Green Bay, Wis.—The UW-Green Bay Teaching Press, the University’s unique teaching printing press recently moved its full operation into the Brown County STEM Innovation Center. The move increases the program’s visibility and creates a unique collaboration between the arts and technology—a first-of-its-kind partnership in the community. The Teaching Press joins the University’s Richard J. Resch School of Engineering, The Einstein Project, Brown County Extension and Brown County’s Land and Water Conservation departments at the STEM Innovation Center.
Professor Rebecca Meacham, director and founder of the UW-Green Bay Teaching Press and chair of the Writing and Applied Arts B.F.A. program, can hardly contain her excitement.
“This move increases the visibility of the press and shows the community how the arts, humanities, science and technology are so closely integrated.”
The Teaching Press was founded in 2018. Through grant money and Meacham’s determination, the program was designed to give students a real-life, hands-on experience including every aspect of book-making; from writing, editing, marketing, design and layout to the actual printing onto paper. Their first project, a series of poems by local author, Tim Weyenberg, was a success. The program took off, adding regular classroom options, student internship opportunities and requests from authors for printing services.
The move into the STEM Innovation Center signals the growth and success of the program.
“This fits with our overall mission,” says Meacham, giving students transferable skills they can take into the workplace. “The interaction that students must have with authors and other members of the community is incredible. Our clients are elementary school teachers, historians, business leaders and conservationists, as well as poets and writers. Our new home in the STEM building invites the community to see how books are made, and to connect with the students making them.”
Meacham has seen this interaction create job opportunities. One former Teaching Press student is a publicity assistant at Bloomberg Publishing in New York city. In addition, UW-Green Bay alum Morgan (Bloohm) Moran, began her career in advertising and is now an author, utilizing the Teaching Press to print her first book, Call Me Morgue.
The Teaching Press’ new neighbor, The Einstein Project is already considering the seemingly endless possibilities for collaboration.
“Having the Teaching Press as a consistent presence makes the STEM Center even more accessible,” says Dennis Rockhill, Jedi-Maker Mindset-Master for the Einstein Project. “It can be used for any creative pursuit. From engineering club to a journaling class; for writers, robotics students and artists.”
More importantly, the move highlights the seamless integration of art and technology, which are usually seen as opposing forces. “This move represents what we see every day,” says Charles Rybak, dean of UW-Green Bay’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and professor of English and Humanities.
“There is zero separation between arts and technology. From iPhone movies, to digital artwork, to engineering technology used in theatre, the (Teaching) Press brings one of the oldest forms of art and showcases its relevance in contemporary use.”
Meacham is excited about the future of the Teaching Press.
“Being in this space raises the stature of the project,” says Meacham. “So many people want to tell their story. And to make and hold your own book…there’s nothing like it.”
About The Teaching Press
The Teaching Press is a student-managed printing house at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. We provide hands-on opportunities for undergraduates to learn transferable skills in a variety of interdisciplinary fields, including writing, budgeting, editing, marketing, project management, workflow, and graphic design. Our mission is to showcase voices in the Northeast Wisconsin region and welcome authors of all fields and origins. Above all else, we value the partnership between our clients and the students working with the press.
