Dumont Press Graphix
50th Anniversary Website

This website is a community collaboration - a collection of stories, photos and memorabilia from folks who came together around the Dumont commune and Dumont Press Graphix typesetting shop in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario in the 1970's & 80's.

We want you to get involved!
Check out the How to page for more information.

Over the past four years as various alumni and fellow travelers from the Dumont Community have met online to gather stories, photographs, documents and rumours about Dumont Press Graphix and our collective history together, it became apparent that what people really wanted was a good old-fashioned face-to-face get together. What started out as a 50th Anniversary history project became an ongoing social, cultural and political exercise, as well as a good discussion. In early September, it actually happened, as a motley, yet invigorated, crew of around fifty old friends, former colleagues, journalists, activists and co-conspirators gathered for three days in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario.

A History of Community

Long, long ago in the back of an unassuming little brick warehouse located in an obscure Southern Ontario mid-sized city, there was a struggling, yet imaginative typesetting and publishing cooperative called Dumont Press Graphix. Founded and staffed by an eager young crew of idealistic political activists, artists and community journalists, Dumont Press operated from early 1971 as a worker-controlled, learn-as-you-go cooperative without bosses, but with a strong sense of solidarity and visions of a better world.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dumont’s founding, a group of former staff and co-conspirators have set out, in this website, to assemble a People’s History of Dumont Press Graphix, a compilation of stories, photos, ideas and ideals from the perspective of those who worked there, and the extended family and community who helped make it all happen. Think of it as a kind of Virtual Reunion.

Like all good stories, there is always more to add. Consider this an invitation to become a Contributor. Share your stories and recollections, the good times and the challenges, the many crises and the times we got it right. Let’s examine where we made a difference, and where our experiences as a progressive worker-controlled co-op took us on our various paths after our days at the shop.

Over the years of its operation, there were over 80 people who worked at Dumont, mostly full-time with some part-time. In addition, there was a group of regulars who hung out with us, some for the parties, some for the communal potlucks, and many who wanted to be involved in a few of the publishing projects we initiated. And then there were those, from near and far, who basically found us to be a very interesting gang of fun-loving lefties and creative artists. Good food, music and political discussion generally provided a strong foundation for our little community.
 

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