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CHARACTERS: Type in Action

Typography has long been a powerful force in the fight for freedom.

From Martin Luther King Jr. to Eva Perón, Stacey Abrams to Harriet Tubman, CHARACTERS: Type in Action delves into the impact of typography on social justice, examining its history and its role in today’s movements. This exhibition showcases typefaces created by Tré Seals, a Black designer from Washington, D.C., and founder of Vocal Type, whose work captures the spirit of these movements. These typefaces remind us that a just and equitable world embraces diverse voices in our daily lives.

Through the stories of these historical figures, CHARACTERS: Type in Action reveals how typography can be wielded as a tool for both oppression and liberation, encouraging us to consider our own role in the ongoing struggle for justice.

Among those whose fight for liberation as examined in this exhibition are:

September 19 – January 20

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Harriet Tubman
Ruby Bridges
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jimi Hendrix
Colin Kaepernick

W.E.B. Du Bois
Bayard Rustin
Marsha P. Johnson
Spike Lee
Tatsuro Matsuda

Eva Perón
Carrie Chapman Catt
Spike Lee
The Garibaldi Brigades

A Vocal Type Exhibition Created in Collaboration with Civilization

Tré Seals, Co-Creator

Seals is the founder of the diversity-driven type foundry known as Vocal Type. Inspired by the lack of diversity in the graphic design industry, each typeface Tré designs highlights a piece of history from a different underrepresented race, ethnicity, or gender—from the Women’s Suffrage Movement in Argentina to the Civil Rights Movement in America and beyond. Outside of Vocal Type, Seals is also an independent design practitioner, focusing on brand identity, editorial, and product design.

Seals has been named an Ascender by the Type Directors Club, a Young Gun by the One Club for Creativity, a Black Design Visionary by Instagram and the Brooklyn Museum, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Lister.

Civilization, Co-Creator

Civilization is a design studio that draws from design history and activism with the goal of producing creative work that is meaningful, delightful, and distinct. Their work engages with communities, builds platforms, broadens access to art and education, and challenges systems of oppression. As a small business with a team of seven, the majority of whom identify as LGBTQ+, they specialize in building identity systems, campaigns, web design and development, exhibition curation and design, and experiential design. Over the last two decades, they’ve been honored with multiple awards, including the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Award for Communication Design, two Webby Awards in the Best Activist and Education categories, and three Anthem Awards for Community Engagement, Human Rights, and Global Awareness.

Kaleena Sales, Writer

Kaleena Sales is an educator, writer, and illustrator. As an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Chair of the Department of Art and Design at Tennessee State University, an HBCU in Nashville, TN her research and writing are rooted in racial justice and equity, with a specific focus on the ways culture informs aesthetics. Kaleena is the author of Centered: People and Ideas Diversifying Design and co-author of the book, Extra-Bold: A Feminist, Inclusive, Anti-Racist, Non-Binary Field Guild for Graphic Designers. Through her service on AIGA’s Design Educators Community Steering Committee, Kaleena advocated for a more inclusive view of design history through her Beyond the Bauhaus writing series. She is currently researching the intersection of Black culture and design as a doctoral student at North Carolina State University.