What's in a name?

Our new name is Anchor Press, Paper & Print.  

This is the best way to check in with everyone to let you all know what we have been up to here in Kenosha and Milwaukee. 

But first a bit of background.

Our organization Anchor Graphics was founded in Chicago in 1990, as a 501(c)3, by David Jones and Marilyn Propp. With assistance from legions of volunteers and a tireless Board of Directors, Anchor Graphics grew from a small community shop to one of the most productive and inclusive shops in the area. Anchor Graphics offered community workshops, free high school classes to Chicago area students, internships to college students from all over the United States, an Artist in Residence program, plus an exhibition program that featured prints and drawings by national and international artists active in the medium. We published limited edition prints by and offered contract services to local, national, and international artists.

In 1996 we moved from our original West Damen location to 119 W. Hubbard St., Chicago. We  moved our presses, expanded our staff and  programming and began to collaborate with the City of Chicago,  Chicago Public Schools, colleges, and other organizations located throughout the city. It was during this time that we started up our POW (Press on Wheels) initiative. We would rent a van and take our press wherever there was a need. This enabled us to reach hundreds of students a year.  

In 2006 after much discussion Anchor Graphics packed up the shop and became a program under the umbrella of Columbia College Chicago's Art & Design Department. Dean Leonard Lehrer and Provost Steven Kapelke were instrumental in making the transition happen. From 2006 through 2012 Anchor Graphics functioned as a Center that provided internship opportunities for Columbia College students, and collaborated with faculty and artists from all over the the United States and beyond. 

The name Anchor Graphics was retired in 2015. Anchor Graphics merged with the Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts to become the Center for Book Paper and Print. Jones left Columbia College in 2016 to co-found the Center for Collaborative Research in Wisconsin. The name Center for Collaborative Research always seemed like a place-holder, and in 2020 the Board of Directors voted that the name should be changed to reflect and honor the organization's history, while respecting Columbia College's wishes that the name Anchor Graphics not be used.  

We will be rebranding while continuing to collaborate with individuals and groups in the community and draw from our rich heritage with an eye to passing the organization on to the next generation.