The Contemporary Artists' Books Conference (CABC) was started in 2008 by the New York Chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NY) in collaboration with the NY Art Book Fair. It has been held annually during the Fair as part of its special programming.
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History
In 2006, Printed Matter, Inc, under the direction of its former Director and President AA Bronson, launched the NY Art Book Fair (NYABF). The Contemporary Artists' Books Conference (CABC) was started two years later by the New York Chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North America in collaboration with the NYABF. In subsequent years, the conference was held directly within the Fair as part of the Fair's public programming.
The CABC was initially organized by a volunteer committee of art librarians from the New York area, including James Mitchell, formerly of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Jennifer Tobias, Milan Hughston and David Senior of the Museum of Modern Art Library; Deirdre Donohue and Matthew Carson of the International Center of Photography; Ryan Haley of the New York Public Library; Deirdre Lawrence of the Brooklyn Museum Library; and Tony White of the Maryland Institute College of Art. Stephen J. Bury of the Frick Art Reference Library joined the committee in 2010.
The CABC was also included in Printed Matter's LA Art Book Fair beginning in 2014.
Programming
Although the programming for the conference varies from year to year, all conferences are united by their focus on emerging practices and issues within art-book culture. In addition to organizing the annual conference, CABC's planning committee commissions a new artists’ book as part of its program. Previously commissioned artists include James Hoff, Eve Fowler, Dexter Sinister, David Horvitz, Triin Tamm and Emily Roysdon, and the “assembled magazine” Adventures, produced by Aaron Flint Jamison.