Jen Library Archives and Special Collections

We recently received a shipment of books from Printed Matter in New York.  We order limited edition graphic novels, artists’ books, and zines from them.  I was surprised that we received most of the materials we ordered, because after we submitted the order, we heard that disaster in the form of Hurricane Sandy had struck the non-profit.

Printed Matter is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists. Founded as a for-profit alternative arts space in 1976 by artists and artworkers, Printed Matter reincorporated in 1978 to become the independent non-profit organization that it is today… Recognized for years as an essential voice in the increasingly diversified art world conversations and debates, Printed Matter is dedicated to the examination and interrogation of the changing role of artists’ publications in the landscape of contemporary art.

Printed Matter’s mission is to foster the appreciation, dissemination, and understanding of artists’ publications, which we define as books or other editioned publications conceived by artists as art works, or, more succinctly, as ‘artwork for the page.’ Printed Matter specializes in publications produced in large, inexpensive editions and therefore does not deal in ‘book arts’ or ‘book objects’ which are often produced in smaller, more expensive editions due to the craft and labor involved in their fabrication. –From the Printed Matter website.

Printed Matter maintains a public reading room, a wholesale and retail distribution center, and gallery space.  They publish, host book readings, and lectures.  They participate in larger book events as well.  Their participation in educational outreach has been a vital part of the definition and awareness of Artists’ books.

The other day, NPR reported on the over $200,000 worth of damage that occurred during Hurricane Sandy.  The Chelsea store was flooded and about 9000 books were destroyed.  Volunteers came from all over to help out and managed to salvage a number of boxes of wet materials.  With the aid of a grant, these were sent to a restoration company called Polygon, where the materials were freeze dried to remove the water.  Printed Matter will need to find new storage space that is not in a basement and a benefit auction is planned for the spring. You can listen to the broadcast or read a transcript of the story.