Thank you for joining us for Dallas Art Book Fair—our highest-attended program at Dallas Contemporary! Over two incredible days, DABF brought together an inspiring mix of regional, national, and international artists, presses, publishers, galleries, and bookstores. From engaging conversations to delicious food and drinks, the energy in the museum was electric—and it wouldn’t have been possible without you.

DABF is a perfect example of the creative spirit that defines Dallas Contemporary and the energy of the Dallas arts community. If you were inspired by this weekend's vibrant programming, we invite you to consider becoming a member or making a donation to help sustain events like this. Your support ensures that we can continue offering dynamic, accessible programming for all.

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DABF 2025 Booksellers Publishers:
A mix of independent bookstores, small presses, literary organizations and art-focused publishers.

00ps b00ks + Nature of Things; Alliance Française de Dallas; Art League Houston; BLACKLIT; Books and Brown Sugar Co; Can Can Pres; Colector; Corsicana Artist & Writer Residency; Deep Vellum; Impresos México/Miau Ediciones; K.Co Press; N+Co.; Perimeter Books; Photographique Bishop Arts; Spark Journal; Spectacle Box & Pryor Press; Southwest Review; Steven Visneau Photography.

DABF 2025 Food + Bev:
Agiebabes; Cafe Xica; Gelato La Boca; Herby’s Burgers; Four Corners Brewery + Topo Chico.

DABF 2025 Artists, Presses + Creative Orgs:
A diverse group of independent artists, design studios, small presses, creative collectives and cultural institutions showcasing zines, prints, photography and experimental publishing projects.

AHK; anya mind; Apprentice Creative Space; Arcadian Editions; Argyll Productions; Bestu Friendo Co; Black Ego; Brent Ozaeta; The Cauldron Press; Cedar Fever; Chelsea Akpan; Chloe Scout Nix + Zeke Williams; CICR Studio & Press; Colleen Borsh; The CookBook LookBook Calendar Project; Creative Baddies; cryptic device; Cynta Camilia; Dallas Asian American Art Collective; Dallas Public Library; Delaney Allen; Dinner Party; Dirk Vile; Doodler Doodles; Dori Talifero; Dwayne Carter / Madness Zines; Eucalyptus Season; Fela Raymond; Ghostgrl Studio; Hommage Magazine; IN RGB AND CMYK; Jack Diller; J WInni; Kid Ray B; Konstantine Soldatos; Kuneho_complex; London Loftice; Lostinbadbooks; Lure.n; Mara Gervais; Michaela Made; Mottemera; MU; Mystic Multiples; National Monument Press; Photography Is a Dead Medium; Paloma the Peach; piss_meister; Play Nice Press; Protean Magazine; Rachel Gibson; Rose.bleed; SM Sanz; Soft Spots Press; Soft Surprise; Spacy; Spina/Novoa Studio; Split Press; Strange Powers Press; T. S. Cuccia; T.C. Oliver.

2025 DABF PROGRAMMING ARCHIVE

Seeing the Strange and Wonderful: Conversation with A. Kendra Greene + Lisa Huffaker

Celebrated author and artist A. Kendra Greene joined multidisciplinary artist and writer Lisa Huffaker for a captivating conversation. Greene’s latest work, No Less Strange or Wonderful, is a luminous meditation on the art of paying attention—exploring love, loss, meaning, and the dazzling complexity of existence through a series of twenty-six essays that blur the lines between the everyday and the sublime. Together, Greene and Huffaker—both artists drawn to the interplay of text, image, and material—delved into the themes of the book, the craft of storytelling, and the magic found in both the ordinary and the extraordinary. It was an intimate discussion on curiosity, creativity, and the ways we make sense of the world.

A. Kendra Greene is a writer and book artist. She is the author and illustrator of The Museum of Whales You Will Never See. Her work has come into being with fellowships from Fulbright, MacDowell, Yaddo, Dobie Paisano, and the Library Innovation Lab at Harvard.

Lisa Huffaker’s projects involve construction, as in sculptural vending machines built to offer over 8,400 handmade artist’s books, and deconstruction, as in her collage/erasure transformation of a 1963 “self-improvement” book for wives. Pegasus Contemporary Ballet recently choreographed a new dance work built on her poetry, and Pierce Planetarium recently featured her hybrid of poetry, full-dome art, and music. Look for her work in upcoming issues of Iterant and The Iowa Review.

Theatre of War: Conversation with Stanislava Pinchuk + Lilia Kudelia

Stanislava Pinchuk joined curator Lilia Kudelia for an artist talk exploring Pinchuk's major project Theatre of War and the visual translation of this film into the printed book format, published by Perimeter (Melbourne, Australia). Pinchuk's three-channel moving image work Theatre of War, on view at Dallas Contemporary during the Dallas Art Book Fair, recasts the opening lines of Homer's epic poem The Iliad. The film moves across history, language, and geography, connecting past, recent, and ongoing armed conflicts: the Trojan War, the Bosnian War, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Stanislava Pinchuk is a Sarajevo-based artist working with data-mapping the changing topographies of war + conflict zones. Her work is produced in full independence, and surveys how landscape holds memory and testament to political events – spanning drawing, architecture, installation, tattooing, film + sculpture.

Lilia Kudelia is a curator and art historian. Her practice involves archival research, the study of cultural heritage, preservation and restitution, and the conventions of memory. She teaches contemporary art at the University of Texas at Arlington and works for the Ukrainian Museum in New York City.

Third Spaces: Conversation with Spacy, Apprentice Creative Space, and Soft Spots led by Lucia Simek

In celebration of the first year of DABF Satellite Programming, Dallas Contemporary’s Executive Director, Lucia Simek, moderated a compelling discussion on the significance of third spaces in Dallas’s creative landscape. The conversation brought together Satellite program partners—Spacy, Apprentice Creative Space, and Soft Spots—to explore the unique roles these spaces play in bridging gaps, fostering collaboration, and supporting artistic communities.

From Spacy’s intimate 35-seat microcinema cultivating cross-disciplinary conversations through film, to Apprentice Creative Space’s commitment to literary and creative accessibility in Oak Cliff, and Soft Spots’ dedication to democratizing printmaking and publishing, each of these spaces serves as a vital hub for connection, experimentation, and artistic growth.

Join us as we delve into the motivations behind these spaces, the needs they address, and their impact on Dallas’s creative ecosystem. Whether you're an artist, writer, filmmaker, or art enthusiast, this discussion will offer insight into the power of independent, community-driven spaces in shaping the cultural fabric of our city.

LISTEN HERE

Poetry Karaoke with Deep Vellum hosted by Riley Rennhack

Poetry Karaoke featured a selection of poems from Deep Vellum, inviting attendees to read, recite, and reinterpret poetry in a lively, welcoming space—no experience necessary, just a love for words.

2025 DABF SATELLITE PROGRAMMING

We’re thrilled to introduce DABF Satellite Programming—a citywide initiative celebrating the creativity and community at the heart of art book publishing. As part of 2025’s Dallas Art Book Fair, we collaborated with incredible partners to bring you unique experiences across Dallas:

Spacy – A 35-seat microcinema inside Tyler Station aiming to foster connections and collaborations among artists and audiences across a variety of ideas, perspectives, art forms, and disciplines, all through the medium of moving images.
Apprentice Creative Space – A nonprofit literary and creative hub in Oak Cliff offering affordable coworking, free education programs, and inclusive community events to support and uplift Dallas’s creative community.
Soft Spots – A Dallas-based Risograph press, owned and operated by artists Kristin Wright and Gino Dal Cin, dedicated to fostering creativity and collaboration through accessible print and publication resources.

Dallas Contemporary’s 2024 Dallas Art Book Fair Programming & Lineup Archive

1:00 pm – Self-Publishing Conversation with Steven Monacelli, Steven Visneau, and Zac Crain
Protean Magazine publisher Steven Monacelli, photographer Steven Visneau, and D Magazine executive editor Zac Crain participated in a conversation discussing the excitement and challenges of independent publishing.
2:00 pm – Solar Eclipse Workshop with Dr. Mary Urquhart
UTD planetary scientist Dr. Mary Urquhart led a solar eclipse-themed workshop. Dr. Urquhart was a collaborator on Dallas Contemporary's exhibition View Finder, a film by artist Brian Fridge.
2:30 pm – Corsicana Artist and Writer Residency Reading with Josephine Birdsell
Josephine Birdsell, a queer, nonbinary artist and essayist, presented a reading that addressed themes of queer and feminine liberation, sobriety in subcultures, and recovery from trauma.
4:00 pm – Comics Reading Hour with Chelsea Akpan and Cynta Camilia
Comic artists Chelsea Akpan and Cynta Camilia gave readings from their respective works, LOVEFOOL and The Space Between Nothing, followed by a Q&A session with fans.
All Day – EAR READING: A Publication Performance by Kristen Cochran
Artist Kristen Cochran presented an all-day performance titled EAR READING, which explored the concept of live publication through performance.
1:00 pm – Remembering The Reading Room: Artist Conversation
Artists Brandon Kennedy, Lucia Simek, and Terri Thornton reflected on the legacy and impact of the former Dallas gallery, The Reading Room.
2:00 pm – Printmaking Workshop with Scout Ryman
Artist Scout Ryman conducted a block-printing workshop featuring their unique stamps and designs.
2:30 pm – Performance by Ceci Ceci
Nicaragua-born musician and songwriter Ceci Ceci performed original songs inspired by her hometown and her queer identity.
4:00 pm – Poetry Karaoke Hosted by Riley Rennhack
Riley Rennhack of Deep Vellum hosted a rapid-fire poetry reading session where audience members participated in live poetry performances.
00ps B00ks, Corsicana Artist & Writer Residency, A24, Atopia Projects, Alliance Française de Dallas, BLUM, Colored Noise, Conduit Gallery, Dallas Contemporary, Dallas Public Library, Deep Vellum, Free Museum of Dallas Press, French & Michigan, Kansas City Art Institute Graphic Design & Friends, Make Art with Purpose, Nonplussed Media, The Power Station, Subjectively Objective, The Invisible Archive, The Wild Detectives, Adam George Art, Beanpolice, Bestu Friendo Co., Black Ego, Brent Ozaeta, Carlos Donjuan, Caroline Philippone, Chelsea Akpan, Chris Green, Colleen Colette, Cook Book/Look Book Calendar Project, Creative Baddies, Cryptic Device, Cynta Camilia/J4lly, Dallas Asian American Art Club, Dallas Contemporary Staff, Demir Candas & Jack Diller, Devin Selby, Dimsouls, Done The Magazine, Doodler-Doodles, Dwayne Carter, Eucalyptusseason, Ghostgrl Studio, Gren Bee, Ian Wortham & Chi Leong, K.Co Press, Kia Murray, Kid Ray B, Labsynthe, Logan Larsen, London Loftice Art, Lostinbadbooks, Michaela Made, Moriah The Artist, Mottemera, Olivia Harris, Our Quiet Work, Panocha Zine, Picnic Surf Shapes, Pipianshop, Play Nice Press, Plinth Books, Protean Magazine, S. Rodriguez, Scout Ryman, SM Sanz, Soft Spots Press, Steven Visneau Photography, Strange Powers Press, T.C. Oliver, Temple Monkey Editions, The Cauldron Press, UTD, Zine Map.
Food + Bev; Xamán Café, Gelato La Boca, Tacos La Gloria, LALO Tequila, Greenhouse Gin, Townes Vodka, and Topo Chico.
Special thanks; Sally Warren, Kim Dawson Agency Inc., Paige Kuchler, Janelle & Alden Pinnell, David Droese, Shop SWOON, Soft Spots Riso, JJ Ermonsele.