The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 15, 2026

A vertically oriented letterpress print on coarse brown paper features five horizontal bands of muted blue, pink, and white with frayed, hand-inked edges. Centered, heavy black block letters stack into the evocative phrase, "Transness is holy and I present myself at its altar." The ink application is grainy and porous, revealing the paper's tooth beneath. Below, the name "Cleopatria Peterson" sits in smaller type. The composition evokes a weathered, hand-pressed sacred banner.

Printing the Truth (How Trans is You?)

2024

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

(American, b. 1948)
America
letterpress poster
Image: 22.9 x 30.5 cm (9 x 12 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2024.84.10
© Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This series is one of several works in which Amos Kennedy Jr. has addressed the issue of trans rights, which he sees as being “about humanity.”

Description

Amos Kennedy Jr. is an American printmaker who is well-known for using letterpress technique to explore issues related to race and social justice. He works from his own print shop in Detroit, where he also teaches letterpress. This series presents phrases solicited from community members that address trans rights printed on the colors of the trans flag. The prints were produced for an installation at ATNSC, an interdisciplinary residency and cultural space for BIPOC artists in Cleveland.
  • {{cite web|title=Printing the Truth (How Trans is You?)|url=false|author=Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.|year=2024|access-date=15 July 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2024.84.10