Letterpress Lab
The Davidson College Letterpress Lab is a space for student learning, faculty collaboration, intellectual expression, and aesthetic production.
As an experiential and interdisciplinary venture, the Lab seeks to introduce students to the historical context and contemporary applications of letterpress printing, especially as it intersects with the liberal arts curriculum.
By integrating physical production with academic inquiry and aesthetic exploration, the Letterpress Lab serves offers a space where students can practice creative problem-solving and intellectual and aesthetic expression using the printed medium.
Starting in the fall of 2027, the Letterpress Lab will be permanently located in the newly renovated George Lawrence Abernethy Library, providing a space where the Davidson community can experience hands-on, object-based learning.
Workshops, Classes and Opportunities for Students, Faculty & Staff
The lab hosts collaborative workshops and teaching modules across the college and curriculum, focusing on a range of activities from typesetting and broadside and poster printing to ‘zine, chapbook, and artist’s book production, papermaking, and historical and scientific explorations of book-history and book-arts. Work study and independent study opportunities are available by request.
History
The Letterpress Lab was established by Professor Andrew Rippeon, when he brought with him to Davidson two Vandercook Proof Presses and a small collection of wood and metal type.
Recent acquisitions, including a modest type collection from Charlotte-based printshop Crayton-Heritage, a large Washington-style cast iron handpress (dating to 1860), and a Peerless Gem large-format guillotine papercutter have expanded the type library, extended the historical depth of the lab, and enlarged production capabilities.
Dr. Rippeon continues to seek equipment relevant to the activities of the Letterpress Lab, and welcomes inquiries about equipment or other donations.
Visiting artist Aaron Cohick gives a demonstration
Works Produced
The lab produces works for significant campus events and visitors, houses the director's personal research and creative imprint, and provides a creative platform for student scholarship and capstone projects.
