Alabama!

Birmingham, Alabama might have been my very first scheduled date on this tour… I’m pretty sure this one went on the books last November, and it’s interesting to think about how that one date really anchored this entire leg of the tour.  Even when the rest of the adventure was really up in the air, I knew that I’d be in Birmingham on December 1st, 2011.  And so it was.  Cory Bordonaro first contacted me about the visit.  She’s a letterpress printer and also volunteers with an organization called Desert Island Supply Co (DISCO), a creative writing program for kids and high school students.  We ended up coordinating with Chip Brantley, who directs a lot of the programming for DISCO, and set up a visit to Woodlawn High School to meet with some students.

they look super bored here, but I swear we were having fun!

On Chip’s recommendation, I set type ahead of time for a poster (while parked in a lot off the highway) – a quote by Laura Miller that speaks to adventure and story telling and discovery.  The students were a really fun and bright bunch, and really seemed to respond to the quote and to the printing process.  We ended up having a great morning.

That evening, Cory got me set up downtown for an open-to-the-public event at Railroad Park.  We really didn’t know what kind of turnout to expect, but it was awesome.  Tons of people came out!  I met some really great folks that night – well done, Birmingham, and big thanks to Cory and Chip!

Lowe Mill

Next stop was up the road to “Rocket City” – Huntsville, Alabama – home of all sorts of rocket scientists and space people, as well as the artists at Lowe Mill.  Rachel from Green Pea Press (a tenant at the Mill building) had invited me to come up for a visit and print collaboration.  So I did.  I met some other tenants in the building (which is home to over 100 artists studios and creative businesses), other printers, neighbors, and friends.  Rachel and I collaborated on these sweet posters, she on the blue screen print, me on the text: