Lesley Art + Design is pleased to present Citizen Printer: Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr., a major solo exhibition featuring the work of the Detroit-based printer whose practice sits at the intersection of printmaking, language, and social justice.
Working primarily with letterpress, Kennedy approaches printing not as a nostalgic craft, but as a form of civic engagement, a way to make ideas visible, to interrupt complacency, and to insist that words carry weight in public space. The exhibition brings together posters, printed ephemera, and book works that span Kennedy’s career, including church fans, postcards, state maps, oversized posters, and a selection of lesser-known artists’ books that reveal his early engagement with letterpress printing and bookbinding.
Collectively, these works draw from the long history of Black print culture in the United States, from abolitionist presses to protest signage, and foreground the importance of Black authorship, circulation, and self-determination.
Originally developed and presented by the Letterform Archive in San Francisco, where it was on view in 2024 and 2025, Citizen Printer offers audiences an opportunity to encounter Kennedy’s work in depth and to consider how language, design, and printing have long been tools for community building and resistance.
A public reception for the exhibition will take place on February 12 from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Lunder Arts Center and is open to all.
The exhibition will remain on view through March 1.
Members of the public outside the Lesley community are welcome to visit by appointment. To schedule a visit, please email the Director of Exhibitions, Andrew Mroczek, at andrew.mroczek@lesley.edu.
