Empty Words and Images: a play-based, collaborative Risograph workshop will consist of participants working together to create expressive text-and-image pairings that will translate to dynamic two-color Riso prints. Through writing, drawing, collaging, and printing, participants will pair ambiguous phrases with ambiguous images that invite the viewer to form associations and interpretations, prompting such questions as: can ambiguity be expressive and carry meaning? Can expression be ambiguous? Are words and images ever really empty?
Adam Swift Lucas (b. 1983) is a graphic designer, publisher, and educator living and working in Kansas City, Missouri. Currently, he runs Specific Ideas (specificideas.com), a multidisciplinary creative practice that is one part graphic design studio, one part independent publishing house. Specific Ideas aims to operate at the intersection(s) of graphic design and publishing, creating new structures for ideas to amplify voices, especially those that are less heard. Adam is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Kansas City Art Institute and one-half of NEW NEW NEW an exploratory, project-based design initiative with his partner, Rachel Ferber. He’s taught classes, ran workshops, and given talks at Maryland Institute College of Art; Rhode Island School of Design (RISD); Pratt Institute; School of Visual Arts; Kenyon College; and AIGA with the One Designer, One Work series, among others. Adam holds an MFA from RISD and a BA from Kenyon College.