Frank Brannon (born 1965) is a book and paper artist, and the proprietor of Speakeasy Press.
Background
John F. Brannon, Jr. (Frank), a native of Tennessee, was born in
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census.
It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist desti ...
in 1965. He is a graduate of the M.F.A. in the Book Arts Program at the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
. Brannon previously studied
Atmospheric Sciences
Atmospheric science is the study of the Earth's atmosphere and its various inner-working physical processes. Meteorology includes atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics with a major focus on weather forecasting. Climatology is the study of ...
(incomplete doctoral studies,
State University of New York at Stony Brook
Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public research university in Stony Brook, New York. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is one of the State University of New York system's ...
, 1991–1994) and
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
(M.S., 1991 and B.S.,
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...
, 1987) at the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
. Brannon has been a member of the
Southern Highland Craft Guild
Southern Highland Craft Guild is a guild craft organization that has partnered with the National Park Service for over seventy years. The Guild represents over 800 craftspeople in 293 counties of 9 southeastern states. It operates four retail craft ...
since 2013.
The limited edition, letterpress books that Brannon produces are held in several special collections libraries in the United States and England, as well as with private collectors. His 2005 letterpress monograph focuses upon research into the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper of northern Georgia, 1828–1834. Brannon continues research on the origins of this historical newspaper as well as an exploration of the character-forms of the original Sequoyan syllabary.
Awards
Brannon became the first recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council's Mary B. Reagan Artist Residency Grant in 2014 to continue his work with the revitalization of Cherokee Language printing.
Brannon was selected as the artist in residency at Ashantilly Center for 2015. William G Haynes, founder of the Ashantilly Center and an artists and printer, helped the Georgia Department of Natural Resources set up the reconstructed print shop at
New Echota
New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Cherokee Nation in the Southeast United States from 1825 until their Cherokee removal, forced removal in the late 1830s. New Echota is located in present-day Gordon County, Georgi ...
in 1978.
In 2016, Brannon received Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Residential Fellowships, for 2016–2017, to document the history of Cherokee Language printing.
Work
Brannon is primarily a book and paper artist, and has created several hand-bound, hand-printed editions. His work includes a focus on exploring the book form, experimental paper-making, and the Cherokee syllabary (including printing in the language). Brannon also engages in other art forms, as well as collaborating with other artists in a variety of capacities. He has participated in creating site-specific installations as well as costumes that Incorporated handmade paper.
In October 2013, Brannon collaborated with artist Jeff Marley to print using
Cherokee syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah in the late 1810s and early 1820s to write the Cherokee language. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy as he was illiterate until the creation of his syllabary. He f ...
type at
New Echota
New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Cherokee Nation in the Southeast United States from 1825 until their Cherokee removal, forced removal in the late 1830s. New Echota is located in present-day Gordon County, Georgi ...
. This marked the first time in 178 years that monotype was used to print in the Cherokee language at New Echota. Brannon has also worked with choreographer Amy Dowling and costumer Susan Brown-Strauss to create hand made paper costumes used in the performance art piece, ''Absolute Relativity'' at ''happening'' in 2014.
Academic work
![Cherokee Type - 36 pt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Cherokee_Type_-_36_pt.jpg)
In addition to offering instruction in his own studio, Brannon has served as an adjunct instructor at several institutions including
Southwestern Community College and
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University (WCU) is a public university in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
The fifth oldest institution of the sixteen four-year universities in the UNC system, WCU was founded ...
. Brannon also teaches letterpress, book binding, and paper-making workshops at regional art centers, including Asheville Bookworks,
Penland School of Crafts
The Penland School of Craft ("Penland" and formerly "Penland School of Crafts") is an Arts and Crafts educational center located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, about 50 miles from Asheville.
History
The school was ...
, and
John C. Campbell Folk School
The John C. Campbell Folk School, also referred to as "The Folk School", is located in Brasstown, North Carolina, along the Cherokee County and Clay line. It is a non-profit adult educational organization based on non-competitive learning. Origin ...
. He has presented papers and lectures on the subject of Cherokee language printing at a number of conferences and venues.
Cherokee syllabary printing type
Brannon's work with the Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts (later Southwestern Community College) resulted in revitalizing letterpress printing in
Cherokee syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah in the late 1810s and early 1820s to write the Cherokee language. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy as he was illiterate until the creation of his syllabary. He f ...
. The project began in late 2009 and culminated in 2014 with the arrival of the final set of 36 point type. This work has helped facilitate the production of limited edition, one-of-a-kind books and prints in the
Cherokee language
200px, Number of speakers
Cherokee or Tsalagi ( chr, ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ, ) is an endangered-to-moribund Iroquoian language and the native language of the Cherokee people. ''Ethnologue'' states that there were 1,520 Cherokee speaker ...
.
[New Letterpress arrives at OICA]
, ''Cherokee One Feather'' (retrieved 4 June 2014)
The Cherokee language in a written form (known as the
Cherokee syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah in the late 1810s and early 1820s to write the Cherokee language. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy as he was illiterate until the creation of his syllabary. He f ...
) was developed by
Sequoyah
Sequoyah (Cherokee language, Cherokee: ᏍᏏᏉᏯ, ''Ssiquoya'', or ᏎᏉᏯ, ''Se-quo-ya''; 1770 – August 1843), also known as George Gist or George Guess, was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American polymath of the Ch ...
in the early 19th century. This resulted in the Cherokee quickly becoming literate in their own language and then printing the first newspaper in an indigenous language, the
Cherokee Phoenix
The ''Cherokee Phoenix'' ( chr, ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ, translit=Tsalagi Tsulehisanvhi) is the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the United States and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was pu ...
, in 1828. In the events leading up the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the "Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...
, the printing press was seized by the Georgia Guard and the type disappeared. The revitalization of Cherokee syllabary printing type marks the first time in 175 years that the Cherokee language was available for use in letterpress printing in the eastern United States.
[
]
Books
Cherokee Phoenix: Advent of a Newspaper
The Print Shop of the Cherokee Nation 1828-1834, with a Chronology;
4 x 6.5 inches, 105 pages, 2005. Edition of 74.
Hand-bound, letterpress printed on handmade cotton paper using 11-point Garamond types, including muslin spine with handmade paper covered boards. Brannon modeled the binding style after three circa 1830 books. The regular edition includes full size reproductions of the hand impressions of excavated New Echota type. Six deluxe copies of the edition, specially bound in red quarter-leather, contained hand impressions of type found at New Echota. Both version contains Notes, Chronology, and Bibliography.
Cathleen A. Baker's The Paste Papers of Louise Lawrence Foster
9.125x.25x6.0 inches, 54 pages, 2011. Edition of 82.
Limited edition letterpress sample book presenting and describing 14 examples of the paste papers of artist L.L. Foster. Printed on handmade cotton paper with quarter-cloth and paste paper covers.Paste Papers of Louise Lawrence Foster
''WorldCat'' (retrieved 9 June 2014) 10 deluxe copies of the edition feature a quarter leather spine.
References
Further reading
Talk set on Cherokee language press- ''Western Carolina University''
* Brannon, Frank. "Metal Type from the Print Shop of the Historical Cherokee Phoenix Newspaper." PAPERS OF THE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 103.3 (2009): 319-335.
* Brannon, Frank. Cherokee Phoenix, Advent of a Newspaper: The Print Shop of the Cherokee Nation 1828-1834, with a Chronology. SpeakEasy Press, 2005.
''Asheville.com''(retrieved 25 March 2015)
*
''Huffington Post'' (retrieved 28 July 2014)
External links
www.speakeasypress.comAsheville Bookworks - Frank BrannonThe Pollination Project - Frank BrannonSouthern Highland Craft Guild - Frank Brannon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brannon, Frank
University of Alabama alumni
1965 births
Living people
Book artists
American printmakers