The SGCI is the largest print organization in North America. Its annual conference is the biggest annual gathering focused on the field of printmaking. Artists from all 50 states attend the conference. Regular international attendees come from Canada, South and Central America, and Europe. While organizing a conference is a lot of work, there are significant professional benefits to the host institution, its faculty and students.

For the institution, hosting a conference is an opportunity to showcase its programs in not only printmaking, but other studio areas as well. The conference provides an opportunity to feature the work and philosophies of a program’s faculty and students. The educational and professional benefits of hosting and attending a conference for an institution’s students are significant. Hosting the SGCI conference also serves to strengthen relationships between the people and the units committed to the visual arts at the host institution.