PVLF 2025

Seattle's Newest Festival, the Seattle Art Book Fair, Celebrates the Beauty of Books

Discover Seattle's vibrant art book scene at the Seattle Art Book Fair! Explore independent publishing, artist's books, and more on May 11-12 at Washington Hall. Free admission for all!
on May 03, 2024

In 2019, Tom Eykemans, '02, and former artist-in-residence Jayme Yen, two Seattleites with UW connections, began dreaming of a book, zines, and art festival. However, it took a few years for their concept to blossom into the Seattle Art Book Fair, a fully fledged yearly festival.

The couple envisioned a world-class, weekend-long event that would capitalize on Seattle's reputation as a UNESCO City of Literature and its thriving book and publishing culture. Disrupted by the epidemic in 2020, Eykemans and Yen revised their strategy for bringing people together around books, beginning with casual "bookluck" gatherings at picnic tables and book swaps.

In 2023, the first official in-person Seattle Art Book Fair brought 65 exhibitors and over 2,000 attendees eager to celebrate book design, independent publishing, and book-based works of art.

Eykemans is a former book designer at UW Press, well known for redesigning the cover of John Okada's renowned 1957 novel "No-No Boy." Eykemans also created the cover for "Homebase," Professor Shawn Wong's debut novel.

The University of Washington alum met Yen while working at The Henry Art Gallery, where she designed museum publications. They connected over their similar interests in design and alternative publishing sources. Eykemans and Yen had been attending art book fairs in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

"Everywhere we went, people asked why Seattle didn't have an art book fair," Eykemans said. "It shed light on this underappreciated aspect of publishing. Jayme and I figured we could start one ourselves.

They believe that Seattle's independent publishing culture, as well as the success of the annual Short Run Comics Festival and Photographic Center Northwest's summer book and zine fair, could make it an ideal location for an art book fair. "There are also poetry and literature festivals," explains Eykemans. "However, what we foresee is not just one of those things. It may include some comics and photos, but we're enthusiastic to think about the book and release as objects. Something people imagine and create that is more intelligent than print-on-demand."

There is a difference between an art book and an artist's book, Yen explains. "It's a similar kind of work," she explains. "The artist book community is more interested in one-of-a-kind, handcrafted, beautifully designed book products. What we're considering still has similar characteristics, but it's more accessible, affordable, and simple to disseminate. It is thinking of the book as a work of art. And what can be done with it in terms of materials and shapes, rather than just substance."

As lead organizers of the Seattle event, Eykemans and Yen select a mix of local and regional artists, as well as national and international exhibitors. They analyze book fair applications and oversee festival planning while working with an expert team of volunteers in fundraising, marketing, public relations and social media.

Last year, they collaborated with artist Colleen Louise Barry on an interactive piece for the Washington Hall stage. Barry created an ongoing series of sculptural works known as Soft Books—giant hand-bound books made of photography and art bound with bright, unconventional material. "We worked with Colleen to make three big podiums out of plywood each of which displayed a Soft Book," according to Eykemans. "People could browse the books on stage and become part of her sculpture."

This year, Eykemans and Yen are collaborating with risograph printer ANEMONE and Zinehug's Alex Barsky to construct a climate crisis reading room and communal altar, which will include a searchable library of publications about climate change and environmental disasters.

This year's public events, selected by the exhibitors, including a discussion by Errant publisher's founder on "What makes a book a book?" and a presentation by Sarah Maker of local publisher Editions on "The Six Elements of Artists' Books."

Taha Ebrahimi, author of "Street Trees of Seattle," will lead a guided street tree walk in Cherry Hill, the neighborhood near Washington Hall. The book fair will also feature a Rainy Day Book Exchange, organized by Raziah Ahmad, '20, where visitors can leave a book and take another. This year, Sasquatch Books will donate books. "It's a way for people to participate, regardless of funds," adds Eykemans, emphasizing that the art book expo is free to the public and close to public transportation.

The Seattle Art Book Fair takes place at Washington Hall from May 11 to 12. The event is free and open to everyone.