Join Us Thursday, September 19, at 4 p.m. ET!
You’re in for a treat at our September PRINT Book Club. Letterpress printing legend, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. will join hosts Debbie Millman and Steven Heller to talk about Citizen Printer. The new monograph, out this month by Letterform Archive, celebrates the Detroit-born artist’s life and work.
Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. is known for his type-driven messages of social justice and Black power, which he emblazoned on rhythmically layered and boldly inked posters. Now, with Citizen Printer, Kennedy’s inspiring story sits alongside his most important work, providing essential context for this contemporary Black artist. The book also acts as a call to action, giving readers tools for lifting their voices, too.
Citizen Printer features 800 reproductions representing the breadth of Kennedy’s posters and prints, plus original portraiture of the artist at work, a powerful artist statement, and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon. The book’s dynamic, type-forward design was created by award-winning designers, Gail Anderson and Joe Newton.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. (born 1948) was working a corporate job for AT&T when, at the age of 40, he discovered the art of letterpress printing on a tour of Colonial Williamsburg. Kennedy then devoted himself to the craft, earning an MFA at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and teaching at Indiana University. He now operates Kennedy Prints!, a communal letterpress center in Detroit. Borrowing words from social justice heroes Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and others, Kennedy layers bold statements on race, capitalism, history, and politics in exuberant, colorful, and one-of-a-kind posters. Kennedy has been featured in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, and The Economist, and his work has been exhibited by the Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and other institutions throughout the US. He was the subject of a 2012 feature-length documentary, Proceed and Be Bold!
Don’t miss our conversation with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. on Thursday, September 19, at 4 PM ET! Register for the live discussion and buy your copy of Citizen Printer.