The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, located near Vonore, Tenn., will host a free lecture on Sunday, March 11 from 2-3:30.
Lecturer Frank Brannon will talk about the Cherokee printing history which began in the early nineteenth century with publication of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper in 1828 in what is today northern Georgia. Sequoyah, having completed development of the Cherokee writing system only seven years before the beginning of the bilingual newspaper, provided the foundation for this first Native American newspaper and a heritage of Cherokee printing. Considering this history and Sequoyah’s writing system, letterpress printing seemed a good fit for a new fine arts program offered through Southwestern Community College in Western North Carolina. Classes in printmaking began in autumn 2010 and include printing in the Cherokee language. This talk will give details of Cherokee printing history and the Phoenix, and describe production of the Cherokee metal printing type for use in today’s studio.
The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is located just off Highway 411 on Highway 360 in Vonore. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Info: Sequoyah Birthplace Museum at 423-884-6246 or visit the Web site, www.sequoyahmuseum.org
– Sequoyah Birthplace Museum
