Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.

“Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. was a successful computer programmer for AT&T when he saw a printing press at colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and stopped in his tracks. At age 40, he decided that his corporate life was over. He had found his calling, he says, as a printer and provocateur. He now runs a highly regarded letterpress poster shop in the town of Gordo, Alabama, and is a vibrant example of the revival of handmade crafts.

The artist is a tall man who is unafraid of asking uncomfortable questions about race and artistic pretension. His trademark blue overalls (with a pink dress shirt) are meant to reaffirm his self-described identity as “a humble Negro printer”. This is more than a bit disingenuous, but Mr Kennedy likes to provoke.” – The Economist

We’ll be joined by Mr. Kennedy for an evening of discussion paired with a screening of the film PROCEED AND BE BOLD about his life and work.

Presented in collaboration with the American Cultural Studies Program at Bates College and the Gloria S. Duclos Convocation at the University of Southern Maine.