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Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair (NYABF) 2022

posted by Robyn Pitts October 12, 2022

Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair is back for 2022! Providing an opportunity to celebrate all things print, as well as a critical platform for artists’ books and publishing activity from around the world, over the course of 4 days, visitors can attend dozens of free conversations, workshops, performances, and other artist-led programs. And this year NYABF are introducing some exciting new elements and entirely new programs to the schedule!

Taking place at 548 W 22nd St, around the corner from Printed Matter’s Chelsea bookstore, and the historic location of its very first iteration presented in 2006, the fair represents a broad range of artists and collectives, small presses, institutions, galleries, antiquarian booksellers, and distributors. Exhibitors are selected based on the strength of the materials submitted through the application, seeking to expand representation with a focus on identity, geography, scale of publishing operations, and through the welcoming of first-time exhibitors to the Fair.

This year, NYABF will host a Block Party on October 15th with music, food, neighborhood-wide collaborations, and free public programs including artist- led workshops, performances, readings, and signings. 2022 also introduces The Volume Grant: a new funding opportunity for artists and publishers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Recipients are granted a complimentary table at the Fair and an unrestricted stipend of $1,000. This year’s winners are Brown Recluse Zine Distro, Further Reading Press, Kwago, and Taller California.

For the first time, the entire Classroom program will also be streaming live on Printed Matter’s YouTube channel. Tune in to this long-running program to hear and participate in Q&A with artists, writers, designers, and publishers as they discuss new releases and important themes in artists’ book publishing. This year’s participants include Rahim Fortune, Dominique Hurth, Eduardo Kac, Silas Munro, and Camille Norment, among many others. The Classroom is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is encouraged. The NYABF 2022 Classroom is organized in collaboration with David Senior, Director of Library & Archives at SFMOMA, and is hosted by Dia Art Foundation at 537 W 22nd St. Check out the full program here.

You can also check out their Exhibitor Projects – these are special publication-focused projects presented by select Fair exhibitors, hosted by Printed Matter. This year’s projects include a collaboration between Thick Press and Post-Radical Pedagogy that explores themes of care work and anti-racist design practices; an installation with the artist and printmaker Leslie Diuguid and 52 Walker; a site-specific installation by the artist Alvaro Barrington presented by Karma, and more.

Opening night takes place on Thurs, Oct 13, 6–9 pm, and willl feature an activation of a new edition by artist Nick Sethi and performances by James K and Dawuna. Tickets are $30 and include a limited edition artwork by Nick Sethi, multiple re-entry throughout the Fair weekend, as well as entry to the NYABF Opening Night After-party.

Entry to the 2022 NY Art Book Fair is ticketed and via advance registration. Visit pmabf.org to view the list of exhibitors, purchase tickets, register for programs, and learn more about NYABF 2022!