History of Hullabaloo Press
UIndy’s Original Typesetter & Letterpress Printer
Rev. Mrs. Alva Button Roberts was the wife of J.T. Roberts, Indiana Central’s (UIndy’s) first President. While we don’t know a great deal about her, she is often remembered for living in Good Hall with her husband and their children while waiting for their house to be built in the University Heights neighborhood. During the early years of the University, she cooked for the students and shouldered the burdens and successes of this endeavor.
Design by Stephanie Carpenter from the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
Before becoming a teacher at the age of 17, Alva was a typesetter in a small print office outside of Chicago. While many institutions have longlasting legacies when it comes to their printmaking programs and printshops, Hullabaloo Press is just starting to establish what will hopefully be our lasting impact and legacy. This nugget of information about Alva Button Roberts connects our University’s earliest history with present goals: to engage students to be “above average in education, common sense, and pluck.”*
*An 1889 quote describing Alva Button in The Inter Ocean, a Chicago newspaper announcing her appointment as the first woman circuit rider of the United Brethren Church
Hullabaloo 2020
Hullabaloo 2020 was an invitational exhibition of contemporary letterpress printers & bookmakers looking at the continuing practice of letterpress, hosted at the University of Indianapolis Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center. The exhibit featured “New Impressions,” an international juried exhibition, letterpress prints with Indiana connections, and UIndy originals. A special reception allowed guests to see presses running, make their own prints, and hear a special guest lecture from the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum.
Hullabaloo 2016
A standing-room only crowd turned out at the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center for the opening reception of “Letterpress Hullabaloo,” a celebration of the history and modern expression of printmaking. The exhibition coincided with the relaunch of printmaking courses at the University of Indianapolis after a five-year hiatus.
