THE BOSTON PRINTMAKERS INC

What THE BOSTON PRINTMAKERS INC does

The Boston Printmakers Inc is a non-profit international association of artists founded in 1947, headquartered at Lesley University College of Art and Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The organization exists to promote public knowledge, understanding, and support for printmaking as an art form, serving professional and emerging printmakers, student printmakers, and art institutions through exhibitions, scholarships, residencies, and publications. Core programs include the North American Print Biennial (with the 2026 edition scheduled for September 2026), the Annual Student Print Exhibition, member exhibitions such as 'Making Waves: 2025' at Art Complex Museum, international travel exchanges to Mexico, Iceland, Poland, and the Netherlands, and a quarterly newsletter dating back to 2005.

The organization's product portfolio centers on non-digital offerings: scholarly publications including the 204-page '60 Years of North American Prints 1947-2007' and 'Palate to Plate', a digital archive of over 125 works hosted at the Boston Public Library through Digital Commonwealth, and in-person exhibitions. The underlying technology stack is minimal — a WordPress-based website for content management and member communications — with no proprietary software, APIs, or AI capabilities. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues (pricing not publicly disclosed) and one-time publication sales (e.g., $30-$42.50 per book via Blurb.com).

The Boston Printmakers operates a community-led go-to-market model, relying on word-of-mouth within the printmaking community, social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, a quarterly email newsletter, and biennial exhibitions as the primary engagement mechanisms. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and has approximately 5 employees, with no outside equity or venture capital investment. Its distribution occurs through direct membership access, institutional partnerships (Lesley University, Boston Public Library, MFA Boston, Harvard Art Museums), and museum exhibition venues.

Name

THE BOSTON PRINTMAKERS INC

Legal name

The Boston Printmakers

Website

https://bostonprintmakers.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Boston Printmakers Inc is a non-profit international association of artists founded in 1947, operating from Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves professional and student printmakers through biennial exhibitions, international exchange programs, scholarly publications, and a quarterly newsletter promoting printmaking as an art form.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printmaking Arts Association

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (51313), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Printmaking association
• Artists membership
• Exhibition programs
• Publication sales
• International exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for artists to join The Boston Printmakers association, gaining access to exhibitions, publications, residencies, and the printmaking community network.
2. Publication Sales: Sales of published books and catalogs including '60 Years of North American Prints' and 'Palate to Plate' featuring member works and scholarship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Boston Printmakers is an international non-profit artists' association that promotes printmaking through an annual membership program, biennial and member exhibitions, student print exhibitions, scholarly publications, an annual symposium, international exchange travel programs, and a permanent digital archive. The organization sells hardcover books and catalogs featuring member works and printmaking history, and distributes a quarterly newsletter to its members and the broader printmaking community.

Product overview

The Boston Printmakers is an international artists' association founded in 1947, dedicated to promoting public knowledge, understanding, and support for printmaking. The organization operates as a membership-based association offering publications (The Boston Printmakers Quarterly newsletter, hardcover books on printmaking history), exhibition programs (North American Print Biennial, member shows, student exhibitions, traveling exhibitions), educational events (annual symposiums), and digital archives. The portfolio centers on printmaking as an art form, with no commercial technology products or software offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Boston Printmakers Quarterly A quarterly newsletter publication distributed four times per year featuring printmaking articles, member updates, and exhibition news, targeted at members and the broader printmaking community.
• 60 Years of North American Prints 1947-2007 A 204-page hardcover book authored by David Acton chronicling the history of The Boston Printmakers and the growth of printmaking in North America since 1947, featuring sixty selected prints and biographical essays for libraries, scholars, and printmaking enthusiasts.
• Palate to Plate: Prints and Recipes from Members of the Boston Printmakers A 216-page full-color book containing prints and favorite recipes by 99 members of The Boston Printmakers, serving as the catalogue for the 2014 members exhibition at Newport Art Museum and sold to members and the public.
• North American Print Biennial A biennial juried exhibition showcasing North American printmakers, hosted at Lesley University College of Art and Design, with the 2026 edition scheduled for September 8 – November 21, 2026.
• The Boston Printmakers Student Print Exhibition An annual exhibition program for student printmakers, with documented annual shows from 2009 through 2024.
• Traveling Flat File A traveling exhibition program featuring small prints by members of The Boston Printmakers, with documented exhibitions from 2019-2020 and a Cuba extension.
• The Boston Printmakers Digital Archives An online digital collection of prints from The Boston Printmakers Collection at the Boston Public Library, with over 125 digitized works available through Digital Commonwealth.
• The Boston Printmakers Annual Symposium Annual symposium featuring panel discussions, museum tours, and exhibitions celebrating printmaking, with the 70th Anniversary Symposium held on March 3, 2018 across 15 venues in Boston and Cambridge.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Art Complex Museum (Duxbury, MA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Annual host of the 'Making Waves: 2025' members' exhibit from September 21, 2025 through January 11, 2025 at the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, MA, continuing a long-standing partnership for member exhibitions.
• Aad Hekker Lithography Workshop (Amsterdam)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Hosted Boston Printmakers members for workshops and demonstrations at the last lithographer's workshop in Amsterdam, featuring RAAM Grafiekmagazine publishing and providing insight into Dutch printmaking traditions.
• Museum of Fine Arts BostoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Participated in the 70th Anniversary Symposium as one of fifteen venues across Boston and Cambridge, hosting special print collection tours and curatorial discussions as part of the city-wide celebration of printmaking.
• Harvard Art MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Hosted gallery tours of Paper Rotations exhibition and provided access to museum collections during the 70th Anniversary Symposium, participating in the collaborative celebration across Boston and Cambridge institutions.
• Worcester Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Participated in the 'Common Wealth of Prints' panel discussion alongside MFA Boston, Harvard Art Museums, deCordova Museum, and Boston Public Library during the 70th Anniversary Symposium.
• Boston AthenaeumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Provided collection tours and print study room presentations as part of the 70th Anniversary Symposium, hosting two groups of 15 for specialized access to their print holdings.
• Jan Matejko Academy of Art in KrakowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Exchange partnership with Poland's premier art academy coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the Krakow International Print Biennial-Triennial in June 2016. The exchange included portfolio exchanges, studio visits, and participation in anniversary events, with Boston Printmakers executive board member Deborah Cornell speaking at the public opening.
• International Print Triennial Society (Krakow)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collaborated with the International Print Triennial Society during the 50th Anniversary of the Krakow International Biennial and Triennial, with president Marta Anna Raczek-Karcz participating in joint events and receptions.
• Icelandic Printmakers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014International cultural exchange partnership that led to collaborative residency in Iceland in August 2014 and the joint exhibition 'Continental Drift: Printmakers Converge' at Belmont Gallery of Art in October-December 2014. The partnership fostered artistic exchange between American and Icelandic printmaking communities.
• Laconia GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Partnered for the 'Guanajuato 2010' collaborative workshop exhibition in February-March 2011. The gallery hosted prints from the Mexico residency program featuring work by international artists Carol Summers, Karen Kunc, and Hugo Anaya along with participating Boston Printmakers members.
• Lesley University College of Art and DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947Long-standing institutional affiliation providing the organization's mailing address and hosting biennial exhibitions. The Lesley University College of Art and Design has hosted The Boston Printmakers Biennial exhibitions and student exhibitions, creating a central hub for the organization's activities in Cambridge, MA.
• Boston Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1947The organization maintains its permanent archives and collection at the Boston Public Library, where the founding meeting was held in 1947. The library hosts The Boston Printmakers Collection online through its Digital Commonwealth platform with over 125 digitized works from 70 years of exhibitions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Highpoint Center for Printmaking: Highpoint is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit printmaking center offering exhibitions, education, and artist residencies, structurally similar in combining community programming with publishing and exhibition output.
• Crown Point Press: Crown Point Press is a San Francisco-based fine art printmaking studio and publisher producing limited edition prints and catalogs; comparable as both an exhibition venue and a publisher of printmaking scholarship.
• Graphic Arts Workshop: Graphic Arts Workshop is a nonprofit printmaking studio in San Francisco providing classes, exhibitions, and artist residencies — comparable community-printmaking model with similar membership and exhibition-driven revenue.
• Tamarind Institute: Tamarind Institute is a renowned lithography workshop and education center affiliated with the University of New Mexico, comparable as a printmaking-focused institution combining artist training, residencies, exhibitions, and scholarly publishing.
• Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI): SGCI is a North American membership association for printmakers running annual conferences, exhibitions, and student programming — directly comparable to The Boston Printmakers' association model but at larger scale across the U.S. Southeast and beyond.

Broad incumbents

• International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA): IFPDA is the global trade association for fine art print dealers, galleries, and publishers. Comparable as an industry association in the printmaking ecosystem but with a commercial gallery-dealer focus rather than artist-membership focus.

Emerging players

• Anchor Graphics: Anchor Graphics is a Chicago-based nonprofit printshop offering residencies, education, and exhibitions — emerging peer with overlapping artist-services and exhibition programming but at smaller scale than The Boston Printmakers.

Regional players

• International Print Triennial Society (Krakow): The Krakow International Print Triennial Society organizes the flagship international print biennial/triennial in Poland — directly comparable biennial exhibition model referenced in Boston Printmakers' 2016 exchange partnership.
• Icelandic Printmakers Association: Association of Icelandic printmakers, a direct international peer with similar artist-membership structure, exchange programming, and biennial exhibition activity; Boston Printmakers exchanged residencies with them in 2014.

Others

• Print Council of America: Print Council of America is a membership organization of institutions with significant print collections (museums, libraries, universities). Comparable as an enabling/ecosystem peer connecting print scholarship and collecting institutions rather than directly competing for artist members.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BostnPrintmaker
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Boston-Printmakers-228758027149943
• Instagraminstagram.com/bostonprintmakers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-boston-printmakers-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about THE BOSTON PRINTMAKERS INC