CLARKSVILLE, TN – As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, discussions about citizenship, community, and civic responsibility are taking place across the country.
At Austin Peay State University, two departments are contributing to that conversation through an unlikely medium: a hand-printed letterpress broadside inspired by the idea that meaningful change begins close to home.
The Department of Sociology and Community Development recently partnered with the Department of Art + Design to create a limited-edition print bearing a simple message: Strong communities create strong towns create strong states create strong nations.
Only 200 prints were produced, and those interested can request one here. The sociology department plans to distribute them to community partners, educators, local leaders, and residents throughout the region as a reflection of the department’s mission and a reminder that strong societies are built from the ground up.
Dr. Misty Ring-Ramirez, chair of the Department of Sociology and Community Development, said the project was inspired by a belief that people often underestimate the power of local action.
“I think a lot of times when people think about social change, they think about a law changing or a major court ruling that changes how we think about and act around a social issue,” she said. “But we know as sociologists, especially from studying social movements and collective behavior, that’s a pretty rare outcome and also tends to lag pretty far behind where people actually feel about things.”
Instead, Ring-Ramirez said, meaningful change often begins in neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and community organizations.
“We don’t have control day to day over what laws are or what policies are, but we do have control over how we raise our kids, how we treat our neighbors, and how we show up for our communities,” she said. “Those changes, when a lot of people make them, have the power to affect larger social change in aggregate.”
The project also highlights the university’s relationship with community organizations that help prepare APSU students for careers in service, leadership, and public engagement.
“We depend a lot on our community partners to help train our students through internships and service-learning opportunities,” Ring-Ramirez said. “It’s nice to have something tangible that we can give our partners as a reminder and token of gratitude for working with us and partnering with us.”
For Patrick Vincent, professor of printmaking in the Department of Art + Design and the director of Goldsmith Press, the medium itself carries an important message.
“Printmaking, not just letterpress, is a very community-oriented practice,” he said. “Different than if you’re a painter or drawer, which is a very solitary practice, printmaking exists in this collaborative space. A lot of the history of print has been about social messaging.”
The project also carries an unexpected connection to the nation’s founding. Vincent noted that the Declaration of Independence was originally distributed as a letterpress broadside, the same printing tradition used to create the APSU edition.
“They would set type, print it, and put it in a square somewhere for people to read,” he said. “A lot of people talk about the printing press as being a way of developing our national identity because we had our own way of communicating.”
For Ring-Ramirez, the project ultimately reflects both the mission of her department and the broader purpose of public higher education.
“This felt like a good time to share, through something visual and through words, a reminder that we’re all here to help build stronger communities. Because that is what makes a stronger Tennessee and a stronger country.”