At this opening reception for the exhibit Free Poems and Functional Art: 50 Years of The Alternative Press, press founder Ken Mikolowski will give a talk about his work, followed by a Q&A and time to browse the exhibit and chat. Light refreshments will be provided.

In 1969, Ann and Ken Mikolowski set up a 1904 letterpress in their home and began The Alternative Press, an experimental press publishing work by artists and writers from Detroit's Cass Corridor, alongside key voices from the Beat and Black Mountain schools of poetry. Their unusual mailings included bookmarks, broadsides, bumper stickers, and postcards, including a unique project where artists were set loose with 500 blank postcards to turn into one-of-a-kind pieces. The exhibit presents work produced by the press, from early free poems to the final issue of the mailings, as well as correspondence and drafts that provide unique insight into the process of producing these artworks. All materials are from The Alternative Press Records held in the Special Collections Research Center.