Precious about Print

Organized in response to our enduring curiosity around the roots and resonances of our attachment to print media, its capacity to reshape imaginaries and material realities alike, and our anxiety around ongoing attempts to jeopardize our access to the physical written word (see: book bans, the defunding of libraries…), we invite you to join on July 6, 2024 for Precious About Print: a two-part program organized by Camille Bacon and Daria Harper (Jupiter) in collaboration with Detroit-based print loyalists Asmaa Walton (Black Art Library), Aleiya Olu (Periodicals), and Aa Print & Publishing (André Moore).

Rooted in Audre Lorde’s provocation: “we have to consciously study how to be tender with each other until it becomes a habit,” Precious About Print seeks to illuminate, revere and contextualize the enmeshment between engaging with print media (ex. books, zines, newspapers, pamphlets and magazines) and the habituation of tenderness.

We will begin on the East Side at The Shepherd, where a selection of texts culled from Black Art Library’s collection are housed. Asmaa will guide us on a retelling of the library’s origin story, her curatorial ethos and her “interest in preserving history by preserving art publications,” after which we’ll spend time with the texts on-site which “detail many art styles as well as movements, how-to books on art techniques, books on architecture, art magazines, and so much more” and “relate to artists that are from Michigan or are connected in some way.”

Following the tour, we will convene at the Charles McGee Legacy Park (located at The Shepherd as well) where Camille, Daria, Asmaa, Aleiya, and André will muse about the entanglement between spending time with print media and the enactment of tenderness, the history and contemporary state of Black publishing in the Midwest, and their own personal affinities for touching that which they are learning with, from and alongside. This portion of the program is BYOB (bring your own blanket) as we will be seated on the lawn amongst sculptures. Accessible seating will be accessible as well.

In the evening, we will gather on the West Side at Periodicals “where guests can explore a curated selection of independent print media from the personal collections of Jupiter Magazine, Aleiya, Asmaa, and André. Designed as a public gathering space, this reading room is dedicated to archival media that has helped shape this exciting moment in print.” To close the loop, we welcome guests to stay and dance to sets by Kesswa, Sabeyte, and Zoe Talley.

Camille Bacon is a Chicago-based writer and the co-Editor in Chief of Jupiter Magazine. She is cultivating a "sweet Black writing life" as informed by the words of poet Nikky Finney and the infinite wisdom of the Black feminist tradition more broadly.

Daria Simone Harper is a Brooklyn-based art writer and the co-Editor in Chief of Jupiter Magazine. She is a former Assistant Editor of Digital Content at David Zwirner in New York. Her work has been featured in publications including Burnaway Magazine, Cultured Magazine, ESSENCE, Hyperallergic, i-D, and W Magazine, among others.

Asmaa Walton is a Detroit native, arts educator, and ardent developer of the Black cultural archive. Walton completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Michigan State University in and a Master of Arts in Art Politics from New York University. Walton spent time working at the Toledo Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum. Walton began Black Art Library in February of 2020 while working at the Saint Louis Art Museum with just 7 books; now the collection holds almost 700 books.

Aleiya Lindsey Olu is a Detroit-based designer and creative strategist. She is a partner at Olu & Company, a strategic marketing and business consultancy at the intersection of art, design, and social impact. Additionally, she co-founded Detroit Art Week, a five-day festival celebrating contemporary art in Detroit. Moreover, she is the founder of Periodicals, a magazine store and concept shop, as well as From Us To You, a design consultancy and furniture studio with influences from American design.

In 2022, Lindsey Olu debuted the Lyndon Chair at New York Art Week, gaining recognition from prestigious publications such as Azure, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and Luxe Interiors. A year later, she presented the Lyndon Table at the Walker Art Museum's Idea House 3, a global design store, recently covered in The New York Times.

As part of her design practice, Lindsey Olu transformed a former jewelry manufacturing studio into Periodicals, a unique magazine and concept shop located on Grand River in Detroit. Opened in August 2023, Periodicals offers a curated selection of body care products, candles and ingestibles alongside print media, creating a tactile and immersive experience for customers. The shop has quickly become a beloved hub for print-loving creatives.

André Moore is an artist and photographer currently working out of Detroit, MI. His work explores and chronicles the expressions of texture and contrast and the space between the two, leaning into feeling and natural rhythmic expression. Moore’s work has been commissioned by artists, publications and art galleries as well as appearing in a number of exhibitions. He is also the founder of Aa Print and Publishing.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Shepherd / Periodicals, Detroit, United States