Quit Your Job and Become an Artist
Print work by Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.
June 13 - 27, 2009
Opening Night Screening Party and Artist Talk
Saturday, June 13 from 7 - 10pm
Join Around the Coyote, Brown Finch Films, and Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. as we screen the film Proceed and Be Bold!.
The film will be followed by an artist talk and Q&A at 8:30pm. All events will be held in the new Around the Coyote Gallery at the
Splat Flats, featuring over 1,000 posters hand printed by Kennedy. Snacks and Peroni beer will be provided. RSVP recommended, as there are a limited number of seats.
$5 suggested donation at the door.
About Quit Your Job and Become an Artist
Around the Coyote and Brown Finch Films announce an exhibition of over 1,000 posters by letterpress printer
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. at the Splat Flats, screenings of the documentary film Proceed and Be Bold!
covering Kennedy's journey as an artist, and a discussion panel with artists from Sonnenzimmer and The Post Family
about quitting your job for your art.
Kennedy quit his job as a computer programmer and left behind his comfortable middle class life to work in the lost crafts of letterpress printing and bookmaking. His colorful posters crisply declare his brash yet simple messages that explore and question issues such as race, gender or artistic expression. In his latest series for Around the Coyote, he explores the issues of motivation, economics and the working life of an artist.
The film “Proceed and Be Bold!” by Brown Finch Films is an explorative biography of the artist and the choices he made for his art. Kennedy's art and practices are refractions of the American dream, American consciousness (or unconsciousness) and through his posters, he opens important issues of race, class, and the value of art. The film spends time with Kennedy, fellow artists and admirers, family, and friends, to analyze why he creates his work.
Over 1,000 hand-printed posters by Kennedy will be put on display by Around the Coyote at the Splat Flats, including a new theme exploring the phrase “Quit Your Job and Become an Artist.” Kennedy will be present on June 13th , during a screening of “Proceed and Be Bold!” and will discuss his choices as an artist and the journey he has taken for his art, as explored in the film. He will also be present at the June 27th closing Cash-and-Carry Poster Sale to speak to patrons and sign posters.
Members from the screen-printing duo Sonnenzimmer and the art collective The Post Family will present a panel to discuss their own transitions from working in a “typical job” to working as artists in independent and collaborative spheres within the traditional economy.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is a journeyman letterpress printer living in the extremely rural town of Gordo, Alabama . His works range from letterpress posters to art books, installations, and calligraphy.
Events Summary
All events are held at Around the Coyote Exhibitions at the Splat Flats Gallery, 1817 W. Division St., Chicago , IL
This exhibition is presented by Around the Coyote along with....
an independent filmmaking collaborative based
in Chicago, Illinois, and produces transformative documentary films that inspire, evoke, and enliven. They are currently in production
of three new feature-length documentary films, and are currently independently funded and self-distributing.
www.brownfinchfilms.com
Sonnenzimmer, a Chicago-based screen print studio founded by Nadine Nakanishi and Nick Butcher.
The Post Family, an Art & Design Collective, Blog, Gallery, Store and Website from Chicago.
Location:
Around the Coyote Exhibitions at the Splat Flats...1815-25 w division street...chicago, il...60622
Around the Coyote's 2000 sq. ft. gallery hosts monthly emerging art exhibitions, an artist residency, and performances of new theatre, music, and film.