Austin Peay State University
Clarksville, TN – For the last 15 years, the Goldsmith Press & Rare Type Collection at Austin Peay State University has helped preserve the great American tradition of letterpress printing. Students and community members are invited to use the collection’s hand-carved wood letters and antique printing presses to created broadsides and prints that express their personal opinions about contemporary issues.
The posters are reminiscent of 19th century handbills, rural advertising and rollicking country music billboards.
This fall, the works by students and the press itself will be featured in numerous exhibits and events throughout middle Tennessee.
The events include
- Projects from the Goldsmith Press at Blend Studio – This exhibit, featuring posters, prints and artist books produced by the press, will run from September 1st-30th at the Blend Studio in downtown Nashville.
- The 9/11/2012 Project – The press will be at various sites between September 8th-11th for participants to record and print memories of the 9/11 tragedy. From noon to 4:00pm on September 8th, it will be at the Blend Studio in Nashville. From noon to 4:00pm on September 9th, the press will be at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library. From 10:00am to 2:00pm on September 10th, the press will be set up at the Ajax Senior Citizens Center and from 10:00am to 4:00pm on September 11th, it will be available in the Woodward Library on the APSU campus.
- Frolic on Franklin – A demonstration and a sampling of community and student work will be on display between 9:00am and 4:00pm on September 15th on Franklin Street in downtown Clarksville.
- 2012 Handmade and Bound – A demonstration and a sampling of community and student work will be on display between 9:00am and 4:00pm on October 6th at the Watkins College of Art, Design and Film in Nashville.
APSU purchased the letterpress and type collection in 1997, and it has received both local and national renown for the works produced from this facility. The Goldsmith Press, which has been awarded 11 regional and federal grants, has proven to be a valued teaching tool and a coveted studio for artists, designers and writers.
For more information about the exhibit, contact the APSU Department of Art, 931.221.7333, or email Cindy Marsh at marshc@apsu.edu [1].