Printing Impact on Man

I curated the Printing Impact on Man exhibit, a survey of the development and societal impacts of printing technology. A unique collection of artifacts, printed specimens, and printing machine, the exhibit was first displayed from January through February 1978, in Washington, D.C. Its galleries occupied four floors of the George Washington University Gelman Library, two blocks from the White House.

First Lady Betty Ford toured the exhibit, and was so impressed that she arranged for it to travel to the Public Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the following year. The Grand Rapids community embraced it.

There was significant television and radio coverage, and praise by the city newspaper. School buses lined up to drop off students at the museum to learn printing. Local printing and paper companies produced an exhibit book and history of their companies.

Over 10,000 people toured both Printing Impact on Man Exhibitions to learn not only how printing technology works, but what its societal impacts are today and into the future.

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