Collecting is a modernist tradition stemming from the expansion of the middle classes [bourgeoisie] at the beginning of the industrial era. The great German Romantic Writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had, at his death, amassed a collection of 2,320 fine art prints alone. Goethe believed strongly in the educational value of prints. In his novel Elective Affinities of 1809 his protagonist cautions;

"If you knew how rudely even educated people handle the most valuable works of art, you would forgive me when I do not wish to show my pieces to a large crowd... Without even considering that a large sheet of paper should be held with both hands, they seize with one hand an invaluable copperplate engraving or an irreplaceable drawing, just as any foolish politician might take hold of a newspaper to indicate beforehand his opinion of world events by his crumpling of the pages. No-one realizes that if only twenty persons should handle an object of art in this way, the twenty-first would not have much to look at."

Print Art at Cornish has a long and fruitful history. Unlike paintings or drawings, prints exist in multiple examples. They are created by drawing a composition not on paper but on another surface, and transferring the composition to paper. This is done by placing a sheet of paper on the drawn surface and running it through a press, or, depending on the technique, by pressing the paper onto the surface by hand. Numerous "impressions" can be made by printing new pieces of paper in the same way. The total number of impressions an artist decides to make for any one image is called an edition. Each impression in an edition is signed and numbered by the artist. Each of various methods of printmaking yields a distinct appearance, and an artist will choose a technique in order to achieve a specific desired effect.

This collection of 150 prints, accumulated over fifteen years, was established through contributions of student work selected by the Print Faculty, Kathleen Rabel and John Overton, representing a broad spectrum of Cornish student print artThis collection represents a wide variety of artists, styles and media of print art including aquatint, drypoint, engraving, mezzotint, and roulette. The collection includes lithographs, both Western and the Japanese woodcut technique, sosaku-hanga, and chine-collé.

The collection is named for Mary Alice Cooley, a former print student and alumna of Cornish College of the Arts. Inspired by her interest in art and by her dauntless courage, the Richard Cooley family and friends established a Memorial Fund in her name, which has been used to support, catalog, and archive this collection. The collection is integral to the Print Art curriculum for study and research and is scheduled to travel to other Universities and Colleges.