During March 22–24, 2013, after almost a year of planning, Columbia College’s Center for Black Music Research and Center for Book and Paper Arts collaborated on a one-credit workshop titled “Material Social Practices: Posters as Social Media.” The interdepartmental collaboration was an ideal venture to demonstrate the vibrant social change that can happen when valuable archives such as those at the CBMR are tapped to inform the DIY aesthetics of print media, and create social movement and change.

Amos P. Kennedy Jr., the renowned artist, printer, and activist, came in from his Detroit studio to serve as a print instructor at the CBPA studios, as well as guest lecturer. Kennedy lives his maxim that “All art-making is a social practice.” His Friday-evening lecture, which was open to the entire campus community and to the general public, helped familiarize the students with social poster making practices.

The Friday night lecture (above) and open house reception at the CBMR was attended by many print activists, and was followed by assisted research on the next Saturday morning in the CBMR Library and Archives. Class participants took what they found at CBMR and moved on to Book and Paper’s letterpress printing studio, where they worked for the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday.

For a more detailed story on the weekend collaborative workshop by CBPA studio technician by April Sheridan, click here.