Printed Matter's LA Art Book Fair
ArtCenter is excited to be hosting, for the first time, Printed Matter’s 2025 LA Art Book Fair, taking place May 15-18! An LA favorite and major international gathering of artists’ book publishers, the Fair is taking over South Campus, including our recently opened Mullin Transportation Design Center.
Thousands of visitors are expected to explore works by artists, collectives, small presses, galleries, antiquarian booksellers and more.
ArtCenter’s Graduate Press will be an exhibitor at the fair, in addition to alumni-led imprints, including Devin Troy Strother’s Coloured Publishing and Kristofferson San Pablo’s Vacancy Projects. Both will also headline a conversation about self-publishing during the Fair.
As part of the LA Art Book Fair, there will be a wide array of exhibitions, showcases, activities and programs, including:
Exhibitions
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Digital Witness: Algorithmic Spaces for Typography and Language exhibition – on view in the HMCT Gallery
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Reveal: Uncovering Layers of Creativity – on view in the Graduate Student Gallery.
Select student thesis books will be on view as part of the exhibition. -
Ciphers: Grad Art MFA Exhibition 2025 – on view in the Grad Art Complex Galleries. The exhibition features works by ArtCenter’s Spring 2025 Grad Art alumni. Opening reception: Saturday, May 17, 6–8 p.m.
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Devin Troy Strother: Dancing in the Dark – on view in the Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery (1111 South Arroyo Parkway) and the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery (1700 Lida Street)
ArtCenter Showcases
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ArtCenter Illustration Showcase – Presenting works by Illustration Students.
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HMCT Archive Showcases– Featuring the work of designer and educator Ty Drake
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HMCT Archive Pop-Up – Displaying posters and books in the HMCT classroom.
Archetype Press
Open during the fair – including tours and live printing demonstrations.
Printed Dialogues: Design & Printing with Draw Down Books
Draw Down Books—designers, educators, publishers, and disseminators of books, posters, zines, and more—teams up with HMCT Archetype Press for a session exploring the interrelationship between independent publishing, design, and letterpress printing.
Sunday 2–4 p.m.
Registration required
ArtCenter Maker’s Lab
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Riso Dessert Buffet – After collectively creating a “buffet table” of shapes, textures, and line work from scraps and tools in the studio, participants will create prints using a wide variety of risograph colors.
Friday, 2–4 p.m. & Sunday, 12–2 p.m.
Registration required
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Live Printing Workshops – Led by Riso Studio Arts, live demonstrations of risograph and screenprinting machines. Workshop participants will be able to create unique prints to take home.
Saturday, 11–7 p.m.
Registration required
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Bookbinding: One Person’s Scraps, Another’s Treasure (Presented by ArtCenter’s Maker’s Lab)– Utilizing scrap materials leftover from risograph printing, participants make sketchbooks, notebooks, and note pads of various sizes, using a perfect binder, coil binder, or fast binding glue. Publications by students and faculty will also be on display for inspiration.
Friday, 4–6 p.m. & Sunday, 2–4 p.m.
Registration required
ArtCenter Library, Archives and Special Collections
Artists’ Books in Context: Collecting Across Libraries
Libraries across Southern California collect artists’ books – but how and why they do so can vary widely. Each collection reflects the mission, audience, and curatorial vision of its home. This panel brings together librarians from a range of libraries to share how institutional priorities shape their approach to collecting, cataloging, and providing access to artists’ books. This session offers insights for librarians building collections, and for exhibitors seeking to better understand how their work enters and circulates through library spaces. Presented in partnership with ArtCenter Library.
Panelists:
- Bob Dirig, Director, Archives and Special Collections, ArtCenter College of Design
- Robert Gore, Visual Arts Librarian and Curator of Artists’ Books, UCLA Arts Library
- Jim Heimann, Private Collector; ArtCenter Faculty; Executive Editor, Taschen Publishing
- Isotta Poggi, Associate Curator of Photographs, Getty Research Institute
- Jennifer Martinez Wormser, Director and Sally Preston Swan Librarian, Ella Strong Denison Library, Claremont Colleges
Moderator:
Mario A. Ascencio, College Librarian and Managing Director, ArtCenter College of Design
Friday, 1–2:30 p.m.
Conversation
Contents Laid Bare (The Ins and Outs of Artist Self-Publishing)
Artists and ArtCenter alumni Devin Troy Strother and Kristofferson San Pablo share insights on balancing and integrating their self-publishing with their individual practices. Presented by Coloured Publishing and Vacancy Projects.
Saturday, 5–6 p.m.
For more information about the Fair and how to attend.
To view the entire robust schedule of special events and programming.
Please note: There is very limited free parking available during the Fair at the 1111 South Arroyo Parkway/950 South Raymond buildings on ArtCenter’s South Campus. Visitors are encouraged to take Uber/Lyft, carpool, or take the Metro A Line to Fillmore Station, which is located one block from South Campus.