UK Libraries’ King Library Press is excited to welcome artist and craftsman Dard Hunter III for the 10th Hammer International Book Arts Biennale.
On Friday, November 1, Hunter will offer a free public lecture in the Great Hall of the Special Collections Research Center. The lecture, “The Typography of Dard Hunter – from Magician to Mountain House,” will discuss the life and legacy of his grandfather, Dard Hunter, whose devotion to type design, papermaking, and printing made him a key figure in the American Arts & Crafts Movement.
A reception, beginning at 6:30 pm, will precede the lecture. Lecture RSVPs are appreciated.
On Saturday, November 2, Hunter and the Press will host a hands-on workshop utilizing type and designs from the Mountain House collection. Workshop participants will produce a portfolio of keepsakes printed on a variety of our presses.
The cost to attend the workshop is $45 per person ($25 for students). Workshop space is limited and requires reservation. To register for the workshop, please fill out the Workshop RSVP form or call (859) 257-1742. Doors open at 8:30 am.
Held every two years, the Hammer International Book Arts Biennale honors Carolyn and Victor Hammer and their legacy to fine printing by inviting distinguished scholars and book artists to lecture on printing, typography, illustration, bookbinding, graphic design, and other aspects of the book arts.
Together with other annual seminars and workshops, the Press has brought some of the most distinguished printers, type designers, typographers, and book artists from around the world to UK, providing UK students, faculty, staff, and the wider Lexington community an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with noted experts in the field.
Recent Biennale speakers have included Richard Kegler, Jerry Kelly, and Peter Fallon.
Victor Hammer, a Viennese artist, sculptor, printer, type crafter, and architect, emigrated to the United States in 1939. After moving to Lexington in 1948, he began teaching at Transylvania University. He married Carolyn Reading Hammer, a librarian at UK, who founded the King Library Press in 1956. Victor Hammer was one of the few great 20th-century practitioners of hand-cutting type. He developed several notable typefaces, including his most well-known type, the American Uncial.
The Hammer Biennale is made possible by an endowment established through the King Library Press. Gifts to the King Library Press Fund are most welcome.
