SHARING TREASURES

Lead Curator of the Arts

In 1947, the Boston Public Library’s first keeper of prints, Arthur Heintzelman, hosted the formative meeting of the Boston Printmakers in the Wiggin Gallery. The idea for establishing the Boston Printmakers came from faculty members and students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Massachusetts College of Art to promote the art of printmaking in the city and beyond. This was a particularly vibrant time for artmaking in Boston, as local museums displayed daring new works by Pablo Picasso and Florine Stettheimer, which stimulated students returning to school with help from the GI Bill. The Boston Printmakers hosted its first exhibition in 1948.

Since that time, the Boston Public Library has been part of this creative ecosystem, supporting the work of the group by exhibiting and collecting prints from affiliated artists. This year, Boston Printmakers celebrates its 75th anniversary.

The Boston Public Library Fund is pleased to support the Library’s ongoing efforts to ensure that its collections remain available to curious minds — free to all — for decades to come.