During my visit to Millsaps College, I was able to quickly visit the Purple Word Center for Book and Paper Arts.
Although I have known and worked with the Director and Founder Sandra Murchison for a few years now, I knew very little about the center. I must say that I was thoroughly impressed with the ambition and mission of Purple Word. I can’t imagine how much work this is, to not only get Purple Word running, but also maintaining it.
I have started to notice artists and professors, like Sandra, who have achieved a level of success and are now looking for something more. Purple Word is not only an opportunity to bring more printmaking to a community, but its also an opportunity to help a struggling area of Jackson, Mississippi.
Purple Word’s modest exterior…
Sandra letting me in to see the shop…
Immediately, I was struck how Sandra has brought this all together…through various grants and donations, Sandra has acquired and organized a pretty impressive shop…
Letterpress area in the back corner…this is the best part of the center’s “curriculum”, everything that is taught at Purple World focuses on print and literacy…learning to make prints AND read at the same time, amazing!
More communal space in the studio…I really cannot say enough about how great I think this is, and how impressed I am with Sandra for pulling all this off…nice work Sandra, I hope Purple Word lives a long life and helps lots of people in the future…
Joseph Lupo 
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