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Monroe Litho, Rochester, N.Y., produced "Seeing America," the first catalog of the Memorial Art Gallery's nationally acclaimed collection of American painting and sculpture. The 336-page, full-color volume examines 82 objects and their connections to American history, culture, literature, and politics.

"This seven-year project started with scanning transparencies back in 1999," said Marjorie Searl, chief curator of the Memorial Art Gallery. "It finally culminated in a stunning piece that has its foundation in research, but that truly enhances people's understanding of the works."

When looking for a printer, the Gallery had two key criteria: it wanted to use local resources, and it wanted to use environmentally responsible, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified processes. The clear choice was Monroe Litho. The team then chose to run the project on Burgo Chorus Art?a coated stock that is also FSC-certified.

"We chose the paper stock because it's FSC-certified, it runs well, prints well, looks great, and it's affordable," said Tony Harris, vice president of sales and marketing, Monroe Litho. "It was the right combination of quality, price, and sustainability for our customer."

Capturing the Color
When it came time to run the job, Monroe Litho sent color experts to the Gallery to make sure they were accurately capturing the details of each piece. This was especially crucial, since the publication is being used as a reference tool.

The Gallery had 3,000 publications produced. They are being distributed by the University of Rochester Press, and are available for purchase in the Gallery store. They have been distributed to local high school libraries, and many colleges and universities. Lesson plans are in the works for teachers who want to use the publication as a text book.

A visit to the Memorial Art Gallery is a journey through more than 5,000 years of art history. The permanent collection of more than 11,000 objects has been called the best balanced in the state outside of New York City.