Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. collection, circa 1992-2026
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Arrangement
The Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. collection consists of 15 series arranged by chronologically by year of accession. Series X combines unidentified pre-2011 accessions.
The collection is described at the item level. The contents of each print are transcribed in quotations, following the capitalization and wording of the prints as closely as possible.
Information contained in parentheses within the quotation marks is found at the top or bottom of the print. Often this information refers to the source of the quotation on the print or an organization involved with the event promoted on the print.
Text on the background of the prints is included in brackets within quotations. Any information in brackets outside of the quotations indicates design related characteristics of the given print to distinguish it from other prints with identical text.
Administrative/Biographical History
Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1948. His father, Amos Paul Kennedy Sr., was a professor of agriculture and chemistry who taught at numerous historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) throughout his professional career. In 1972, Kennedy Jr. earned a BA in mathematics at Grambling University, and went on to pursue an MA in education.
Kennedy spent time in the Peace Corps during graduate school, which gave him the opportunity to teach mathematics in Liberia for 18 months. After contracting and recovering from malaria, he returned to the United States and settled in Gaithersburg, Maryland, taking a position with IBM as a systems programmer. He worked there for three years before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked for various computer firms and revived his interest in graduate school—this time for library science.
In 1981, Kennedy moved to Chicago, however, which once again put his formal academic plans on hold. While working for AT&T, he studied calligraphy as a hobby and took letterpress courses at Artist's Book Works, a small non-profit papermaking studio that opened in 1983. His initial interest in the printmaking process was peaked during a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, where he saw the town’s 18th century print shop and book bindery. After six months of coursework, Kennedy came into his own press and, being gifted four cabinets of type by a seasoned printer, quickly transformed his basement into a print shop. This private press was called Idiot Press, its name changing to Kennedy and Sons Fine Printing once he shifted his focus to commercial printing, and later to Jubilee Press (also Jubalee).
In 1995, Kennedy began graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and studied graphic design under Walter Hamady (1940-2019), also taking courses on the history of African art and Vodún. At this time, he moved to Bayside, a suburb of Milwaukee, and worked out of a studio there. He graduated with an MFA in 1997, and in 1998, became the first Black faculty member in the School of Fine Arts at Indiana University.
While living in York, Alabama, in 2002, Kennedy shifted his interest from books to posters and cards. He spent much of the next decade honing his craft in a series of small Alabama towns while traveling to teach, speak, and sell his work. In 2008, he moved to Detroit, Michigan where he established his print shop, Kennedy Prints!.
Using wood type and hand presses, Kennedy produces large editions of wildly colorful, typographically driven posters on inexpensive chipboard stock. His method often involves overprinting multiple layers of text and making constant, subtle alterations to the color of the inks throughout each press run, making each print being subtly unique. He passionately addresses issues of race, freedom, and equality in his work, often incorporating proverbs and tales of the Kuba and Yoruba people of Africa, as well as the work of Black American poets, such as Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). Kennedy has printed under a number of press names, including York Show Prints, Kennedy & Sons, Fine Printers, and Kennedy Prints!
As more and more artists seek to steer away from computer-generated art, Kennedy is often credited with the revival of the letterpress in contemporary and folk art.
Author: Dana Miller and Taylor Henning Subjects (links to similar collections) Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative InformationThe RBML reproductions policies can be found here:
http://www.library.illinois.edu/rbx/ReproductionServices.htm
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials.
Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study scholarship or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgement, fulfillment of the order would damage materials or involve violation of copyright law.
Amos Kennedy Digital Collection
Interview with Amos Kennedy (University of Wisconsin, Madison Library)
Submit request (Aeon) |
Rows will be filtered from the table below as selections are made
| Service Location | Boxes | Request |
|---|---|---|
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 001 | Request Box 001 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 002 | Request Box 002 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 003 | Request Box 003 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 004 | Request Box 004 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 005 | Request Box 005 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 006 | Request Box 006 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 007 | Request Box 007 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 008 | Request Box 008 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 009 | Request Box 009 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 010 | Request Box 010 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 011 | Request Box 011 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 012 | Request Box 012 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 013 | Request Box 013 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 014 | Request Box 014 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 015 | Request Box 015 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 016 | Request Box 016 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 017 | Request Box 017 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 018 | Request Box 018 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 019 | Request Box 019 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 020 | Request Box 020 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 021 | Request Box 021 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 022 | Request Box 022 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 023 | Request Box 023 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 024 | Request Box 024 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 025 | Request Box 025 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 026 | Request Box 026 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 027 | Request Box 027 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 028 | Request Box 028 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 029 | Request Box 029 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 030 | Request Box 030 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 031 | Request Box 031 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 032 | Request Box 032 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 033 | Request Box 033 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 034 | Request Box 034 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 035 | Request Box 035 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 036 | Request Box 036 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 037 | Request Box 037 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 049 | Request Box 049 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 050 | Request Box 050 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 051 | Request Box 051 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 052 | Request Box 052 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 053 | Request Box 053 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 054 | Request Box 054 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Box 055 | Request Box 055 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 038 | Request Item 038 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 039 | Request Item 039 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 040 | Request Item 040 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 041 | Request Item 041 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 042 | Request Item 042 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 043 | Request Item 043 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 044 | Request Item 044 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 045 | Request Item 045 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 046 | Request Item 046 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 047 | Request Item 047 |
| Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 346 Main Library | Item 048 | Request Item 048 |
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Email UsThis collection consists of letterpress art printed at Kennedy Prints!, Jubilee Press (also Jubalee), or elsewhere by Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. (1948-), an American letterpress printer, papermaker, educator, and social activist. Formats include postcards, posters, state road maps, and hand fans. There is also some additional promotional material for events with which Kennedy was involved. Some items for this collection are individually cataloged and searchable in Primo at the link below. Many are also digitized and available to view online as part of our Digital Collections.
See Administrative/Biographical History and Administrative Information for more information.
Series X: Pre-2011 Accessions
Series 1: 2011 Accessions
Series 2: 2012 Accessions
Series 3: 2014 Accessions
Series 4: 2015 Accessions
Series 5: 2016 Accession
Series 6: 2018 Accessions
Series 7: 2019 Accession
Series 8: 2020 Accession
Series 9: 2021 Accession(s)
Series 10: 2022 Accession(s)
Series 11: 2023 Accessions
Series 12: 2024 Accessions
Series 13: 2025 Accessions
Series 14: 2026 Accessions (Ongoing)