Retired faculty member Gary Walton & the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum featured in Cincinnati Business Courier article

The Cincinnati Type & Print Museum, founded and led by retired Cincinnati State faculty member Gary Walton, was featured in an August 8, 2023, article in the Cincinnati Business Courier that focuses on the Museum’s dual role in preserving printing history and also “using print as a tool for transformation.” (Subscription may be required to view the article.)

Walton taught for 35 years and served as program chair for Cincinnati State’s Graphic Imaging Technology program, until his retirement in 2012.

He partnered with BLOC Ministries, a West Side urban outreach program, to obtain grant funding to purchase and convert an old building at 2307 W. Eighth St., in Lower Price Hill, and opened the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum in 2016.

The Museum includes antique printing presses and numerous other artifacts of the printing industry. Cincinnati was the second-largest printing center in the world in 1901, and today is ninth in the U.S. for the number of press operators, with much of the work focused on printing and labeling for companies like P&G and Kroger.

Walton says in the article, “We’re a working museum. When you come in, we’re going to put an apron on you. You’re going to set type and cast letters in hot metal. And then you’re going to print. Every piece of equipment here works.”

In addition, the Museum works to alleviate poverty and help people find jobs. Through the Museum, Walton runs a training program for people from Lower Price Hill who have been arrested for prostitution or drugs. More than 50 people from the community have completed training for entry-level jobs in the printing industry, including ink mixing and matching, press operations, and customer service.

The article quotes Steve Olberding, chairman of the Olberding Brand Family Co., a printing company founded in Cincinnati in 1919, describing the impact of the Museum:

“What Gary does with the community and how he uses the Museum as a vehicle to help people is the real story,” Olberding said. “The work he’s doing truly is a pathway for people to get placed in the industry. He’s helping create second opportunities and second lives for people.”

The Cincinnati Type & Print Museum is open for visitors Monday through Friday, by appointment only. There is no charge to visit the museum, but 48-hour notice is requested to arrange for tours and prepare the equipment. To schedule an appointment, call (513) 914-5722 or fill out the form online at cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org/visit.

The Museum also has a small printing press that it can transport to schools, festivals, or other community events.

In fall, visitors will be able to sign up to print Christmas cards or gift labels on one of the Museum’s presses.

(Photo from https://www.cincinnatitypeprintmuseum.org: Retired faculty member Gary Walton greets visitors to the Cincinnati Type & Print Museum)