| Title | Unbound |
| Artist / Creator | Jessica Peterson |
| Press Name | Paper Souvenir |
| Artist's Nationality | United States |
| Place of Publication | Northport, AL |
| Publication Date | 2014 |
| Contributors | Jessica Peterson, Kerri Cushman, Short Twig Press |
| Process / Technique | Letterpress-printed with photopolymer plates |
| Structure / Binding | Double-sided accordion |
| Paper Stock | Handmade paper, cotton and abaca |
| Number of Pages | 16 pages |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 5.5 x 8 x .5 inches. Extends out to 70 inches |
| Edition Size | Edition of 100 |
| Signed & Numbered | Yes |
Unbound recounts the little known, but unprecedented, civil rights history of Prince Edward County, Virginia. In 1959, rather than integrate as mandated by the US Supreme Court, Prince Edward County closed the public school system, leaving 4,000 children with no access to public education. The schools stayed closed for four years, until the Kennedy Administration opened a federally sponsored school system in 1963. Unbound tells the story of these events with timelines, archival evidence and collected narratives from the veterans of the closings. Gold stars flow through each page, one star for each person whose life was permanently altered by the school closings. This book was produced in collaboration with Short Twig Press, Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia.
Artist Bio
Short Twig Press is the fine book press at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, started by Kerri Cushman, associate professor of art in the book arts/printmaking concentration. The press invites book artists to submit project proposals that address American history and culture, specifically related to Virginia. Unbound is a project proposed by Jessica Peterson, a letterpress printer and maker of artists' books under the imprint Paper Souvenir. She operates The Southern Letterpress in Northport, Alabama and is an instructor of book arts and letterpress at The University of Alabama. Her artists' books which deal with American narratives, are collected in private and public libraries around the country.