The activity allows guests to ink wooden type, place handmade paper, and press their creation through a machine similar to those used in 1776. "What we're doing this summer at the Museum of the American Revolution is doing a print demo using modern tools that are close to what they used in 1776," said Jessica Peterson, director of the Common Press at the University of Pennsylvania.
Peterson said participants are encouraged to respond to the prompt, "We hold these truths to be self-evident," by choosing one or two words that reflect their own truths. "We don't have a lot of room, so people can just pick one or two words to use that are self-evident truth," she said. Some responses are serious, while others lean playful - including nods to the Eagles.
The experience also highlights the history of papermaking. "We're also printing on handmade paper, which is another tie to 1776... All paper was handmade and most of it was imported from England," a staff member said. "So during the Revolutionary War, people in the United States had to learn to make their own paper because it was the only way to get paper was to make it by hand."
The program is part of "Declaration Days," a limited-time offering launching next month to mark the semiquincentennial. Rebecca Franco, family programs manager at the museum, said the opportunity is significant. "I think that's really important to have this experience because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said. She added that partners from the Common Press will alternate between printmaking and papermaking demonstrations, which she described as "really fascinating."
Peterson said the hands-on nature of the activity resonates with visitors. "I think even if you're not like into American history or the Declaration of Independence, this is a process that really activates people in many different ways... It's using your hands to make something which engages your brain in a different way," she said. "A lot of people find it really meditative over the long period of time."
The Common Press printmaking workshop and papermaking demonstration will take place in the museum's Rotunda from June 2-4.