Mindreading Since 1997 with Glenn Ligon and Luther Davis
Apr 11, 2026 4:00 PM
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Apr 11, 2026 5:00 PM
Small Hall
For almost thirty years artist Glenn Ligon and master printer Luther Davis have collaborated on some of Ligon’s largest works including two of his series Come Out (2014-2015) and Debris Field (2018– ). Most recently Ligon produced a body of work titled Blue (for JB); the foundation of these monumental works on paper start with a silkscreened image based off of Ligon’s rubbings on top of one of the paintings from his Stranger series. In order to create the ideal ground or working surface for Ligon, he and Davis developed various iterations until the screened image resonated.
Glenn Ligon is an artist living and working in New York. Throughout his career, Ligon has pursued an incisive exploration of American history, literature, and society across bodies of work that build critically on the legacies of modern painting and conceptual art.
He is best known for his landmark text-based paintings, made since the late 1980s, which draw on the influential writings and speech of 20th-century cultural figures including James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Jean Genet, and Richard Pryor. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and attended the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. In 2011, the Whitney Museum of American Art held a mid-career retrospective, AMERICA, organized by Scott Rothkopf, that traveled nationally. Important solo exhibitions include Break It Down, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO (2025); All Over the Place, The Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, England (2024); Post-Noir, Carre d’Art, Nîmes (2022); Call and Response, Camden Arts Centre, London (2014); and Some Changes, The Power Plant Center for Contemporary Art, Toronto (traveled internationally) (2005). Select curatorial projects include Grief and Grievance, New Museum, New York (2021); Blue Black, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, St. Louis (2017); and Encounters and Collisions, Nottingham Contemporary and Tate Liverpool (2015). Ligon’s work has been shown in major international exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale (2015, 1997), Berlin Biennial (2014), Istanbul Biennial (2019, 2011), and Documenta XI (2002).
Luther Davis has been the Master Printer and Director of the Powerhouse Arts Print Program since 2016. Luther teaches printmaking at Parsons School of Design and The Cooper Union. He was the co-founder of Forth Estate, a fine art publisher focused on producing limited editions with emerging artists, and from 1999-2016 he was the Master Printer and Director of Axelle Editions, a fine art print atelier specializing in screen printing that produced over 300 editions a year with more than 100 artists.
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Please note seating is first-come, first-served. Plan to arrive early to secure your seat(s).
We provide live-captioning services at every conversation over the weekend.
More Programs
Put the Message in the Hands of the Peoples and Move On with Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. and Josh MacPhee
Small Hall
Apr 12, 2026 2:00 PM
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3:00 pm
Bringing together Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. and Josh MacPhee, their conversation will center print as a democratic force that is portable, accessible, and unapologetically political. From Kennedy’s bold, type-driven calls for justice to MacPhee’s collaborative social movement archives, the conversation challenges the myth of art’s neutrality and individual authorship. Drawing from Black printing traditions, social movements, and grassroots distribution, Kennedy and MacPhee explore how printed matter circulates beyond elite art systems and spaces. Together, prints are positioned not as an artifact, but as action, a tool to agitate, educate, and move people toward change.
I am negro! - Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is a letterpress printer and artist renowned for bold typography and socially engaged messages. After discovering letterpress printing in the late 1980s, he left a career as a systems analyst and earned an MFA in graphic design from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, and The Economist, and is held by institutions including the Library of Congress, MoMA, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Josh MacPhee is a founding member of the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative (Justseeds.org) and Interference Archive, a public collection of cultural materials produced by social movements (InterferenceArchive.org).
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Please note seating is first-come, first-served. Plan to arrive early to secure your seat(s).
We provide live-captioning services at every conversation over the weekend.
Hello, Print Friend & Platemark BYO Coffee Meet-Up
Lobby
Apr 10, 2026 10:00 AM
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11:00 am
Calling all print nerds! Start your Friday at the Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair with a caffeine boost and great conversation.
Join Ann Shafer (Platemark), Miranda Metcalf (Hello, Print Friend), and Reinaldo Gil Zambrano (Hello, Print Friend) for an informal BYO-coffee meetup at 10:00 am before the doors open at 11:00. It’s the perfect chance to talk shop about the printmaking ecosystem with fellow print people before heading into the fair!
From Workshop to Movement: Grabando Oaxaca (screening)
Small Hall
Apr 10, 2026 11:00 AM
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12:00 pm
Grabando Oaxaca
2024, 20 mins
This documentary takes viewers on a captivating exploration of Oaxaca, Mexico, a globally recognized hot spot for the art of printmaking.
The film delves into the region’s deep-rooted traditions, tracing the development of printmaking from its historical origins to its rise in global prominence and the key role of the APPO movement in this evolution. Through interviews with contemporary influential figures, we uncover how Oaxaca became a world-renowned epicenter for the art form.
The documentary showcases the current vibrant scene, highlighting the work of contemporary artists and their contributions to the evolving medium. As we journey through studios, galleries, archives, and collectives, the film reflects on the hopes and aspirations of artists for the future of printmaking in Oaxaca, emphasizing the importance of preserving its rich cultural heritage while embracing innovation. Through stunning visuals and personal stories, Grabando Oaxaca offers a comprehensive look at the past, present, and future of this celebrated artistic tradition.
Produced with support from The Institute for Electronic Arts at Alfred University, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, The Schein-Joseph Endowment, Gonzaga University, and Hello Print Friend Studios.
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Please note seating is first-come, first-served. Plan to arrive early to secure your seat(s).
