Manhattan Graphics Center supports the learning and practice of fine art printmaking by providing an affordable, inclusive, professional studio and exhibition space, where a community of printmakers at all stages of artistic development can create and present their work. To encourage greater appreciation of printmaking, we offer public programs, including: classes in traditional and experimental techniques; scholarships; artist talks; and outreach to public school students; as well as exhibitions including member, curated, and exchange shows.

Manhattan Graphics Center was founded in 1986 by a group of 20 printmakers who needed a place to work when Pratt Graphics Center was forced to close. They rented a loft in SoHo and incorporated under the laws governing not-for-profit public corporations; 501(c)3 IRS tax-exempt charitable status followed in 1988. For nearly 20 years, MGC was governed by an operations committee: a volunteer corps of keyholder/monitors who managed the workshop and classes. The facility was relocated to Washington Street in the West Village in the early 1990s. In 2007, MGC established a formal elected board of directors. The studio relocated to the Garment District three years later, in 2010. In 2021 Manhattan Graphics Center appointed a management team to run the studio with the input of the members, volunteers, executive committee and board. 

In 2024, Manhattan Graphics Center relocated to Brooklyn in partnership with Powerhouse Arts (PHA) in Brooklyn, NY, as part of their initiative to convene and connect artists to each other and to the resources they need to express themselves and support their practices. Through this collaboration, MGC became the largest community print studio in Brooklyn.