In rural Wisconsin, a lone employee waits in a cavernous old museum for visitors to come. A few individuals straggle in every few days and then, come Friday, the museum fills with life. Machines hum, presses print, artists buzz about. One weekend each month, the quiet of Two Rivers is interrupted as carloads of artisans drive in from across the Midwest. The place comes alive as printmaking workshops led by, and filled with, some of the nation's top design talent descend on the sleepy enclave.
In a time when people can carry computers in their pockets and watch TV while walking down the street, Typeface dares to explore the twilight of an analog craft that is freshly inspiring artists in a digital age. The Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, WI personifies cultural preservation, rural re-birth and the lineage of American graphic design. At Hamilton, international artisans meet retired craftsmen and together navigate the convergence of modern design and traditional technique. But the Museum's days may be numbered. What is the responsibility of artists and historians to preserve a dying craft? How can rural towns survive in a shifting industrial marketplace where big-box retailers are king?
Color, in English
63 minutes
Typeface now available on iTunes!
July 23, 2010
Typeface is now available for pre-order on iTunes, before official release on July 27th. The film will also soon be available on Amazon VOD and Netflix. Please help us by adding the film to your queue, and don't forget to rate and review the film!
Please note that the Kartemquin Store is still the only place from which you can order the limited edition DVD featuring a poster designed by Bill Moran of Hamilton Wood Type Museum.
Here's a recent review of the film in advance of it's first screening in Yorkshire, England on July 29th in The Drum:
"Typeface, a production by Kartemquin Films, shows the reality of the digital age as it challenges master craftsmen in their environment. The film opens up a very real life portrayal of the effects, changes and fight for survival in an age of throw-away creativity.
From the onset, it shows a passion for creative skills, showcasing a place where international artists and retired craftsmen remain true to their heritage, but for how long and what can be lost? The historical and contemporary approaches in rural and urban America, combined with passion and logic makes for a fascinating film."
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