Manhattan Graphics Center

What Manhattan Graphics Center does

Manhattan Graphics Center (MGC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community print studio founded in 1986 in New York City, currently operating at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where it functions as the largest community print studio in Brooklyn. MGC provides affordable access to professional fine art printmaking facilities covering intaglio, relief, lithography, and screen printing processes, and supports a portfolio of educational programs including classes and workshops, a three-times-yearly fellowship program for emerging through mid-career artists, recurring artist talks, and member and national exhibitions. The organization also runs outreach to NYC public school students and maintains an archive built from donated prints by fellowship recipients.

MGC earns revenue through four streams: recurring studio memberships, fee-based classes and workshops (open to non-members), tax-deductible charitable donations, and application-based fellowships that include a modest $125 materials reimbursement per term. Original prints are also sold at exhibitions starting at $700 unframed. The studio serves a fragmented base of individual artists and learners in the NYC tri-state area, with no disclosed enterprise customers and no parent company. Governance is provided by a 7-member elected board of directors; operations are led by a small professional management team (program managers and a program assistant) appointed in 2021.

The organization is funded by a diversified mix of government and private foundation grants — including the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and the Scherman Foundation — supplemented by individual donations via PayPal. Its 2024 relocation to Powerhouse Arts placed it in a multi-tenant creative ecosystem where it complements PHA's commercial Printshop as a teaching and learning lab, while preserving its identity as an affordable, community-led studio.

Name

Manhattan Graphics Center

Legal name

Manhattan Graphics Center

Website

https://manhattangraphicscenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Manhattan Graphics Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community print studio in Brooklyn, NY, providing affordable access to professional intaglio, relief, lithography, and screen printing facilities for individual artists, supplemented by classes, fellowships, exhibitions, and public school outreach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fine Art Printmaking Studio Services

NAICS

Photographic Services (54192)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fine Arts Colleges (Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking) (EDAHAJAA)

Keywords

• Fine art printmaking
• Community print studio
• Printmaking courses
• Artist fellowship program
• Printmaking exhibitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Studio memberships providing access to open workshop hours, facilities, and member events. Now located at Powerhouse Arts as the largest community print studio in Brooklyn.
2. Classes and Workshops: Public classes in traditional and experimental printmaking techniques offered online and in-person. Classes open to non-members.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations supporting programming, scholarships, fellowships, and MGC's future in NYC. Organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
4. Fellowship Program: Three fellowship terms per year (Spring, Summer, Fall) providing instructional support, workshop access, $125 materials reimbursement, storage space, and membership. Fellowship recipients deliver public artist talks and donate one print to the MGC archive.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Manhattan Graphics Center operates a professional community print studio at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn offering studio memberships, classes, and workshops in fine art printmaking. The studio supports intaglio, relief, lithography, and screen printing processes with expert practitioners and on-site supplies. It is complemented by a tri-annual fellowship program for emerging and mid-career artists, recurring exhibitions, artist talks, and public school outreach.

Product overview

Manhattan Graphics Center (MGC) is a community print studio offering a portfolio of interconnected educational and exhibition services. The core offering is the MGC Community Print Studio, an affordable professional workspace at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, complemented by printmaking courses and workshops covering traditional and experimental techniques (Intaglio, Japanese Woodblock, Screenprint Monotype, Lithography, Silk Screen, etc.). Additional offerings include a Fellowship Program providing workspace access and materials support three times yearly, Exhibition Opportunities including member and curated shows, Artist Talks for community convening, and Public School Outreach programs. MGC serves printmakers at all stages of artistic development through this integrated ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MGC Community Print Studio Membership Studio memberships providing affordable access to the professional printmaking studio at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn. Includes unlimited open workshop hours, facilities, member events, and discounts for printmakers at all stages.
• Printmaking Courses & Workshops Educational classes and workshops teaching traditional and experimental printmaking techniques including Intaglio, Japanese Woodblock, Screenprint Monotype, Photogravure, Etching, Electro Etching, Drypoint, Collagraph, Silk Screen, Linocut, Mezzotint, Lithography, Carborundum Aquatint, Photopolymer, and Gold Leaf. Offered online and in-person, open to the public regardless of membership status.
• Fellowship Program Application-based fellowships awarded three times yearly (Spring, Summer, Fall) for emerging through mid-career artists, particularly those new to MGC. Provides instructional/technical support, unlimited open workshop hours, $125 materials reimbursement, storage space, and MGC membership for one term. Fellows deliver a public artist talk and donate one print to the MGC archive.
• Exhibition Opportunities Multiple exhibition venues throughout the year including member shows, curated exhibitions, exchange shows, the annual MGC National Print Exhibition, and the New York International Miniature Print Exhibition. Original prints available for purchase during exhibitions.
• Artist Talks Recurring artist talk events convening the printmaking community, with previous talks archived on MGC's YouTube channel for ongoing community engagement and education.
• Public School Outreach Program Outreach programs to NYC public school students providing printmaking instruction to encourage greater appreciation of printmaking and arts education.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Powerhouse ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MGC relocated to Powerhouse Arts (PHA) building in Brooklyn in 2024 as part of PHA's initiative to connect artists to resources. MGC operates as the community counterpart to PHA's Printshop, complementing PHA's existing print fabrication services while serving as a teaching and learning lab.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kala Art Institute: Berkeley-based nonprofit community art studio with strong printmaking programs alongside other media. Comparable multi-process printmaking education and fellowship model to MGC.
• Highpoint Center for Printmaking: Minneapolis-based nonprofit printmaking center offering studio access, classes, fellowships, and exhibitions. Direct community-studio peer with similar multi-process printmaking scope and educational mission.
• Tamarind Institute: University-affiliated fine art lithography workshop offering classes, residencies, and collaborative printing with master printers. Peer in lithography-focused fine art printmaking education.
• Lower East Side Printshop: Long-standing NYC nonprofit community print studio offering studio access, classes, residencies, and exhibitions. Directly comparable to MGC as a membership-based printmaking education and exhibition nonprofit in NYC.
• Anchor Graphics: Chicago-based nonprofit community print studio providing studio access, classes, and fellowship programming. Directly comparable peer in terms of community printmaking nonprofit structure and programming.
• Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop: Community printmaking studio in NYC (now at EFA Studios) offering studio access, classes, and fellowships. Closest functional peer to MGC in terms of nonprofit community printmaking education model.
• Zea Mays Printmaking: Florence, MA-based nonprofit print studio focused on safer, non-toxic printmaking processes. Comparable community printmaking education and membership model, though regionally focused on New England.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE): Long-established fine art printmaking workshop in Bay Shore, NY producing editions with major contemporary artists. Comparable multi-process printmaking depth but operates as a high-end commercial atelier rather than community studio.
• Crown Point Press: San Francisco-based fine art printmaking studio known for editions with major artists since the 1960s. Comparable in process depth and fine art printmaking focus, but commercially oriented rather than community/educational.

Others

• Powerhouse Arts (Printshop): Brooklyn arts facility housing MGC and operating an adjacent commercial print fabrication shop. Strategic host/partner rather than competitor, but overlapping printmaking capability and shared ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mgcnewyorkcity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwsFL7kS0J0DVvZkA0RQLDg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ManhattanGraphicsCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/manhattangraphicscenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Manhattan Graphics Center