For several years, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., and Letterform Archive Books Publisher Lucie Parker worked closely together to tell Kennedy’s story in print. The resulting monograph, Citizen Printer, features more than 800 reproductions representing the full breadth of Kennedy’s 35-year career in letterpress printing (including rarely seen artist’s books), plus essays that explore Kennedy’s influences and personal mission of printing words of social justice for the masses.
Citizen Printer is also Kennedy's major solo exhibition, curated by design educator and practitioner Kelly Walters and on view now through January at Letterform Archive. With over 150 type-driven artifacts from the self-described “humble negro printer," this exhibition, together with the book, embraces the rich cultural traditions of Black printing and the importance of free expression.
In-person at the San Francisco Public Library (recorded for online viewing later), Kennedy and Parker will riff on their adventures in bringing the book to life, while exploring the experiences that have shaped Kennedy as a printing revolutionary.