Over the course of four days, Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair offers dozens of opportunities for engagement, with conversations, workshops, performances, and other artist-led programs.
Programs include an Opening Night celebration, the Reading Room, The Classroom, The Stage, exhibitor awards, and curated Project Spaces.
This long-running program provides space for artists, writers, designers, and publishers to highlight new releases at NYABF and fosters dialogue around important themes in artists’ book publishing. Held on the third floor of MoMA PS1, NYABF 2026 participants include Adam HajYahia, K8 Hardy, Carmen Winant, Emily Watlington, and Mariame Kaba, among others. The NYABF 2026 Classroom is organized in collaboration with Emmy Catedral, Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA).
Attending Classroom programs requires a ticket to the NY Art Book Fair.
The Stage
The courtyard of the Fair features a lineup of music, poetry, and performance organized in collaboration with Lydo Le of X-TRA.SERVICES. Founded in 2017 by Lydo, X-TRA.SERVICES is a label that curates a subaquatic space for extraterrestrial sound. The Stage at NYABF 2026 will feature Shyboi, Doula, Ashe Kilbourne, and Mister Water Wet, among others.
Courtyard Project
The New York Public Library’s Picture Collection returns to the Fair courtyard this year with primary visual materials, informational resources, and services to communities throughout New York City. The Library relies on continued engagement from the audiences they serve in order to sustain themselves.
The Shannon Michael Cane Award
This award is granted to emerging artists (artists, artists’ book publishers, or collectives in the early stages of their careers) who would be first-time exhibitors in a Printed Matter Art Book Fair. Each recipient is granted a complimentary table and an unrestricted stipend. Exhibitor applications were reviewed by a panel comprised of the founders of the Shannon Michael Cane Memorial Fund and Printed Matter staff. This year’s winners are 19Editions (France), Bebe Books (Belgium), Kayfa ta (Jordan, Egypt), and merath (Libya).
Volume Grant
This funding opportunity is for artists and publishers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Recipients are granted a complimentary table at the Fair and an unrestricted stipend. This grant supports the ongoing creative work happening in marginalized communities through assistance with production, travel, and other necessary expenses. This year’s winners are Cairo Art Book Fair (Egypt), com,,,as (NY), Khari Johnson-Ricks (NY), and Shrub (Singapore). This year’s NYABF Volume Grant jury included Neta Bomani, Sarah Elawad, and Leila Louhaichy.
Support for the NYABF 2026 Volume Grant is generously provided by Nike and the NYABF Committee.
Printed Matter Publisher Work Grant
Now in its third year, the Printed Matter Publisher Work Grant offers funding to three artists’ book publishers for future projects. The grant, supported by the Wagner Foundation, aims to strengthen an ecosystem of publishing practices that champion experimental artist-driven books, investing in culturally vital work that falls outside of mainstream support and distribution channels.
The winners of the 2025 Work Grant exhibiting at NYABF 2026 are: cahiers manufactoriel (France), Gato Negro Ediciones (Mexico), and Khajistan Press (NY).
The application for the current 2026 cycle can be found here.
These special exhibitions offer expanded perspectives on both artist book history and contemporary publishing practices. They range from site-specific installations and monographic presentations to interactive archives and multi-media artworks. Project Spaces at NYABF 2026 include an an expanded wall presentation by Dark Entries Editions of gay cruising matchbooks; an installation by grama/naipe exploring the relationship between Ulises Carrion’s work, concrete poetry, and quadroponic sound; a bibliographic exploration of Arte Povera and its contemporary legacies by Magazzino Italian Art Museum; an installation in the Duplex by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation featuring the artist’s writing practice and social practice; a special feature of work by Karel Martens from Roma Publications; a meditation on four new limited-edition artists’ books presented by Three Star Press; and a multi-media “invitation” in response to the increasing homogenization and anonymity of communication technologies from Werkplaats Typografie.
Reading Room
For NYABF 2026, Printed Matter collaborates with the African Art Book Fair (AABF) to produce a special edition of the Reading Room. The Pan-African Library, curated by Pascale Obolo, draws from the ten-year archive of the AABF to present various histories of independent publishing across Africa and its diasporas. Visitors are invited to spend time with an interactive installation, a curated selection of publications including relevant titles by other Fair exhibitors, a radio program, listening sessions, and an archive of significant contributions to regional print culture.
Jason Polan Award
Founded in 2024, the Jason Polan Award honors the legacy of friend and artist Jason Polan (1982–2020). Jason was a close friend of Printed Matter and a longtime exhibitor at the NY Art Book Fair—his practice continues to inspire countless artists and illustrators who participate in the Fair. This award recognizes two artist publishers who work with illustration and embody the spirit of Jason’s practice through an appreciation of the everyday, friendship, and artistic community. The jury will review a shortlist of six nominated exhibitors, and announce the selected publishers on Sunday during the Fair, awarding an unrestricted grant.
Library Stack
Library Stack is an arts and culture archive connecting independent digital publishing to institutional libraries. In partnership with Printed Matter, Library Stack is providing NYABF exhibitors with library distribution for their digital materials, including eBooks, PDFs and audio projects. These new works join Library Stack's wider collection of artists' books, zines, podcasts, journals, films, fonts and other experimental media. Participating NYABF exhibitors include: Archive Books, Bilna’es, Columbia Books on Architecture and the City, Escrow, Exile Projects, Falgoush, Floating Opera Press, Further Reading, Inventory Press, JBE Editions, No Place Press, Pioneer Works, Sojourners for Justice Press, and Sming Sming Books, among others. The NYABF showcase website will include guest editorial collections and numerous new eBook editions.