Virtual Book Arts Auction

We are thrilled to announce our very first online auction–right in time for the holiday gift giving season! Our auction features items from all over the spectrum of book art: artists’ books, works on paper, photography, textiles, all from artists who have studied, taught, exhibited, and lectured with us, and otherwise count our studios as a home for their practice. It is a gorgeous cornucopia by our community for the benefit of our community, and we’re excited to share it with you! Bidding will be open November 8th-December 21st. In addition to bidding on items; you have the option to buy outright.

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Presenting Papermaking at 13:00

Join us for a rare opportunity to learn about the world of contemporary paper making with three of the field’s most interesting artists: Jazmine Catasus, Helen Frederick, and Robbin Ami Silverberg. We’ll examine the field of hand papermaking and its intersection with book arts through a multi-generational lens. The month-long event will begin with a conversation between the artists led by moderator Mina Takahashi. In the following weeks, the artists will lead workshop sessions in their respective studios.

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2021 Contemporary Artists’ Book Conference

Initiated in 2008, the Contemporary Artists’ Book Conference presents in depth talks, panels, and conversations to further the critical dialog surrounding artists’ books. Now organized by Center for Book Arts, the CABC committee is made up of historians and professionals in the field, sessions will cover a range of lively topics from artists, scholars, and other leading figures. Admission is free for all sessions, but space is limited—please register here to reserve your seat.

The Contemporary Artists’ Book Conference is held in conjunction with the New York Art Book Fair (NYABF). The 2021 fair is scheduled to take place virtually in February 25-28, 2021 at Printed Matter’s Virtual Art Book Fair. 

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Book Arts Toward Liberation Conversation Series

We’re thrilled to announce the dates and pairings for Book Arts Toward Liberation, an initiative that aims to center Black voices in the Book Arts and Publishing field. As an effort to expand the discourse of Black book artists and Black-owned presses, the curators of the series, Jina Valentine & Heather Hart of Black Lunch Table, will moderate a four-part series over the course of the Fall 2020 season, harnessing space to discuss themes and topics within the intersection of Blackness, production, and creative placemaking.

“We consider the outer limits of what constitutes a book, or specifically an artists’ book. Artist + book. Artist = book. We determined that books contain language in many forms and invite a corporeal experience of media and speech acts. We considered the book as it is constitutive of the archive and as it is representative of the body (body of knowledge, extension of body).”
– Jina Valentine & Heather Hart

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Presenting our Fall Exhibitions

This Fall we’re delighted to present three exhibitions: Americans Looking In curated by Emilie Ahern & Sherri Littlefield, Morcos Key Makes/Reads by Jon Key and Wael Morcos, and Construction Site by Viviane Rombaldi Seppey. All three exhibitions will be installed in our Manhattan galleries and will be viewable online and in-person (in accordance with health and safety recommendations), October 9 through December 12. Each exhibition will be accompanied by 1-2 online talks, discussions, or workshops. Our online opening reception took place on October 8th.

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Announcing our 2020-21 Book Artists-in-Residence

Joining the Center as the 2020-21 Book Artists-in-Residence are three multidisciplinary makers at various stages of their careers, each bringing aspects of social engagement, participatory methodology, and practices in paper and print. We are ecstatic to welcome Lizania Cruz, Oswaldo García, and Alva Mooses to our community, and we are excited to share their work and insight with you throughout the duration of their residency.

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Black Lives Matter

At the Center for Book Arts, it is constant work: the way we define community, the way we show up and hold each other accountable, and the ways we aim to leverage book arts as a tool for action. We’ve witnessed the systemic injustice against Black people in this city, and across the country, and we cannot operate neutrally. Through our residency programs, literary programs, and exhibitions, we hope to provide a space where Black artists can feel safe and empowered to make, learn, curate, and produce. We are committing to providing resources for Black artists and the work made toward liberation, where book arts are a source of possibility for political change.

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Exhibitions On View

Americans Looking In

The curators of this exhibition, Emilie Ahern & Sherri Littlefield, have reflected on what it means to be “American.” Having multicultural backgrounds and being raised in the States has given them both moments of confusion and frustration, and has led them to wonder what this country has to do with personal identity. When forming this exhibition, the curators presented themselves, artists, editors, leaders and everyday-people with the question – “What is American culture today, and what does an American look like?”

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