Clean Pages and Good Typography: Celebrating Red Dragonfly Press

This exhibition of fine press work features books, chapbooks, and broadsides as Anderson Center celebrates the legacy of Red Dragonfly Press and the memory of Scott King. Fine press printing encompasses book arts of exceptional care and artistry, combining meaningful words and images, exceptional typography, and high-quality papers in hand-printed, limited edition works. Clean Pages and Good Typography is on view from February 21, 2026 – May 3, 2027. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Wednesday – Saturday.

Limited edition works from Red Dragonfly Press will be available for sale.

Related events

Saturday, March 7: Equipment and materials sale in the Granary, noon – 3 p.m.

Saturday, April 18: Exhibition Reception, 2 – 4 p.m.

About Red Dragonfly Press and Scott King

Red Dragonfly Press was founded in 1996 and operated out of the Granary building at the Anderson Center through 2016. It was and continues to be an independent non-profit with contributions from many, but Scott King was the heart and hands behind the work. Clean Pages and Good Typography contains the words of dozens of poets and other writers, and the contributions of printers who collaborated with or studied under Scott. King was, however, the visionary who brought everyone together and turned words into tangible, tactile items to share and savor.

Scott King (1965-2021) studied engineering but fell in love with poetry and the natural world. He approached printing with the precision of an engineer and the heart of an artist and became one of the most respected letterpress printers in Minnesota. As the founder and editor of Red Dragonfly Press, he provided an outlook for lost or overlooked poets. Scott’s own interests and values are reflected in what he chose to publish, with a focus on rural, environmental, and communal themes. Much of what he wrote or published is a mesmerizing interweave of science and the beauty of the natural world.

Letterpress printing inherently requires meticulousness; Scott took this to another level. Not content to just order pre-made lead type from catalogs, he learned how to cast his own lead type. Many of the works in this exhibit were printed in type made by Scott right here at the Anderson Center. The exhibition title Clean Pages and Good Typography comes from Scott’s own introduction to the book Perfect Dragonfly: A Commonplace Book of Poems Celebrating a Decade and a Half of Printing and Publishing. It’s a good description of the press’ style. The printmaking aesthetics of Red Dragonfly Press reflects its values. Like a short poem or a simple lifestyle on the prairie, the style is sometimes spare but its elegant simplicity leaves no room for doubt – every period and decorative flourish has been deeply considered and is in perfect balance.

Venue and Accessibility

Clean Pages and Good Typography is in Gallery Three. Anderson Center Galleries are FREE to the public (donations welcome). Gallery Three is on the first (main) floor of the main building and is at-grade. The floors are tile.

If you have questions about the accessibility of Anderson Center facilities or programs, please contact us! info@andersoncenter.org or 651-388-2009.

Our Sponsors

Free admission to the Anderson Center galleries is made possible in part through support from the Xcel Energy Foundation.