Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. (born 1948) is an American printer, book artist, and papermaker best known for social and political commentary, particularly in printed posters.
From an early age, Kennedy was interested in letters and books and studied calligraphy for several years. At the age of 40, Kennedy visited Colonial Williamsburg, a Virginia living history museum, and was influenced by a print shop and book bindery demonstration to study printing at a community-based letterpress shop in Chicago. He later left his job to continue his studies.
Kennedy articulated his fascination with letterpress printing in one interview, "I believe it was the capability of making multiples. Multiples of text are important to me. They allow for distribution." He told curator Angelina Lippert with Hyperallergic, "Printing is a very democratic process: you are able to make multiples that can be shared by people."
He attended the University of WisconsinâÂÂMadison, where he was taught by book designer Walter Hamady, and earned a Master of Fine Arts in 1997. He later taught graphic design at the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts at Indiana University Bloomington. His letterpress poster shop, Kennedy Prints, is located in Detroit, Michigan.
Kennedy creates prints, posters and postcards from handset wood and metal type, oil-based inks, and eco-friendly and affordable chipboard. Many of the posters are inspired by proverbs, sayings, and quotes Kennedy locates or potential clients provide.
Using hand presses, he "produces large editions of wildly colorful, typographically-driven posters on inexpensive chipboard stock, posters which are often so riotously layered with vibrant colors of ink as to retain a wet iridescence and tackiness years after they were printed. His working method often involves overprinting multiple layers of text, resulting in no two prints being truly identical.
Some of his earlier posters were printed on coated stock, but he quickly stopped using the board, telling Hyperallergic that the brown color of chipboard emphasizes the rural nature of most of the events."
Kennedy's work is a blend of social commentary, folk art, and graphic design, creating resonant pieces that challenge traditional boundaries of art and politics. Kennedy isnâÂÂt afraid to push the boundaries and uses large graphic typography, bold colors and language that catch the eye and inspire others in the design field. As a self-taught artist, Kennedy has developed a unique style that is instantly recognizable for its expressive quality and striking typography. He has always been passionate about addressing the effects of white supremacy and racism, themes that are showcased throughout KennedyâÂÂs work.
Kennedy is known to use the words of popular activists like Rosa Parks and peaceful protests like the Selma to Montgomery marches and illustrated the names of lost lives during these movements. The words themselves are central to Kennedy's work, serving not just as visuals but to convey messages that are thought-provoking and sometimes confrontational. These pieces function as more than art; they are a form of communication, drawing attention to the injustices faced by marginalized communities, particularly Black Americans. The unevenness of the printing process, where some letters appear more faded or offset than others, becomes part of the aesthetic and conveys a sense of human imperfection, struggle, and resilience. This imperfect quality also adds a layer of emotional depth to his prints, which suggests that social issues cannot be neatly resolved or erased.
He has created works that address the violence and oppression from law enforcement, as well as the dehumanizing stereotypes that have historically been used to justify racial inequalities. Much like Kennedy's work in the book section 'Why is This Book Needed?' Anne H Berry explains that 'The deaths of these black Americans...served as a spark...' both to protests and to writings on what needs to change. (Berry and Kennedy, 2022, page 22). His pieces engage directly with themes of racial injustice, violence, and inequality, challenging viewers to confront uncomfortable truths. As Kennedy stated in an interview, âÂÂThe words are not just decorationâÂÂthey are part of the artâÂÂs purposeâ (Kennedy, 2012). This focus on text allows Kennedy to bridge the gap between art and activism, using the medium of print to communicate directly with a wide audience.
In addition to his printmaking, he has been an active participant in workshops and collaborative art projects, engaging with communities across the United States. Kennedy believes that art should not be confined to galleries or elite spaces; instead, it should be a tool for collective empowerment. As he explains, âÂÂArt has the potential to change society, but only if people are involved in making itâ (Kennedy, 2011).
A study from 2019 shows that African American artists get much less attention from major art museums, showing us that âÂÂ85.4% of the works in the collections of all major US museums belong to white artists, and 87.4% are by men. African American artists have the lowest share with just 1.2% of the works; Asian artists with 9%; and Hispanic and Latino artists only 2.8%âÂÂ.
One critic noted that Kennedy is "unafraid of asking uncomfortable questions about race and artistic pretension."
Kennedy has been hosted as an artist-in-residence at a number of institutions, including the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Virginia Center for the Book at the University of Virginia, BookLab at the University of Maryland, and the Wells College Book Arts Center, among many others.
His work has been exhibited at a range of museums, galleries, and libraries, including the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art Library, the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, and the Indiana University Bloomington Fine Arts Library. In addition, his work is held in the permanent collections of the Poster House, the New York Center for Book Arts, and the Letterform Archive.
In 2015, Kennedy was honored as a United States Artists Glasgow Fellow in Crafts and received a $50,000 unrestricted prize. He was named the Individual Laureate by the American Printing History Association in 2021, and the Outstanding Printmaker Awardee from the Mid Atlantic Print Council in 2022.