The museum first opened in 1981 to house the print collection of Janet E.Turner (1914–1988) an American artist and printmaker.

The Janet Turner Print Museum first opened in 1981 on the campus of California State University, Chico to house 2000 prints donated from the personal collection of American artist and printmaker Janet E. Turner.

In 2016, the museum moved into its current location in the new Arts and Humanities building on the California State University, Chico campus, with a dedicated museum gallery and archive room.

[11] The permanent collection now includes over 4000 prints from over 40 countries, including prints by con­tem­po­rary print­mak­ers and world-renowned artists, includ­ing Sal­vador Dalí, Judy Chica­go, David Hock­ney, Käthe Koll­witz, Pablo Picas­so, Betye Saar, Rufi­no Tamayo, Kara Walk­er, and Andy Warhol.

In 2023 the Janet Turner Print Museum made its collection accessible online[12] funded through a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.