Press Room
Letterform Archive Introduces New Artist Monograph: Citizen Printer by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Media Contact
Katie Peeler, [email protected], +1.415.223.2823
SAN FRANCISCO, California, September 18, 2024 — Letterform Archive Books is thrilled to announce the trade publication of Citizen Printer, a powerful monograph on popular letterpress artist Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. A self-described “humble negro printer,” Kennedy has earned global recognition for his spirited posters, which feature bold calls to action printed over dynamic typographic backgrounds.
Citizen Printer draws from Letterform Archive’s collection of more than 2,000 unique posters, handbills, maps, and artist’s books printed by Kennedy over the course of his prolific 35-year career. Acquired by the Archive in 2020, this archive includes seminal works amplifying the words of civil rights heroes, such as the Quotations of Rosa Louise Parks portfolio (2015); rarely seen early artist’s books Strange Fruit (1994), Riddle Ma Riddle (1996), and Mask (2000); crowd-pleasing prints featuring colloquial expressions, like the African Proverbs (2014) and I Am as Southern As (2015) series; and now-collectible gig and festival posters that celebrate the power of community, such as the infamous Ladies, No Fighting in the Bathroom poster (2003).
Released in conjunction with the 2024 Letterform Archive exhibition, Citizen Printer collects these vital prints into an unprecedented overview of Kennedy’s work. Colorful reproductions allow readers to almost smell the ink of his printshop, while illuminating texts situate his output within the centuries-old legacy of abolitionist printing. A specially commissioned series of process prints demonstrates Kennedy’s unique “imperfectionist” approach to his craft, and original portraits capture his generous spirit and humorous character.
Encased in chipboard covers that echo Kennedy’s humble print materials, with a bright pop of his signature pink printed along the pages’ edges, Citizen Printer is a playful yet serious tribute to one of the nation’s most exuberant makers.
The publication features:
- More than 800 reproductions of Kennedy’s work, including new commissions
- A powerful artist manifesto penned by the author
- A foreword from New York Times bestselling author Austin Kleon
- Original portraiture of the maker at work
- A biography of Kennedy from American studies scholar Myron M. Beasley and an overview of Black protest in print by design educator Kelly Walters
- A type-forward design from award-winning designers Gail Anderson and Joe Newton
Hardcover $60 | 9 × 12 inches | 292 pp (including a double gatefold), 800 images | ISBN: 978-1-7368633-8-1
About Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., was working a corporate job when, at nearly forty, he discovered the art of letterpress printing on a tour of Colonial Williamsburg. Kennedy then devoted himself to the craft, earning an MFA in graphic design at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He now operates Kennedy Prints!, a letterpress printshop in Detroit. He has been featured in outlets like Hyperallergic, The New York Times, and The Economist, and he has exhibited in dozens of museums and galleries across the United States, including Poster House, the Brooklyn Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the libraries of the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About Letterform Archive
Founded in 2015, Letterform Archive is a non-profit center for preserving and sharing the history of the graphic arts. Letterform Archive Books produces exquisite titles based on its collection of more than 100,000 artifacts, as well as bold new books on design, type, and lettering. Distributed worldwide by D.A.P. (Distributed Arts Publishers), the Archive’s publications include Strikethrough: Typographic Messages of Protest, Bauhaus Typography at 100, Only on Saturday: The Wood Type Prints of Jack Stauffacher, The Complete Commercial Artist: Making Modern Design in Japan, 1928–1930,and Citizen Printer: Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. Learn more at letterformarchive.org/publishing.