Black, Queer, and Untold: A New Archive of Designers, Artists, and Trailblazers - Hardcover

by Jon Key (Author)

Uncover oft-forgotten figures in Black and Queer art history in this treasure trove of nearly 400 full-color images from the 19th century to the present 

"This wildly impressive feat of research outlines a Black, queer history of art and design, dating all the way back to the 19th century. The book also represents author and graphic designer Jon Key's effort to situate himself in the history of American visual culture, from which Black queer contributions have too often been erased." -- them.

Design history has often been presented through a narrow lens, leaving many Black and queer creators outside the story. In Black, Queer, and Untold, acclaimed designer and artist Jon Key builds a more expansive archive—one that recognizes the artists, activists, publishers, and cultural innovators whose work helped shape visual culture.

Spanning the nineteenth century through the present, the book moves from abolitionist newspapers and Harlem Renaissance publications to independent zines created during the AIDS-activism movement. Across six chronologically arranged sections, Key examines how design became a tool for expression, resistance, visibility, and community building.

Oral histories, personal narratives, album covers, posters, archival letters, newspaper clippings, academic essays, and other cultural objects reveal stories too often excluded from the traditional creative-arts canon. Together, they form a richly layered record of people whose influence deserves to be seen, studied, and remembered.

KEY FEATURES

• Written by designer and artist Jon Key

• Explores Black and queer contributions to design history

• Covers the nineteenth century through the present

• Organized chronologically across six sections

• Includes abolitionist newspapers and Harlem Renaissance publications

• Examines zines associated with AIDS activism

• Features album covers, posters, letters, and newspaper clippings

• Draws from oral histories and personal narratives

• Connects visual design with activism and cultural identity

• Hardcover edition

THEMES

• Black and queer creative history

• Representation within the design canon

• Art as resistance and community building

• Publishing and independent media

• Harlem Renaissance visual culture

• AIDS activism and zine culture

• Archival recovery and preservation

• Identity, visibility, and cultural memory

PLEASE NOTE

• This book discusses racism, homophobia, exclusion, the AIDS crisis, and other subjects connected to discrimination and social injustice.

• Historical terminology and archival material may reflect the language and attitudes of their original periods.

• Interpretations and selections reflect the author’s research and curatorial perspective.

• Cover artwork, dimensions, and publisher markings may vary according to the available edition.

• Review the product images and edition information before ordering.

WHY YOU’LL WANT TO READ IT

More than a design survey, Black, Queer, and Untold is an act of cultural restoration. Jon Key brings overlooked creators into full view, revealing a visual legacy shaped by imagination, resistance, and the refusal to disappear.

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PRODUCT TYPE

Art, Design, and Cultural History Hardcover Books

 

P R A I S E

Winner: PubWest Diverse Voices Design Award

A CultureType Best Black Art Book of 2024

★ "Artist, designer, and writer Key provides a glimpse of the people and objects whose contributions to the graphic arts intersect their queerness and Blackness... A thoughtful culmination of research, written with emotional intensity. A necessary purchase."
-- Library Journal (starred)

Author Biography

Jon(athan) Key is an artist, designer, and writer originally from Seale, Alabama. After receiving his BFA from RISD, Jon began his design career at Grey Advertising in NYC before moving on to work with HBO, Nickelodeon, and The Public Theater. Now he is co-founder of the Brooklyn-based design studio Morcos Key with Wael Morcos. As an educator, Jon has taught at MICA, Parsons, and currently teaches at Cooper Union and SVA. Jon is also a Co-Founder and Design Director of Codify Art, a multidisciplinary collective dedicated to creating, producing, supporting, and showcasing work by artists of color, particularly women, queer, and trans artists of color. Jon was selected for Forbes 30 under 30 Art and Style list for 2020 and was the Frank Staton Chair in Graphic Design at Cooper Union 2018-2019. His work has been featured in Jeffery Deitch Gallery NYC, the Armory Show, The New York Times, and The Atlantic. Jon holds an MA in Design Research, Writing and Criticism from SVA. His writing has been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Black Experience in Design and AIGA.

Website: http: //morcoskey.com/ 
Instagram: @jkey13