As part of the BookOpolis weekend festivities, Sept. 23, there will be 40+ posters by Amos Kennedy on display at BookWorks. In addition, visitors will be delighted by a special screening of Proceed and Be Bold, a film about Amos Kennedy by Laura Zinger / 20K films. The film will be projected outdoors, larger than life, against our building wall. The screening will commence at dusk, around 7:30, following the drawing for this year’s Small Book Edition, we’ll begin the screening. No Fee for attending any of the BookOpolis weekend activities. Anyone interested in viewing the film in it’s entirety in the comfort of your own home, you can stream it for 1.99. You can also view the trailer on YouTube.
How far would you go for your one true love? Would you give up all of your earthly possessions, your job, and your family? What if your one true love was a printing press…
At 40 years of age, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. abandoned the traditional American Dream to follow his own. Unsatisfied with his comfortable, middle-class life, Amos traded in his computer for a printing press and his white collar for a pair of overalls. Armed with life, liberty, peanuts, and a meager yearly income of $7,000, Amos cranked out a new, mutinous declaration of independence.
Proceed and Be Bold! Join Amos for a titillating retelling of his story, while examining the pretensions and provisions of the art world. The work of this self-proclaimed “Humble Negro Printer” raises emotionally-charged questions and reveals remarkable depth beneath the bold print. By learning the rules and then choosing to break them, Amos redefines what life (and letterpress printing) can be: exhilarating and subversive.
His provocative sense of humor seeps out of every word he speaks and his radical philosophies on the American consciousness (or unconsciousness) will awaken any listless bystander. After experiencing Amos’ humble journey, you’ll never look at your middle class life the same way again.
Opening on Saturday December 3rd & through the month of December, the gallery will be transformed into a book arts and letterpress destination for those looking for unique gifts, ornaments, cards, handmade books, prints, and more.
