The Seattle Art Book Fair includes talks, activities, and installations from members of our extended arts community.

All programs are free and open to the public! 

TALKS & ETC

All talks take place in the first floor Classroom
of Washington Hall unless otherwise noted.

SATURDAY, MAY 11
11:15 am
Screening:
Knust: The Pioneers of Riso Print →

12:00 pm 
Editions Studio: Elements of artist’s books →

1:00 pm 
Errant Press: What is a book? →

2:00 pm
A. T. Pratt Comics Reading Live Experience Musical Spectacular →

3:00 pm
Rolling Loud Through Middle America
(Panel organized by James Ewald, The Cauldron Press) →

4:00 pm 
Organizing Power: Unionizing for Arts Workers (Roundtable organized by Current Editions) →

SUNDAY, MAY 12
12:00 pm
Own The Means of Production and Share It: Resource Pooling for Independent Publishers (Panel with Late Night Copies Press & friends) →

1:00 pm
CANCELED ︎
Art and Inspiration with Seattle Walk Report →

2:00 pm
Taha Ebrahimi: Guided Street Tree Walk of Cherry Hill (outdoor walking tour — meet outside Washington Hall) →

2:00 pm
Screening:
Knust: The Pioneers of Riso Print →

2:30 pm
Photography, Fauxtography, & The Photographic Image In Risograph Printing (Panel organized by Zach Clark, National Monument Press) →

ACTIVITIES

Activities & installations take place on the third floor of Washington Hall unless otherwise noted.

SATURDAY, MAY 11
12:00–4:00 pm
Letterpress printing with Partners in Print →

SUNDAY, MAY 12
11:00–2:00 pm
Pen + Pen - Pen
(Chen Luo & Bella Tuo of Body&Forma)  →

2:00–5:00 pm
Bring It! Screen It!
(screen printing with The Vera Project) →

ONGOING
The following activities are available throughout the weekend!

Climate Emergency Reading Room and Community Altar (ANEMONE + Alex Barsky) →

Rainy Day Book Exchange →

You As An Animal (Michelle Lassaline) →

Book Fort →

Knust: The Riso Print Pioneers (documentary, 30 min.)
Directed by Ivana Smudja

Watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/315891392

SATURDAY, MAY 11
11:15 am

Also showing Sun, May 12 at 2 pm →

This short film tells the story of a post-fluxus art collective “Knust” founded in the 80s during the large-scale squatter revolt in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Since then the Knust artists have found international fame thanks to the authenticity of their colorful printed issues made with the Riso technique.

This documentary also follows the English illustrator Charlotte Ager during her residency at Extrapool, the headquarters of Knust. Viewers witness the making of Ager’s Riso-printed art book and the incredible charm and vibrancy of this form of printing.

Knust was founded in 1984 by Jan Dirk de Wilde in the former squat building de Westland in Nijmegen. In those days the printing was done with analogue stencil machines of Roneo and Gestetner. Stencil printing was an easy way of making self-published books and zines and a cheap alternative for copy printing. This quickly led to a growing demand for Knust’s printed matter. Over the years, Knust has developed in stencil printing, Riso (and Ricoh), and has inspired and helped others work with this printing technique.

The Six Elements of Artists’ Books
Sarah Maker, Editions

SATURDAY, MAY 11
12:00 pm

Book Arts is a boundless medium that continues to see growth and development across the art world. Artists’ books can follow a formal structure or take a more sculptural approach in which the book’s physical form follows its content. This flexibility in approach to the book form is one of the hallmarks of a book artist, but we have never had a formal structure for discussing this the way we do painting and drawings and sculptures. Book artist Sarah Maker proposes that in addition to the seven elements of art as we know them, there are likewise six elements of artists’ books.

Sarah Maker is the book artist who founded Editions, Seattle’s center for book arts, because she knows what it’s like to want to create the work that embodies your soul and not have the tools to do it. Maker’s work is inspired by the world and issues around her. Community plays a huge part in her artistic process and informs the books she makes and the risks she takes. 

"What is a book?" A new creative approach.
Alan Sobrino, Errant Press

SATURDAY, MAY 11
1:00 pm

What makes a book a book? Join us for an exploration of the book and its layers. In this talk, we will explore the different definitions of a book throughout history, its layers, and how we can play with them as artists. 

Alan Sobrino is a book artist who works under the imprint Errant Press. His work forces literature into new physical spaces, altering traditional reading dynamics.

A. T. Pratt Comics Reading Live Experience Musical Spectacular
A. T. Pratt

SATURDAY, MAY 11
2:00 pm

The comics reading experience is often at home, secluded, and silent. This live reading experience from a selection of  Pratt's latest and classic work is none of that. The author brings his publications to life, exploring their variety of reading paths through handmade 3D innovations like pop-ups and foldouts, as well as performing aspects of the work that previously would be up to the reader's imagination to cobble together, specifically character voices, sound effects, and big broadway-style musical numbers.

A. T. Pratt is a cartoonist from NYC who writes, draws, and self-publishes comics, zines, art books and paper crafts of all shapes and sizes, often including handmade special features like pop-ups and fold-outs. He teaches comics at Montclair State University and School of Visual Arts.

Rolling Loud Through Middle America
Panel discussion organized by James Ewald, The Cauldron Press

SATURDAY, MAY 11
3:00 pm

James Ewald of The Cauldron Press and fellow panelists discuss the successes and obstacles of being makers, exhibitors, and print shops based in Middle America.

James Ewald is currently working as a Principal UX Specialist at World Kinect. Ewald has taught undergraduate Graphic Design and Interaction Design studios, along with graduate design research courses for over a decade. Ewald is one half of The Cauldron Press, a risograph print shop located in Oklahoma City.

Organizing Power: Unionizing for Arts Workers
Roundtable discussion organized by Current Editions

SATURDAY, MAY 11
4:00 pm

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 worker-organizers Andi Berkbigler, Wanda Burghardt, Josh Davis, and Graham Shutt to learn how arts workers successfully formed unions at Elliott Bay Book Company, the Frye Art Museum, and the Seattle Art Museum. Presented by Current Editions.

Current Editions (Emeryville, CA) celebrates micro histories, niche cultural expressions, and public discourse. An artist-run press formed by Jessalyn Aaland and Paul Morgan in 2017, our publications range from protests on San Francisco’s Market Street to New England’s unique contribution to target sports. For fans of: vernacular, curiosity, information architecture.

Own The Means of Production and Share It: Resource Pooling for Independent Publishers
Late Night Copies Press & friends

SUNDAY, MAY 12
12:00 pm

A panel featuring artist/publishers who create public access to their personal equipment, such as risos and photocopiers. We'll discuss the pros, cons, and logistics of sharing our tools and space with strangers, with an eye to its sustainability for organizers and impact on local publishing ecosystems. Presented by Tiny Splendor, Robert Baxter, Risolana, Paper Press Punch, and Late Night Copies Press.

Late Night Copies Press is a queer and trans owned micro-press run by collaborators India Johnson (she/her) and Aiden Bettine (he/him). We publish informal research-based writing, erotica, and zines about topics like arts organizing, queer archives, and LGBTQ history in the Upper Midwest. Late Night Copies hosts the Midwest Queer & Trans Zine Fest annually in Minneapolis, MN. Find us at zine fests and brick-and-mortar bookstores all over the country, and online: @latenightcopies / latenightcopies.com

CANCELED ︎
Art and Inspiration with Seattle Walk Report
Susanna Ryan

SUNDAY, MAY 12
1:00 pm

Self-taught artist Susanna Ryan, author of the local bestsellers "Seattle Walk Report" and "Secret Seattle," will share insights and stories from her untraditional path into publishing while examining the books and people who influenced her work.

Susanna Ryan is a Seattle-based cartoonist and author of the books "Seattle Walk Report" and "Secret Seattle.” In 2021, she was named one of Seattle Magazine’s most influential people in Washington State. Her work has been featured by the Seattle Times, Evening Magazine, and Atlas Obscura.

Guided Street Tree Walk of Cherry Hill
Taha Ebrahimi

SUNDAY, MAY 12
2:00 pm
Duration: 60-90 min

Note: This guided walking tour takes place outdoors. Limited to 20 participants. Registration required. 
Click here to register

Seattle has one of the most diverse collections of street trees in the country (double the East Coast and triple the Midwest!). Join the author of Street Trees of Seattle on a guided walk of the neighborhood exploring both its history and its street trees. We will travel through the southern part of Cherry Hill and past what remains of the old Black Panther headquarters, stopping at notable street trees to learn more about them.

Taha Ebrahimi is the author and illustrator of "Street Trees of Seattle" (Sasquatch Books: 2024), an unconventional walking guide based on city data going back to 1950 and covering approximately 170,000 street trees. She serves as a member of the council for Historic Seattle as well as the board for the Cal Anderson Park Alliance. Her writing has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, Crosscut, The Seattle Times, and several anthologies.

Knust: The Riso Print Pioneers (documentary, 30 min.)
Directed by Ivana Smudja

Watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/315891392

SUNDAY, MAY 12
2:00 pm

Also showing Sat, May 11 at 11:15 am →

This short film tells the story of a post-fluxus art collective “Knust” founded in the 80s during the large-scale squatter revolt in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Since then the Knust artists have found international fame thanks to the authenticity of their colorful printed issues made with the Riso technique.

This documentary also follows the English illustrator Charlotte Ager during her residency at Extrapool, the headquarters of Knust. Viewers witness the making of Ager’s Riso-printed art book and the incredible charm and vibrancy of this form of printing.

Knust was founded in 1984 by Jan Dirk de Wilde in the former squat building de Westland in Nijmegen. In those days the printing was done with analogue stencil machines of Roneo and Gestetner. Stencil printing was an easy way of making self-published books and zines and a cheap alternative for copy printing. This quickly led to a growing demand for Knust’s printed matter. Over the years, Knust has developed in stencil printing, Riso (and Ricoh), and has inspired and helped others work with this printing technique.

Photography, Fauxtography, & The Photographic Image In Risograph Printing
Organized by Zach Clark, National Monument Press

With Amelia Greenhall, ANEMONE; Erica Wilk, Moniker Press; and Carlos Gabaldon, Risolana

SUNDAY, MAY 12
2:30 pm

Risograph printing rose to its present day near ubiquity in large part due to how its methods and quirks complement comics, illustration, and experimental zines. However, alongside these publications a growing number of artists and publishers utilize Riso as a means to work with photography, from single color photo books to practices and publications that push the limits of what the medium is capable of. This panel will discuss various approaches, tools, and philosophies for Risograph printing the photographic image.

Zach Clark is an Oakland, CA based artist and educator. He is one half of Chute Studio and publishes as National Monument Press, a publishing project focused on supporting uniquely American stories through small edition artist books, zines, printed ephemera, and curatorial projects, completed largely through collaboration with other artists.  

Letterpress printing with Partners in Print  

SATURDAY, MAY 11
12:00 – 4:00 pm

Drop in anytime Saturday afternoon for free, family-friendly letterpress poster printing. Partners in Print is bringing their presses, paper, and ink to the Seattle Art Book Fair—what message will you print and share with your community? PiP brings people together by using old printing presses to amplify new voices, share knowledge, and spark creativity. Learn more at partnersinprint.org and on Instagram: @pipletterpress.

Pen + Pen - Pen
Chen Luo & Bella Tuo of Body&Forma

SUNDAY, MAY 12
11:00-2:00 pm

Pen + Pen - Pen Workshop allows participants to work with variable lengths and widths of pens to draw patterns and letters, then rearrange the composition to generate new visual forms. In this workshop Body&Forma invite people to craft their patterns while questioning how shared labor and authorship can be interwoven as a collaborative practice. Workshop participants are encouraged to question: how can we create sustainable tools built upon existing art material?

Body&Forma is a collaborative design house that publishes books, zines, and typographic prints and hosts performative workshops. Their work focuses on research, writing, and unlearning strategies that reevaluate and reconnect with cultural tradition. They propose and demonstrate a new interplay of activities and interrogative exercises. They also examine domestic design traditions and especially the humor evident in both written and verbal communication.

Bring It! Screen It!
The Vera Project

SUNDAY, MAY 12
2:00-5:00 pm

Bring It! Screen It! is a live on-site screen printing demonstration organized by The Vera Project Screen Printing Studio that allows attendees the opportunity to up-cycle their used cotton t-shirts and totes while learning the screen printing process with hands-on interactivity.

The Vera Project is an all-ages nonprofit space dedicated to fostering personal and community transformation through collaborative, youth-driven engagement in music and art. A music venue, screen print shop, recording studio, art gallery, and safe space for radical self-expression, VERA is a home to Seattle’s creative community. Learn more at theveraproject.org.

Climate Emergency Reading Room and Community Altar
ANEMONE + Alex Barsky

Participatory installation,
second floor stage

Browse a selection of books, zines and pamphlets about the climate crisis: including artist-publishing, local issues, renewable energy and solarpunk, political organizing, grief, taking action, resource sharing, and community. Attendees are invited to bring books, writing, or other objects to add to the community altar, as a symbol of our values, gratitude to each other and our planet, and wishes for our collective future.

ANEMONE is a collaboration and artist initiative by Amelia Greenhall and Adam Greenhall making artist publications, maps, Spectrolite app, and other projects. Alex Barsky makes comics, zines, and animation in Seattle, WA. She runs the risograph micropress, Zine Hug, with Zack Lydon.

Rainy Day Book Exchange
Seattle Art Book Fair

Bring a book you want to pass along (handmade book arts, zines, art/design books, publications — all types are welcome), and take a new book home with you. The book exchange is open to anyone who wants to participate. Special thanks to this year’s book donations from Marquand Books, Sasquatch Books, and the Seattle Art Museum Libraries. Ongoing throughout the weekend.

You As An Animal
Michelle Lassaline 

Artist Michelle Lassaline paints portraits of people as any animal they choose. With watercolor and ink on paper, Michelle creates these personal, whimsical works of art in just a few minutes. Lassaline started the project in 2014 and has since performed for the City of Seattle, Artist Trust, 4Culture, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Northwest Public Art Conference, Pike Place Market, Fremont Market, Vashon Strawberry Festival, and numerous weddings, celebrations, and gatherings of all kinds.
Michelle Lassaline received an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from the Maine College of Art & Design in 2022. In addition to watercolor, Lassaline works in paper mache and textiles. www.youasananimal.com

Book Fort!
Seattle Art Book Fair

An activity table for kids and kids at heart, with book making instructions and supplies. Follow one of the provided book construction methods, or invent your own!