department of art – apsu

The Goldsmith Press & Rare Type Collection is featured in an exhibition at the Nashville Public Library, The Goldsmith Press and Rare Type Collection at Austin Peay State University has a number of public art projects printed in the last 12 years on display at the main downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library. The show, titled “Telling the Story: Letterpress and Community,” features posters, quilts, limited edition prints, books and three-dimensional printed environments that tell stories about the Clarksville community. The exhibition, free and open to the public, is available for viewing daily until Sept. 27 at the Nashville Public Library, located at 615 Church St. APSU’s press is sharing the Nashville Public Library’s main exhibition space with Middle Tennessee State University’s Franklin Printing Press.

The Goldsmith Press is a unique letterpress facility that includes thousands of hand-carved wood letters, typesetting materials and antique printing presses. The wood type was originally created for a New England advertising company, Metropolitan Showprint (est.1890). APSU purchased the collection in 1997.The letterpress and type collection were named in honor of Arthur Goldsmith – an advocate for public literacy, a lover of books and a long-term supporter of the arts in middle Tennessee. The Goldsmith Press, which has been awarded 11 regional and federal grants, has proven to be a valued teaching tool and a coveted studio for artists, designers and writers.