Moveable Type

screenprinted bricks by Christa Dalien at Wonder Fair

After True/False, we first headed to Kansas City to decompress for a few days at Dustin’s parents house, and then made our way to Lawrence, Kansas.  I set up shop outside Wonder Fair, an awesome gallery/shop/studio/creative place.  This place stocks all manner of beautiful little handmade treats, like posters, clothing, zines, and weird things you didn’t know you needed (see last photo of this blog post).  Meredith and Paul are the lovely proprietors, and they invited friends, neighbors, and customers out on a cold and rainy night to take part in some printing love.

"to the stars through difficulties"

Afterwards, we got into some March Mustard Madness at the local brewery, which involved tasting approximately 17 different kinds of mustards.  There were some favorites we all agreed upon, but no clear winner.

little onlookers/future printers

The next day, I took the truck over to the University of Kansas and parked outside the Spencer Museum.  There was a huge turnout, and we thought it could be cool to tie into a current exhibit by Chen Shaoxiong called “Prepared: Strategies for Activitsts” so we printed some pseudo protest posters – “Art here! Art now!” And then everyone looted the museum.  Just kidding.

Run on Sentence at Wonder Fair

That night, I went back to Wonder Fair for a Run on Sentence show, which was a lot of fun.  The boys had stopped by to visit some of Dustin’s family that day, and had raided his great uncle’s collection of trucker caps.  I was gifted this beauty, which I paired with a ribbon from The Small Object, to powerful effect:

posters we printed in the truck

Oh, True/False… you are one of my favorite things in the world.  True/False is a documentary film festival that takes place in Columbia, Missouri (home to the University of MO – “Mizzou”, as it is called).  Dustin/Run on Sentence has been playing music at the festival for the past five years or so, and I’ve come along with him a couple times before.  This was the first year I participated, and it made it even better.  I did a few workshops with elementary, high school and college kids, and then got to park the truck for the rest of the weekend at the most central intersection in town, right in the thick of things.  This is a supremely walkable town, and I think something like 35,000 people came out for the fest.  The streets were busy.  A bunch of friends from Maine fly in each year too, so combine that with awesome film programming, live music, good food, free booze, and parties four nights in a row, and you’ve got yourself a pretty fine weekend.

gorillas in our midst!

these guys

I grew a beard of biblical proportions

masks were a theme

Bramble from SLC

The Toughcats from Maine

Furrby

Dustin in the sky!

Run on Sentence

this pretty well sums up the last day

I also joined Instagram this weekend, something I have been resisting for months, certain that I don’t need more social media in my life.  Turns out I really like it.  Follow along there, if ya want – @typetruck.

the St. Louis arch(es)!

oh wait no, that's the one

By the time I got to St. Louis, I was feeling quite a bit better, and ready to do some exploring.  I drove into town and made my way over to meet the fellas at Firecracker Press.

Eric and Matty are awesome, and we went out for tacos before setting up for our event in the evening.  I love their work so much – hand-carved perfection!

Firecracker!

Their shop is on Cherokee Street, which is home to antique stores, great old signage, sweet paint colors and, curiously, other print shops.  I counted two others (All Along Press and Paper Boat Studios) and the guys told me about one more somewhere else down the way.  I had a great time wandering around the neighborhood, marveling at all the weird details.

this is kind of how I felt for a few days

I either sweat or shivered through the next few days, sometimes both at once.  I’m afraid my reportage is going to be kind of hazy… traveling while sick is a real bummer.  Driving a truck for nine hours with a fever is a real drag.  Much DayQuil was consumed.  My apologies to my gracious hosts in Cincinnati and Indianapolis for this limited coverage… Big thanks are due to Lynda Buckels with Chatty Crafty, Darby Forcum at Anthem, Emily Wolf with AIGA Cincinnati, Brian Stuparyk at Steam Whistle Press, Andrew Neyer at YES Gallery, and Amanda Taflinger at Homespun: Modern Handmade.  Please allow these photos to suffice!

nice Post-It art by the Anthem design team!

Steam Whistle Press, Cincinnati

Brian's from Canada

bathroom at YES Gallery

Cincinnati at night

Indy pride at Homespun

as seen outside Indianapolis

printing coasters for Young Blood

It was a rainy night at Young Blood Gallery – this kept some people away, but we had a good turnout at the beginning of the evening.  And the gallery is awesome – all manner of hand crafted lovelies, from jewelry to posters to candles, etc etc.  I met a sign painter who had just finished some beautiful work on Young Blood’s front window.  He had a few spare hours to kill, and I’ve been feeling like I’m finally ready to commit to some signage on the truck.  We talked about a game plan, and he went and got paint and everything.  But then… the sky opened up and it began to pour.  Game over.

Rebecca prints her own stationery!

The next day, I headed over to my friend Becca’s house for a neighborhood printing party!  It was still raining, but we stayed dry and relatively cozy in the truck, and Becca kept us all happy and fed with mac n’ cheese, pulled pork sandwiches, and (truck shaped!) cookies.  Becca’s friend Mendy is a rep for Mac Papers, and she was kind enough to provide all sorts of beautiful papers for us to play with.  I’ve been getting used to just printing on whatever paper comes my way, which is usually fine, but it was a really nice treat to print on some really nice hefty stock for a change.  Thanks so much, Mendy!  Everyone who came to the party walked away with a big alphabet/type specimen poster, and Becca and a few friends printed their own custom stationery.  This was such a fun way to gather some friends for an afternoon – I’m definitely looking forward to doing more events like this in the future.

release the pressure!

On my last day in Atlanta, I headed over to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  This school has its main campus in Savannah, but the Atlanta campus opened in 2005 (I think?).  The facilities are amazing.  Seeing the printshop seriously made me consider going to grad school.  There were entirely separate rooms – big rooms – for letterpress, etching, lithography, screen printing… so much room to work!  And I was really impressed by the work that the students were doing.  I was treated to a really nice lunch with some of the deans and staff before opening the truck doors to students in the afternoon.

The next morning, I woke up with a fever and headed a little bit outside of the city for a day at Kennesaw State University.  Despite the fact that I just wanted to curl up and go to sleep, it was a really fun, laid back visit.  The students I met were smart and curious, and printmaking professor Valerie Dibble was an excellent host.  She and her husband were kind enough to put my sick, pathetic self up for the night.  Next time, you guys, I promise to be more fun!

Reedy River Falls!

GREENVILLE: the lovely ladies from Indie Craft Parade pulled together a great day at the Hughes Library.  We had a huge turnout!  Literally a line down the block.  And everyone politely waited their turn in line, lulled into complacency by the tiny delicious cupcakes from Coffee to a Tea.

love this photo by Indie Craft Parade

Elizabeth and Erin took me out for dinner afterwards, and showed me around their cool little town.  The visit was so short, too short.  I liked the feel of this town, and hope to come back sometime – maybe for the next Indie Craft Parade?  I ended the evening cleaning up at a game of Go Fish with a few strangers at a bar.  Who knew I was a hustler?

Little Kings Shuffle Club. photo by thedayjobs.com

ATHENS: this event came together super last minute.  I was always planning on bringing the truck to Athens – this is one of those towns I’ve always been curious about, as an unusually high percentage of my favorite bands have come out of here.  I knew it was a place I wanted to visit.  But for some reason, I just couldn’t get my act together to book something.  Other things kept coming up and getting in the way of making any plans.  And so I was thrilled when Rick Hawkins, a dealer of letterpress equipment (and scooters, and old computers, and film projectors, and toy accordions, and diesel engines, etc etc) contacted me to see if I wanted any help setting something up.

some of Rick's collection

He ended up securing some parking at Little Kings Shuffle Club, a super low key and awesome bar downtown with a great big patio and parking lot.  He also got the word out to the local papers and you know what?  People showed up!  It turned out to be a great night.  The next morning, I ate a hearty breakfast at The Grit before shoving off to Atlanta.  Athens and Greenville, my visits were too quick, but I will be back some day.  I like you.

giant hand! photo by Nicolai Froehlich

(photo by Nicolai Froehlich)

Letterpress Fest!  Letterpress Feast!  Letterpress Zest!  It was a big week in Charlotte, as I participated in their first annual Letterpress Fest.  This week-long event was organized by AIGA Charlotte, and featured workshops, panel discussions, presentations, film screenings, and an exhibit/raffle, all centered around, you know, letterpress.  It was a ton of fun.  Not only did I get to meet some wonderful folks at AIGA (Nikki Mueller and Melissa Broderick, I’m looking at you), but I was also honored to share a stage with Jim Sherraden (Hatch Show Print), Kseniya Thomas and Jessica White (Ladies of Letterpress) and Beth Faragan (Crayton-Heritage).  The fabulous Kelly Koeppel (k2forma) moderated our discussion about the current state of letterpress printing, the frenzy that is gripping the nation, as well as stories about our own individual practices and studios.  The conversation was really informal, but I think it was informative and interesting for folks in the audience, and I certainly enjoyed hearing from each of my co-panelists.  I think we each occupy a different corner of this world, and were each able to offer a different take on this thing we all love.  Thanks for pulling together a great event, you guys.  Also, Kelly taught me a cool parlor trick involving Scotch.

what does this mean?

Crossing over into NC from the balmy southern Atlantic coast, I was a bit disappointed to find that it was still winter in the rest of the country.  I felt disoriented, and a little betrayed.  But there is no better antidote for betrayal than a visit with the kids at Blue Barnhouse.  (Don’t worry, I don’t know what that means either).

Brandon & Emily

I’ve mentioned this before, but I worked at Blue Barnhouse in Asheville for a year when I first started printing.  Those were wild and beautiful days.  This past summer, they relocated the shop to Wilmington, and so it was toward this port town that I steered the ol’ truck.

here be the presses I learned on: Vandercook Uni I and C&P 12x18

I parked the rig outside Brandon and Emily’s house and let them drive me around for the weekend.  We drank lots of coffee, went to the (cold and windy) beach, took a ferry ride, went bowling, watched Rio Bravo, visited the new shop and, for old time’s sake, I helped them bag cards and package orders.  That’s probably not everyone’s idea of A Good Time, but it felt strangely comforting to me… like, the most mundane, normal thing ever, which was just what I needed to feel less adrift.  So, umm, thanks for putting me to work, guys.

these guys print a *lot* of cards

I lost big time

If I lived in Savannah, I would not work.  Rather, I would sit in parks and write, draw, and think.  I would ditch my car and walk everywhere, all the time.  Sometimes I would drink coffee while walking, and sometimes, because it is legal to do so here, I would drink shandies.  It is always Shandy weather in Savannah.

I visited Armstrong Atlantic State University, and was welcomed by a very large and very sweet group of students who were very excited about getting on the press.  Thanks so much for coming out, you guys – I really like your town.  And you.

Charleston greenery

After spending a day or two fantasizing about my life in Savannah, I headed up the coast to Charleston.  Turns out this town isn’t so bad, either.  I walked around the compact city core, peering into secret gardens and playing the “which house would I most like to live in?” game.  As much as I love being on the road, it probably comes as no surprise that I’m also craving a little stillness, to feel at home in one place.  Even just for a little while.  I find these urges come and go, but they’re definitely in full force when I’m in a place that I particularly respond to.  Walking around Charleston, I kept thinking, “what if this was my neighborhood? What would my days look like?  Where would I walk my dog?  Where did I get the money to live in this house?”  BIG QUESTIONS.  Eventually, I found the house I would want to live in.  It’s not the grandest house in town – far from it – but it feels like a place I would like.  It’s small and Kyle-scaled.  It has a balcony with french doors that I would leave open most of the time.  Check it:

home sweet home!

But enough about me.  I came to Charleston to connect with the rad ladies at Sideshow Press.  Not only are they very talented printers and designers, but these gals know how to throw a party.  A peanut party.  Boiled peanuts, popcorn, sodas in glass bottles with adorable yellow and white straws, a photo booth, and little striped bags for everyone to put their prints in to take home.  I took some terrible photos after dark and after most of the people had left, so these hardly capture the spirit of the night.  But the spirit was very high.

yes, that is a quoin-as-paperweight

earlier in the night, the parking lot was full of revelers

Thank you, Charleston!

After my mini vacation in the Keys, I headed up the coast a bit to Boca Raton, to the Jaffe Center for Book Arts, on the campus of Florida Atlantic University.  Arthur Jaffe, the center’s namesake and founder, is a spry 91 year old man who has been collecting books since he was a kid.  This collection represents the rambling story of his life in books.  We had a fabulous turnout, but this is one of those stops where I managed to not take a single photo (how does that happen?), so here is a photo I did not take, from an event I did not attend.

John pulls a print! Courtesy Jaffe Collection

John Cutrone, the director of the Jaffe Collection, and Seth Thompson, the collections specialist, also run Convivio Bookworks from their home, and they do beautiful work.  They were kind enough to put me up for the night, and sent me off with a starfruit from the tree outside their house.  It was delicious, by the way.

St Augustine harbor

The next day, I drove up the Atlantic coast to St. Augustine, and felt like I crossed over into another world.  Still Florida, but a far cry from the tropical climate and modern development of the southern part of the state.  It’s older here – much older.  And you can feel it.  St. Augustine is apparently the oldest European settlement in the United States, founded by the Spanish in 1565 and, much later, developed by Henry Flagler.  I had never heard of Flagler before coming to Florida but, apparently, he’s “kind of a big deal”.  He’s the guy responsible for developing much of the eastern coast of Florida, building hotels, and bringing the railroad all the way down to Key West in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  In St. Augustine, I visited Flagler College, which is housed in the former Ponce de León Hotel, a very grand hotel built by Flagler in 1888.  It is a grand and gorgeous structure, and it’s insane to me that it now houses college students.

that's a dorm room at the top of the tower...

I got to hang out with an especially awesome group of those students, who admitted that they kind of take for granted that they essentially go to school in a 5-star luxury hotel.  To their credit, though, I doubt many college students really appreciate the grand and historic architecture of their campuses.  I know I didn’t – not really.  I knew my campus was beautiful and the buildings were cool and old, but you know, I was in college.  I was thinking about other stuff.  Anyway, we printed some fun posters in honor of one of their professors, and then they took me out on a walking tour of the city and dinner at The Floridian, which was one of the best meals I’ve on had on this whole trip.  Thanks, guys!

And then, Jacksonville!  I had coordinated with the local AIGA chapter for this event, on a Sunday afternoon downtown.  We had a great turnout, everyone walked away with some Jacksonville souvenirs, and a lucky few had a turn printing their own stuff.  Big thanks to Jessi Bruton for setting it all up, and for providing me with some of her delicious macarons!

[yes]