dwiggins design. Banner for W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design - Talk with designer and biographer Bruce Kennett

W.A. Dwiggins: A Life in Design - Talk with designer and biographer Bruce Kennett

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Lecture Arts and Culture Open to Faculty/Staff Open to Students Open to the Public

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

4:30 PM – 6 PM EDT (GMT-4)

Special Collections Learning Lab, Room 317, Third Floor, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library

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Details

An innovative and influential designer, William Addison Dwiggins (1880-1956) played a singular and influential role in early 20th century book design. Through the recent gift of the Bruce Kennett Collection of W. A. Dwiggins, Bowdoin's Special Collections & Archives' Fall 2026 exhibit explores the broad scope of Dwiggins creative life as a calligrapher, type designer, illustrator, writer, and printer (among his many other endeavors). The collection, assembled by Dwiggins’ biographer over the past half century, offers a dynamic understanding of one designer’s life through the eyes of another.

Join Bruce Kennett as he discusses the multifaceted life and career of W.A. Dwiggins, encompassing graphic design, theatrical sets, satire, marionettes, sculpture, printmaking, kites, and so much more.

Hosted By

George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives | Website | View More Events