Frank Brannon
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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 de ...
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 research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
. Brannon previously studied Atmospheric Sciences (incomplete doctoral studies, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 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 ...
, 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 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 in the Southeast United States from 1825 until their forced removal in the late 1830s. New Echota is located in present-day Gordon County, in northwest Georgia, 3.68 miles north of Calhoun. I ...
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 ...
type at
New Echota New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation in the Southeast United States from 1825 until their forced removal in the late 1830s. New Echota is located in present-day Gordon County, in northwest Georgia, 3.68 miles north of Calhoun. I ...
. 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

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. 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 ...
. 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.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 ...
) was developed by Sequoyah 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