Inauguration invitations made by hand

by Jess Boyd web editor

Warren Casey, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said he wanted the college to participate and have a presence during the inauguration. Casey asked each of the departments to brainstorm ways they could be involved and Daniel Adams, professor of art, and Stacy Gibson, associate professor of art, decided they would create the invitations. Gibson designed the invitations and Adams was in charge of the printing and production.

With help from Tom Buterbaugh, who is chair of the communications committee for the presidential inauguration and assistant director of public relations, Gibson and Adams began brainstorming design ideas last spring. They loved the quality and classic feel of letterpress, Gibson said, and with that in mind, they began the design process.

“It was hard for us to think ‘what symbol would we put on the invitation?’” Gibson said. “We made a list of all the iconic imagery of Harding and I came across the seal and thought it was very classic and ties in with the university and

Drawing a crowd

by Matt Ryan features editor

with our mission.”

Adams said he could transfer the image as a silk screen, which would allow Gibson to lay type over it. Typography gives off a personality and a mood, which Gibson said she took into consideration when searching for the perfect fonts.

“I knew that the printing process is so beautiful that the layout of it was just to enhance that process,” Gibson said. “Because of the history of letterpress and its classic feeling, there is no imagery on the invitation. We love that when you touch the paper you can feel the printing and the letters.”

Once Gibson finished the design, it was up to Adams to turn it into a finished product. First, Adams burned the image of the seal onto a silk screen and then screened it onto the matte black paper with a glossy ink. After the ink dried, he was ready to begin the letterpress process.

The foot-pedaled press used was built in 1937 and until about 10 years ago, Adams said it was the primary press used by Harding Press. Adams printed 4,000 invitations, which is the largest letterpress project he has worked on, taking two days.

Guests from Harding and from across the nation will fill the Benson Auditorium today at 2 p.m. for Bruce McLarty’s presidential inauguration. A wide variety of guests plan to attend the event, including students, members of the community and representatives from other universities and professional organizations with ties to Harding.

People like Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, journalist Gwen Moritz and University of Arkansas at Little Rock chancellor Joel Anderson are several of the distinguished guests who will be in attendance.

As a representative of UALR, Anderson said he plans to bring greetings from and speak on behalf of other institutions of higher education in Arkansas.

“I will express the high regard we have for Harding University,” Anderson said. “On behalf of the other presidents and chancellors, I will offer President McLarty our best wishes and will state that we are looking forward to working with him in the years ahead.”

Anderson, who graduated from and briefly taught at Harding, said he believes McLarty will contribute to a strong legacy of quality presidents at Harding.

“Dr. McLarty comes from Harding and knows it well,” Anderson said. “All of his predecessors made marvelous contributions to its development, and he will do the same during his tenure as president.”

Dr. Howard Shank, president of Ohio Valley University, will attend as a representative of other Christian higher education institutions. Shank said he believes McLarty is the right man for the job and wishes McLarty the best.

Despite expanding technologies, letterpress printing is making a comeback in certain niche markets, especially for wedding invitation printing, Adams said.

“One of the reasons letterpress has come back is our ability to still work on the computer and send files and have those files created in a letterpress form,” Adams said. “I work with computers all the time so working with the press is a balancing act; when I work with the presses, everything slows down, which is not a bad thing.”

Gibson and Adams showcased the printing process used at the “Night with the Humanities” event last night.

Additionally, Gibson and Adams have a letterpress show that will be up through October titled “Inked & Pressed.” The inaugural invitation and photopolymer plate will be on display.

“I know Bruce and his family from my time in Memphis,” Shank said. “Christian colleges do well to have people trained in Bible and ministry in leadership.”

Moritz, a Harding graduate who now serves as editor-in-chief of Arkansas Business News, will speak as a representative of Harding’s ties with the business and professional world beyond higher education.

“I’m really representing myself as a Harding graduate and my employer, and only by extension representing the business community that both Arkansas Business and Harding serve in our own ways,” Moritz said. “I have only met (McLarty) once and was favorably impressed. I am in contact with several old friends who are on the Harding staff, and they seem enthusiastic about his selection, which means a lot to me.”

Moritz said although more of Harding’s students tend to leave the state upon graduation than those of state schools, Harding has a significant role in Arkansas and in the lives of students as they move into their careers.

“Harding’s place in the state is different than, say, the University of Arkansas or Arkansas State University,” Moritz said. “But there are certain industries — accounting and the health professions spring to mind — that have come to rely on Harding to produce the highly skilled manpower they need. I expect this basic relationship will remain the same, although Harding’s educational programs will undoubtedly evolve as the needs of the workplace evolve.”

Others who will attend today’s ceremony include Mayor David Morris, representing the Searcy community, and Dr. Howard Wright, representing distinguished alumni.

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