Printed Matter Art Book Fairs are a celebration and a critical platform for artists' books and publishing activity from across the globe. The scheduled 2020 LA Art Book Fair programs included free conversations, workshops, music performances, and other artist-led programs. We encourage you to explore the website and the 350+ exhibitor pages, which will be regularly updated to include: direct purchase links for new artists' books meant to launch at the Fair, additional content related to The Classroom programming, the Plaza Stage lineup, and many more new and interactive elements. Printed Matter is committed to continuing our support of artists’ book publishers by promoting new titles and media on @printedmatter_artbookfairs, @printedmatterinc, & @printedmatter_stmarks.


Browse the full LAABF 2020 Exhibitor List︎

The Classroom

              is a series of informal lectures, readings, screenings, and other activities by artists, writers, designers, and publishers. Invited participants for LAABF 2020 included: Wassan Al-Khudhairi, The Black Aesthetic, Mariana Castillo Deball, Lucy Ives, Robert Kett, Jeanine Oleson, among many others. Organized by David Senior, Head of the Library and Archives, SFMOMA. The LAABF 2020 Classroom is supported by Cargo. 

The Contemporary Artists’ Books Conference

           was slated to feature a keynote address by Kameelah Janan Rasheed exploring the notion of books as objects of perceived finality in relation to ideas of incompleteness, revision, and reinterpretation over time. Kimi Hanauer, Bomin Jeon, and Arianne Edmonds were to join the conversation and examine the intersection of archiving and publishing practices as they relate to themes of community.

The Shannon Michael Cane Award

                was granted to four first-time LAABF exhibitors in the early stages of their careers. This year’s LAABF winners are AVARIE, Farside Collective, Hyperlink Press, and RANDOM MAN EDITIONS.

Shannon Michael Cane (1974–2017), was a pillar of the Printed Matter family and artists’ book community, serving as Curator of Fairs and Editions from 2013–2017.

Exhibitor Projects

            are special publication-focused projects by select Fair exhibitors, hosted by Printed Matter. LAABF 2020 projects were meant to feature six artist presentations by Three Star Books, immersive installations by Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Dirty Looks, and skateboard icon, Mark Gonzales, a historical survey of prints by Gagosian, as well as creative interventions by design programs, Southland Institute and Werkplaats Typografie.

Friendly Fire

            features presses and artists’ collectives that practice different forms of cultural, social, and political activism. This year's participants included: CASSANDRA Press, Distribution Assembly East, Justseeds Artists' Collective, Temporary Services / Half Letter Press, and Women's Center for Creative Work, among others. Curated by Printed Matter’s Executive Director Max Schumann.

The Plaza Stage

            was organized by Printed Matter with Noah Klein, Junior High, and KChung Radio, and was scheduled to host performances showcasing emerging talent alongside legendary artists and musicians. View the lineups here.