Making Good Trouble with Bad Printing with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.
Frontline Arts is excited to announce the visit of esteemed letterpress printer Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. to our studios from October 9th through October 11th. This visit was made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Frontline Arts was awarded the Special Initiative Grant by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in May of 2023 for Kennedy’s October visit. The initial planning of this project was also supported in part by General Operating Support received from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
Frontline Arts will be facilitating two days of letterpress workshops, led by Kennedy, on October 10th and the 11th, free of charge and open to the public, at our studios in Branchburg, NJ. Participants will make and take a variety of layered, letterpress posters, printed with vintage wood type on proofing presses. These workshops will culminate in a free artist talk at the Newark Public Library on the evening of the 11th (registration is required).
Making Good Trouble with Bad Printing Letterpress Workshop
with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.
Tuesday, October 10th, 10am-5pm and Wednesday, October 11th, 10am-2pm
FREE
Registration Closed
Join Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and Frontline Arts at our studios in Branchburg, NJ for two days full of “Bad Printing”! Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. is visiting Frontline Arts and is facilitating a series of workshops, culminating in a FREE artist talk at the Newark Public Library. This visit was made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Frontline Arts will be holding two drop-in style letterpress workshops on Tuesday the 10th and Wednesday the 11th. The workshops will start with an introduction by Amos, and followed up with a bonanza of printing on all of our various letterpresses!
The Tuesday workshop is a slightly more intensive day of printing, due to the longer schedule. Wednesday is a shorter day to allow for traveling up to Newark for the artist talk at Newark Public Library’s Main Branch!
Participants are welcome to attend one day or both days of workshops, and to come whenever they are available. This event is completely FREE and drop-in. Come in and make some prints with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and the Frontline Arts staff!
Traveling to Frontline Arts:
We are at the intersection of Station Rd and River Rd, just off Rt 22, near Somerville.
Public Transportation
Frontline Arts is directly on the North Branch stop of the Raritan Line. See schedule here, entering North Branch Station as your destination: https://www.njtransit.com/train-to and by sure to check the site for current alerts and rider guidelines.
Please be aware that this station does not have a platform and is therefore not considered accessible. However, you can book a ride with NJ TRANSIT's ADA paratransit program known as Access Link. See eligibility and ride booking details here: https://www.njtransit.com/accessibility/access-link-ada-paratransit
NJ Transit Accessibility: Many of NJ TRANSIT's rail stations are accessible by elevator, ramp, mini high-level platform or portable lift. All accessible stations are shown on the system map with the international symbol of accessibility. If you need fully accessible transportation, please contact Lindsey Knipe at lindsey@frontlinearts.org
Ridewise: For assistance navigating NJ Transit and Somerset County Public Transit, contact Ridewise for TransitConnect Travel Training. Please contact them by October 6th for assistance navigating to our workshop.
360 Grove Street
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
Phone: 908-704-1011
Somerset County Residents who are eligible can also use Paratransit services. See Somerset Co details by clicking here.
The train stops at FA approximately every 1.5 - 3 hours during weekdays only. Be sure to get on the correct Raritan Line train that stops at North Branch (goes all the way to High Bridge), or it ends in Raritan, 4 miles from here. Also, most schedules require a transfer in Newark to get to NY Penn Station. Some schedules are direct. The connecting line between Newark and NYC is normally the Northeast Corridor Line.
Frontline Arts’ Accessibility Services can be found here: https://www.frontlinearts.org/accessibility-services
Registration Closed
Making Good Trouble with Bad Printing Artist Talk
with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.
Wednesday, October 11th, 6pm-7:30pm
Newark Public Library, 5 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102
FREE
Registration Closed
Join Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and Frontline Arts at the Main Branch of the Newark Public Library for an evening you won’t want to miss! Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. is visiting Frontline Arts and is facilitating a series of workshops, culminating in this FREE artist talk!
This visit was made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Traveling to the Newark Public Library (Main Branch)
Via https://www.npl.org/main-library/
Public Transportation
#13, #27, Go Bus 28, #30, #76, #78 stop on Broad St. at Lombardy St. (heading north along Broad St.)
Go Bus 28, #59, #66 stop on Broad St. at Harriet Tubman Square (formerly Washington Park)
#11, #13, #27, #28, #29, #30, #41 stop on Broad St. across from Lombardy St. (heading south along Broad St.)
#59, #66 stop on Washington St. & Washington Pl.
#11, #28, #29, #72 stop at Washington St. & James St.
Parking
The Main Library does not have patron parking. Several parking options exist on the surrounding surface streets as well as privately operated lots. Free off-site parking available at Essex County parking deck at 20-55 Bridge Street.
Parking is also available on Washington St. No parking 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Metered parking Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., 25 cents for 20 minutes, one hour maximum. Click here for more information on parking.
Library Accessibility: Click here for Newark Public Library’s available accessibility services.
Registration Closed
About Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.
Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. is a Detroit-based letterpress artist known for his inky, layered, textured and text-based posters on chipboard. Kennedy’s work usually centers on social justice and political commentary, directly addressing uncomfortable issues of race, as well as gatekeeping and pretension in the arts. Kennedy himself has been dubbed the leader of “The School of Bad Printing” by fellow letterpress printer Andrew Steeves, of Gaspereau Press. This name is what inspired the title of this series of upcoming workshops, “Making Good Trouble with Bad Printing,” which is also a nod to the late John Lewis.
Kennedy received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has works in the collection of the Library of Congress, was a United States Artists Glasgow Fellow in Crafts in 2015, and is the subject of the 2008 documentary film “Proceed and Be Bold.”
About Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., written by the artist:
“I was born.
I am animal.
I am human.
I live.
I live negro.
I tell you this because you will mistake me for an africanamerican BUT i am negro, a descendant of the enslaved peoples of theseunitedstatesofamerica.
I live southern.
I was born colored in Louisiana. I was raised negro. I was educated Black at Grambling College, a historically integrated college.
I live in the moment.
In the moment is creation. Creation is within every human. We must celebrate our creativity. The moment fuels our creativity.
I live to put ink on paper.
This is the major outlet for my creativity. I put ink on paper for the glory of my peoples. The words of my peoples have largely been excluded from "fine print." I defy this condition and force my peoples' presence into this part of this civilization's culture.
I am a printer.
I am not an artist.
I am a stuff-maker.
I am not an artist.
I am a visitor.
I will die.”
For more information about Amos Paul Kennedy Jr, visit www.instagram.com/kennedyprints/ and www.kennedyprints.com/
