PROGRAMMING
Download the 2024 SFABF program guide.
Our Director of Programming is David Senior.
THE LOUNGE AT 1275 MINNESOTA ST.
Friday, July 19
1-2pm
Citizen Printer, with Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. and Kelly Walters
Through the use of bold language, graphic typography, and colorful layers, Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.’s letterpress prints embody an intensity that catches the eye and provokes the mind. Curated by Fridaydesigner and author Kelly Walters, Citizen Printer, a solo exhibition at Letterform Archive includes a wide variety of printed artifacts such as broadsides, maps, church fans, handbills, and oversized posters produced throughout Kennedy’s career. Walters joins Kennedy for a special conversation at the SF Art Book Fair on Friday. Then join us on Saturday, July 20 for a reception at the Archive. See lettarc.org for details.
2-3pm
Unfolding Duplications: Contemporary Risograph Publishing.
Zach Clark, National Monument Press with Amy Burek, Awkward Ladies Club
Lindsay Buchman, Seaton Street Press, Erica Wilk, Moniker Press, Rodrigo Alasua, SARA
Within the last decade, Riso has shifted from a niche method for printing low cost underground ephemera to a fully embraced and ubiquitous method for creating artist publications. Unfolding Duplications: Contemporary Risograph Publishing is a panel discussion featuring the curators and a selection of participating artists from the show of the same name, opening this weekend at the San Francisco Center for The Book. This talk and the corresponding exhibition present multiple points of view around what makes Risograph publishing exciting and important at this moment in time. Presented by National Monument Press.
3-4pm
What is a book? with Alan Sobrino
"Everything is a book. Books are books. A building is a book. The last kiss is a book. The deepest part of the pool is a book. A map is a book about books. A scream in the shower is a book. Palm trees are books. Almonds are also a book. I am a book." Books are typically approached in a straight timeline that tries to capture all of its forms. "What is a book?" will explore the book as a social object, peeling its layers and reflecting the possibilities, forms, and shapes a book can achieve. Presented by Errant Press.
4-5pm
From Handmade to Big Trade: Language Barrier + Auspicious Books Discuss Different Publishing Channels and How to Find Them.
Trinie Dalton and Abby Banks will discuss their personal histories of making artists’ books and handmade publications starting in the 1990s, particularly within frameworks of shaping indie projects into trade editions for commercial publishing houses. Through examples of some favorite zines and unconventional book-making tools, they’ll share histories of their designs highlighting eras and renovations of fun antique reproduction techniques like xerography and analog photography.
5-6pm
In Community, with Pia Camil
In celebration of Pia Camil: Friendly Fires, Inventory Press invites you to join artist Pia Camil for a talk & cabaret-inspired performance with local collaborators.
Saturday, July 20
12-1pm
Forty Creeks in Forty Minutes: an audiovisual tour of the San Francisco-San Pablo Bay system
Join the Society of Submerged Culture's Lauren Hartman and Jon Fischer on an audiovisual tour of the San Francisco-San Pablo Bay system. This guided tour will traverse the network of creeks that drain the entire Bay Area, from mountainous redwood forests to some of the most urbanized parts of California. It will coincide with the release of "The Forty Creeks Project," a limited edition box set that includes screen-printed art objects and a new atlas commemorating the essential creeks of the San Francisco Bay Area watershed.
1-2pm
The Evanesced [Tarot Deck] with Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle
Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle a.k.a. Olomidara Yaya will be performing a live reading from The Evanesced [Tarot Deck + Guidebook]. This new artist's book is inspired by Hinkle/Yaya's The Evanesced Series, an expansive body of work featuring hundreds of drawings and paintings that the artist calls un-portraits, along with a suite of site-specific performances. The project interrogates the erasure of Black womxn historically and presently, standing in solidarity with #SayHerName and various intersections of what it means to be femme, especially Black and femme. Presented by KACH Studio Press and Sming Sming Books.
2-3pm
REAL AND MAKE BELIEVE, with Craig Steely
To celebrate the release of REAL AND MAKE BELIEVE, the 40th effort of LAND AND SEA, Craig Steely will discuss, among other things, his ideas in relation to common hierarchical notions of architecture. REAL AND MAKE BELIEVE, as an object, collects Craig's sketches, models and finished homes and presents them in a non-hierarchical frame, equally championing the idea, the magic, the spark, and the process, as well as finished dwellings. Presented by LAND AND SEA.
3-4pm
LIVING ARCHIVES: how book arts community refuses complete burnout, with Kate Laster
The practice of keeping records may be associated with institutional control or private comfort but it continues to also be an act of survival. What happens when burnout burns out? This visual studies lecture explores the history and present of cycles of burnout and endurance in book, print and movement work. From scanner beds, printing zines, to studios in the woods producing accessible protest art, our radical art ancestors have taken up space in book margins, founded alternative presses, gathered at meetups, made counter-monuments and rallied in community. The process of persistence is embedded in a vast bibliography far outside of the canon: this is the future of collective liberation.
4-5pm
Anonymous Objects: Inscrutable Photographs and the Unknown, with Kim Beil and Alexander Nemerov
Join Kim Beil in conversation with Alexander Nemerov on the mysteries of found photographs. Attendees who buy a copy of Anonymous Objects: Inscrutable Photographs and the Unknown will receive their own mysterious vintage photograph selected by the author. Beil teaches art history at Stanford University and her writing on photography appears in the Atlantic, the Believer, Cabinet and the New York Times among other publications. Nemerov is the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Provostial Professor in the Arts and Humanities at Stanford and is the author, most recently, of The Forest: A Fable of America in the 1830s, as well as Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York. Presented by Park Life.
5-6pm
“Hi Babe, It’s Me. You.” — Sam McGuire and MARBIE in conversation on the intersection of queer identity, creativity, and skate
To celebrate photographer Sam McGuire’s debut monograph “Hi Babe, It’s Me. You” (Paragon Books), the author joins contemporary artist MARBIE in conversation about their experiences navigating and finding success beyond the skate industry as queer creatives. Sam left his small Iowa hometown to spend a decade on the road documenting professional skaters, driven by a desire to find himself and explore the exotic locations he saw in magazines. He found success working for Nike, Adidas, and Converse, yet struggled with the fear that his career could be ruined if he ever came out. MARBIE also faced challenges in seeking queer representation in skateboarding. A severe leg injury pushed her out of the skate world, but with the rise of queer and women-centered skate crews like Unity Skateboarding, MARBIE returned to find support and a growing audience for her visual art. Presented by Paragon Book and Hashimoto Contemporary.
Sunday, July 21
12-1pm
Organizing Power: Unionizing for Arts Workers
All working people have rights, whether we work at an art museum, a bookstore, or a school. Nationwide, arts workers have begun to unionize—they’ve enhanced their rights and improved their workplaces. But it can be difficult to know how to get started. Organizing Power is a series of Risograph-printed booklets which provide tools for union formation tailored to arts workers. Join artist Jessalyn Aaland and Bay Area arts workers and union organizers Matt Kennedy, Amy Lange, and Erin Schilling to learn about their experiences at institutions like SFMOMA, CCA, and the Oakland Museum of California. Presented by Current Editions.
1-2pm
Handle with Care with Art Handlxrs*, a book launch event and conversation with Bay Area based art handlxrs
This panel will explore the future of art handling and the importance of care, organizing, and diversity in the art world. The conversation will feature Bella Manfredi, Yoni Asega, and the Co-Founders of Art Handlxrs* Marcel Pardo Ariza and Ambrose Trataris with a focus on uplifting individual and collective efforts that improve the conditions and sustainability of the industry. Join this event to celebrate and learn more about this new publication by Art Handlxrs* (available through But Whole Press - table H05) with editions profiling art handlxrs in San Francisco, Mexico City, Los Angeles, and New York.
2-3pm
Working together, talking together with Lynn Marie Kirby, Jordan Stein, and Tanya Zimbardo
On the occasion of the new X Artists’ Books (XAB) publication Time & Place: on the work of Lynn Marie Kirby, XAB co-presents with / (Slash) a trialogue with Kirby, Jordan Stein and Tanya Zimbardo.This book explores Kirby’s work through a collection of newly commissioned writing and previously published essays by Etel Adnan, Barbara McBane, Charlie Hewison, Glenn Phillips, Etienne Kallos, Lynne Sachs, Jeffrey Skoller, Jordan Stein, Jalal Toufic, Carolina Magis Weinberg, Tanya Zimbardo, and interviews with Kirby and Lissa Gibbs, Alexandra Grant, Megan Kiskaddon, Rachel Ralph, and Trinh T. Minh-ha. In lieu of standard photo documentation, the book includes Kirby’s black & white “scans.”
3-4pm
Mondo Vision with Bart Nagel and R.U. Sirius
Join us for a talk about Mondo 2000, the iconic cyberculture magazine published from 1984 to 1998. The discussion will feature co-founder and editor R.U. Sirius and art director Bart Nagel, moderated by Dr. J. Christian Greer. Mondo Vision: A Pictorial Survey of Mondo 2000 is a new publication by Colpa Press.
THE MEDIA ROOM AT 1275 MINNESOTA ST.
Ongoing - LOOP
Some time, some place
presented by Lynn Marie Kirby and X Artists’ Books
This looping program features the work of contributors to Time & Place: on the work of Lynn Marie Kirby, X Artists’ Books’ most recent publication. Artists include: Kirby, Etienne Kallos, Lynne Sachs, Jeffrey Skoller, Jalal Toufic, and Carolina Magis Weinberg.
PROJECT SPACE A - 2nd Floor - 1275 Minnesota St.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts / San Francisco Arts Commission
The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) was established in 1977 by artists and community activists with a shared vision to promote, preserve and develop the cultural arts that reflect the living tradition and experiences of the Chicano, Central and South American, and Caribbean people. MCCLA is a multicultural, multidisciplinary arts organization committed to the collaborative vision of Latino art forms and to making the arts accessible as essential to the community's development and well-being.
The project space is organized in collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission and in conjunction with the exhibition Una Voz Publica: A Public Voice on view at City Hall through September 27, 2024.
PROJECT SPACE B - 1st Floor - Room B - 1275 Minnesota St.
Eames Institute
The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is a nonprofit public charity that advances the dynamic legacy of Charles and Ray Eames. By sharing the things the Eameses made and loved, along with their joyful and rigorous approach to life and work, we seek to inspire creative problem-solving that positively shapes our world. The Eames Institute holds one of the most significant and comprehensive collections of Eames designs and related ephemera in the world—the majority of which originates from the Eameses themselves, and their office at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, California. The collection encompasses early correspondence and artwork that predate their meeting, unique prototypes and process materials, industrial products, printed communications, and even treasured personal effects. During SFABF the Institute will bring the collection to life through artifacts, photography, and a new series of printed catalogs.
Creativity Explored will be present to sign the book Art is Art, celebrating the organization’s 40th anniversary, and artist Tucker Nichols will be on site to sign copies of Flowers for Things I Don’t Know How to Say. Watch this space for times and details.
presented by Lynn Marie Kirby and X Artists’ Books
This looping program features the work of contributors to Time & Place: on the work of Lynn Marie Kirby, X Artists’ Books’ most recent publication. Artists include: Kirby, Etienne Kallos, Lynne Sachs, Jeffrey Skoller, Jalal Toufic, and Carolina Magis Weinberg.
PROJECT SPACE A - 2nd Floor - 1275 Minnesota St.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts / San Francisco Arts Commission
The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) was established in 1977 by artists and community activists with a shared vision to promote, preserve and develop the cultural arts that reflect the living tradition and experiences of the Chicano, Central and South American, and Caribbean people. MCCLA is a multicultural, multidisciplinary arts organization committed to the collaborative vision of Latino art forms and to making the arts accessible as essential to the community's development and well-being.
The project space is organized in collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission and in conjunction with the exhibition Una Voz Publica: A Public Voice on view at City Hall through September 27, 2024.
PROJECT SPACE B - 1st Floor - Room B - 1275 Minnesota St.
Eames Institute
The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is a nonprofit public charity that advances the dynamic legacy of Charles and Ray Eames. By sharing the things the Eameses made and loved, along with their joyful and rigorous approach to life and work, we seek to inspire creative problem-solving that positively shapes our world. The Eames Institute holds one of the most significant and comprehensive collections of Eames designs and related ephemera in the world—the majority of which originates from the Eameses themselves, and their office at 901 Washington Boulevard in Venice, California. The collection encompasses early correspondence and artwork that predate their meeting, unique prototypes and process materials, industrial products, printed communications, and even treasured personal effects. During SFABF the Institute will bring the collection to life through artifacts, photography, and a new series of printed catalogs.
CHRONICLE BOOKS ARTIST BOOK SIGNING ACTIVATION
Room D - 1275 Minnesota St.
Creativity Explored will be present to sign the book Art is Art, celebrating the organization’s 40th anniversary, and artist Tucker Nichols will be on site to sign copies of Flowers for Things I Don’t Know How to Say. Watch this space for times and details.
SIGNINGS & LAUNCHES
Friday, July 19
Table E10 - 12pm - Dark Entries Editions - DARK ENTRIES COLLECTED MUSIC GRAPHICS by Eloise Leigh, published by Dark Entries Editions. Signing and Launch.
Table C09 - 1pm - Saint Lucy Books - Klea McKenna - Witnesss Mark. Signing.
Table A21 - 1pm - Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens, EarthLabSF - Assuming the Ecosexual Position—The Earth as Lover. Signing.
1201 Minnesota St. - 1:30pm - Aperture - Ed Templeton - Wires Crossed. Signing.
Table D01 - 2pm - Documerica Books & Light Squared Media - Course of the Empire, published by Steidl & Midnight La Frontera, published by TBW. Signing.
Table D05 - 4pm - SUPER LABO - City Confessions #3 PARIS by Ed Templeton, published by SUPER LABO. Signing.
Saturday, July 20
Table G08 - 11am-1pm - Deep Time Press - Madeline Cass poster signing.
Table E01 - 12pm - Paragon Books - "Sketchbook 5" by Felicia Chiao. Launch & signing.
Table E01 - 3:30pm - Paragon Books - "Hi Babe, It's Me. You" by Sam McGuire. Deluxe edition launch & signing.
Table A22 - 1pm - azulejo arte impressa - The settler’s town is a well fed town. Its belly is always full of good things. by Amanda Teixeira. Launch.
Table D10 - 1pm - Datz Press - This Earthen Door by Amanda Marchand & Leah Sobsey, published by Datz Press. Signing.
Chronicle Books (D Room) - 1-3 pm - Contributor to the book ART IS ART, Creativity Explored artist Vincent Jackson, will sign books with Lead Teacher, Francis Kohler.
Table E10 - 2pm - Dark Entries Editions - outside.sex by daniel case, published by Dark Entries Editions. Signing.
Table D03 - 2pm - Deadbeat Club - Standstill by Ward Long, published by Deadbeat Club. Signing.
Table D03 - 3pm - Deadbeat Club - Lost Dog by Ian Bates, published by Deadbeat Club. Signing.
Table D10 - 3pm - Datz Press - Paper Constructs by Diane Pierce, published by Datz Press. Signing.
Chronicle Books (D Room) - 3-4 pm - Tucker Nichols, author of FLOWERS FOR THINGS I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAY will be available to sign books.
Table A20 - 3pm - TBW Books - Juggling Is Easy by Peggy Nolan, published by TBW Books. Signing.
Table D09 - 3pm - Nazraeli Press - ATL and other Mark Steinmetz titles published by Nazraeli Press. Signing.
Table D09 - 4pm - Nazraeli Press - The End Sends Advance Warning and other titles by Todd Hido, published by Nazraeli Press. Signing.
Sunday, July 21
Table E01 - 12pm - Paragon Books - Chuck Sperry book signing & print release.
PARTICIPATING GALLERIES
Saturday, July 20, from 1-3pm
Book signing for Hype Means Nothing at Themes+Projects
Book signing for Hype Means Nothing is the culmination of a three-year collaboration between artist, Ashleigh Sumner and designer, Shaun Roberts. This beautifully illustrated book documents timely projects such as, The Covid Diaries along with selected works from 2017 to 2023. The unique monograph features in-depth artist commentary in addition to essays by curators and patrons. Shaun Roberts’ keen design provides stunning photography of an artist at work. The book signing coincides with Summer’s solo exhibition, Touch the Sky, at Themes+Projects.
SFArtsED Pop-Up: All Weekend
During the SFABF, we’ll have lots of art-making activities and makers-tables for the duration of the fair, including book-making, collage, shrinky-dink art and takeaways, button making stations, and much more. Designed by SFArtsED Artist Mentors, all makers activities will be free for all ages! Also in the gallery, our Artist Mentors will be hosting pop-ups with limited edition and unique works for sale.
1201 MINNESOTA ST.
Thursday, July 18, 6-8pm; Friday, July 19, 12-5pm; Saturday, July 20, 12-5pm; Sunday, July 21, 12-4pm
Xerox Party hosted by Minnesota Street Project Foundation
This cumulative, collaborative art installation invites all ages. Celebrate the revolutionary impact of the photocopier on printmaking and create copy machine art alongside participating artists, then display your work in the Foundation’s 1201 Minnesota Street exhibition warehouse. Visit minnesotastreetproject.org for participating artist schedules and more information.
Saturday, July 20, 12-1:30pm
Make a Zine! (Ages 13 & under)
With Irrelevant Press and People I’ve Loved
Start them young. Create a zine or mini art book (parents welcome!) with different supplied materials and formats. With nothing off the table see what can be created. Drop-ins OK.
1240 MINNESOTA ST.
Saturday, July 20, 1-4pm
Open Studios at the Artist Studios, hosted by Minnesota Street Project Foundation
Meet the studio artists, experience their work, and learn how this program is impacting the Bay Area art scene. Walk-in registration is welcome, but pre-registration at minnesotastreetproject.org is encouraged, as space is limited.
OPENING NIGHT PREVIEW
Join us Thursday, July 18, 6-10pm for our opening night preview of the 2024 SFABF. Music and DJs provided by Fault Radio.
OFF-SITE
Friday, July 19, 6-8pm
Opening reception for Unfolding Duplications: Contemporary Risograph Publishing
Curated by Amy Burek and Zach Clark
July 13–October 6, 2024
San Francisco Center for the Book, 375 Rhode Island Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
In the past 10 years, Risograph printing has shifted from being a niche printing method to a fully realized and ubiquitous method for creating artist publications and ephemera for micro and small press publishers. The exhibition Unfolding Duplications: Contemporary Risograph Publishing brings together artists and publishers from across North America who use Risograph printing as a central element in their works. The publications in Unfolding Duplications range from accessible comics and zines to limited fine press editions, underscoring the broad spectrum of artistic possibilities that Risograph printing offers.
Emphasizing the intersection of concept and Risograph's unique print methods illustrates the potential of Risograph printing as a medium for exploring and conveying meaningful narratives. Bringing together contemporary Risograph artists and publishers of the past five years, Unfolding Duplications offers insights into a specific printing technology and how it can evolve into a medium for creative expression while retaining the spirit of innovation and experimentation.
Friday, July 19, 7pm
Et al., 2831a Mission Street, San Francsico, CA 94110
A release event for ‘Cybele Lyle: Sense of Space (in 3 parts)’ celebrating Cybele’s Lyle’s new monograph. Lyle will discuss the book; refreshments will be served.
Friday, July 19, 9pm-1:30am
SFABF AFTER PARTY - BAR PART TIME - 496 14th St. San Francisco, CA 94103
Join us at Bar Part Time to celebrate the 7th edition of the San Francisco Art Book Fair. Music by Jeremy Castillo.
Saturday, July 20, 9pm
DARK ENTRIES ANNIVERSARY PARTY - 900 Marin St. San Francisco, CA 94124
Celebrate one of our exhibitors, Dark Entries, at their 15 year anniversary party at the Midway. Tickets available here. Featuring music by Bill Converse, Group Rhoda, Dax Pierson, Carlos Souffront, and Pre Op Trans.