Published on February 2, 2016 by Jimmy Lichtenwalter  
Southern As

During the month of February, the Samford University Art Gallery is hosting an exhibit featuring the work of renowned letterpress artist Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. as part of the Visiting Visual Artist Series.

Before turning to letterpress and printmaking full-time, Kennedy worked as a computer analyst for AT&T. After seeing a letterpress demonstration at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, he was inspired to practice this particular art full time.

In 2015, Kennedy was awarded the United States Artists Glasgow Fellowship, which recognizes the country’s “most accomplished and innovative artists.”   

“We are really excited about this show,” said Robin Snyder, gallery director and Samford art professor. “Kennedy is a rewarded and recognized artist.” 

Kennedy is just the latest in a long list of artists to have work featured in the Samford Art Gallery. According to Snyder, the gallery features a different exhibiteach month. 

“I want students to be able to see art that living artists are doing,” Snyder said. “I bring in as many different artists as I can.” 

In addition to letterpress, the gallery has featured artists working with graphic art, ceramics, paint and photography. 

“I hope to let students experience different types of artists,” Snyder said. 

The gallery, which is located in Swearingen Hall, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. 

The works of Kennedy will be in the Art Gallery until Feb. 25, when there will be a closing reception from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase Kennedy’s work and see a letterpress demonstration by the artist. 

Jimmy Lichtenwalter is a journalism and mass communication major and a news and feature writer in the Office of Marketing and Communication.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.