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| Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. |
One of the amazing things about this movie Amos' attitude. In the beginning I thought he was special. The way he carried himself was so childish but in a good way. You can clearly see himself enjoying life and being playful. As the documentary moves on you learn how he evolves through the commentary of his friends and family. All throughout his life Amos was a mischievous boy who liked to test the limits and get reactions out of people. If he wasn't shocking people with his art then he was expressing himself through his clothing. I liked the way he carried himself and his opinions on artists only wearing black and expressing themselves as artists but they're really only excluding themselves from everyone. It made me laugh so hard because my sister considers herself an artist and she only wears black! It was perfect. Yet my sister lives in Shanghai because she believes it's the only way for her to make a living and follow her dreams. She teaches english to pay the bills and make money but her true passion is in design and making her own clothes. She also has to pay off her expensive student loans so the only way to live happily and accomplish her dreams she lives in China. Amos moves anywhere so that he can achieve this goal of making a living by doing what he loves.
Amos has a great eye for mixing art with history. I love how he mixes both to tell a bold message to the public. Since he is African American or in his words a "humble negro printer" he is able to express himself in a way that seems a little vulgar and uncomfortable. In the image below there's an example of one of the grams. They we're mainly postcards that proved a point. In the film Amos creates these postcards to send a message about what he's feeling. In one of the nappy grams he writes "Affirmative action is a joke." after one of the new faculty members is hired and is of African American descent. There's a rumor going around that the only reason she is hired is to fill the minority faculty demographic. He includes another teacher's url and before you know it the university police call her in for an interrogation because someone found it offensive and thought it was a threat. It's just simple ideas like these that create a stir and remind people of sensitive issues that still exist but are rarely talked about. He defies his stereotypes and just breaks all the rules when it comes to talking about racism. In his own way he expresses himself through these grams and lets people know these issues are still present even if they are uncomfortable to talk about.
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| nappy gram |
The commentary about Amos was a great way to go with this movie. I love the support from his parents and his brother. Both his parents continually support him and believe Amos is truly happy making posters and running his shop. Being a black man in a corporate world in the 80s wasn't easy but to transition to being the only black man in the art department at Indiana University surely wasn't either. Yet Amos strives to break the stereotypes cast on him and make his art speak for itself. He always wears his signature outfit of overalls and a pink shirt because that's who he is. By wearing his outfit he wants people to think he's a "humble black negro" who just makes stuff. I love the commentary from all his colleagues and friends. The way they describe him and his art feels perfect for the film. I love when they talk about his disdain for being called an artist but that he knows that he is one. I thought the description of Amos being a traveling sales man who sells art was right on the money. I also thought the idea of putting Amos' art in the bathroom was genius. "Maybe art should be in the bathroom" was a great quote from his colleague and really made you think about art being accessible to everyone. Amos believes art should be "cash and carry" and only sells his posters for $15. Although you could get 2 for $20. Amos not only breaks the stereotypes for being a black man but breaks the stereotypes for art as well.
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| Posters |
Overall, this documentary made me want to own my own printing press. Maybe one day since he does make it looks fun and inexpensive. It would be a side project or a hobby to express my creativity. There's so much beauty to Amos' work that I want to be able to create my own art. I love the levels to his posters and how you can see the different layers and the workmanship. When one of the experts says that all of Amos' posters are bad form it made it even better since it matches his style. In a way I feel like I could relate to Amos completely. I talk to myself out loud all the time and speak of ridiculous ideas that only make sense to me. I would like to be as careless and free as Amos but I have a living to make so in reality I don't know if it will ever happen. I loved his activism work and I want to do something provocative as well. You need to push people's buttons to make them talk and think outside the box. Since Amos is a "humble negro" I would love to see what kind of posters he would make today with all the protests about Ferguson and the new Eric Garner verdict. All these issues deal with racism and while I feel odd saying it is I honestly think that's what it boils down to. These crimes were committed and people are upset. I know Amos would create a poster that captures the moment perfectly but also brings about the issues that lie underneath these crimes. His posters could grow viral and I think would be a great response and outlet for the people. I plan on purchasing some great prints from Kennedy to promote his craftsmanship and just to inspire me to be creative everyday and follow my dreams.
I found the video online for free on Youtube. Yes, I am a horrible person for not paying $2.50 to watch it but if you'd like to watch it I attached it below. Enjoy :)
Image sources:
Amos in his studio
Letterpress Posters
Nappygram
Posters
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