.html
Center for Book and Paper Arts:
http://www.colum.edu/academics/book-and-paper/
Our first stop was to the book and paper studios where I found an extensive letterpress collection, a large selection of presses, a darkroom for photo processes, and a whole wing dedicated to a huge papermaking studio. From there we made our way to Anchor Graphics and stopped by the Papermaker's Garden, which is a garden with all sorts of plants grown to be used as fibers and material in the papermaking studios. It is an awesome initiative into sustainability and it's exciting to see artists using these resources to create works of art. When we arrived at Anchor, bright sunlight flooded the studio which illuminated a big French Tool press as well as all of the other lithography and etching presses. Anchor has worked with a variety of artists such as Cannonball Press, Kathryn Polk, and Enrique Chagoya and continues to publish new work. They also offer a variety of residencies and internships. What is really admirable about David Jones and The Center for Book, Paper, and Print is that through working with Columbia College, they are able to make print accessible to a wide variety of community members who may have not had the opportunity to experience and learn about print otherwise.
Anchor Graphics:
http://www.colum.edu/academics/anchor-graphics/index.html
Center for Book and Paper Arts:
http://www.colum.edu/academics/book-and-paper/
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