EventsTours
A visitor gets a close view of type Public demonstration tours of the historic printing and bookmaking facilities of Arion Press and the typefoundry of M & H Type are held Thursday afternoons at 3:00 and last approximately one hour. There is a charge of $7.00 per person and reservations are required. The tours are sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute. For reservations call the Grabhorn Institute at (415) 668-2548 or e-mail grabhorn@arionpress.com. We welcome special group tours. Please contact us for scheduling and pricing information. Exhibitions in the Arion Press GalleryThe gallery is open free to the public on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and by special appointment.
Current Exhibition: Frank Lobdell, color etchings in conjunction with The Structure of Rime, the series of prose poems by Robert Duncan; Jim Dine, painting entitled "Hoyem's Heart", to benefit the Grabhorn Institute; William Blake, facsimile prints of watercolor illustrations for Paradise Lost, from our portfolio of thirteen facsimile prints by Blake from the collection of the Huntington Library; Stan Washburn, artwork for Tono-Bungay by H. G. Wells; Kiki Smith, artwork for Sampler, poems by Emily Dickinson; Jess's The Boobus and the Bunnyduck, the Arion Press facsimile edition of his unique artist book from the story by poet Michael McClure; William T. Wiley, artwork and unique hand-colored prints for Godot, an imaginary staging by Wiley of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot; Mark Ulriksen, paintings for A Day in the Bleachers by Arnold Hano; Alex Katz, etchings for Gloria by Bill Berkson.
Artist Kiki Smith creating artwork Please check back for other exhibitions as they are scheduled. Events & Grabhorn Institute LecturesEvents take place in the gallery. Seating is limited, so please call or e-mail to reserve.
Nobel Prize winning poet Seamus Heaney Forthcoming (dates to be announced): Melville scholar Robert K. Wallace on the illustrations for Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick, including those by Frank Stella, with an exhibition; Poetry critic and Stanford University professor emeritus Marjorie Perloff, biographer of poet Frank O’Hara, on O’Hara’s major poem Biotherm, with an exhibition of artist Jim Dine's illustrations for Biotherm, and the participation of Dine and art critic Bill Berkson; Andrew Hoyem on the work of Bruce Rogers, considered the greatest American book designer and typographer, and an exhibition of books Rogers designed. Also see photos of recent events. Upcoming FairsThursday, November 5 through Sunday, November 8: International Fine Print Dealers Association Print Fair at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street. Arion Press will exhibit artist books and prints in this annual fair. For more information, visit www.printfair.com. Upcoming ExhibitionsSaturday, July 11, 2009 through Sunday, November 8: This summer's retrospective of the prints of Los Angeles artist John Baldessari at San Francisco's Legion of Honor museum will feature the Arion Press 1988 edition of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. The five large lithographs Baldessari created for the project will be in the main exhibition. The Logan Gallery will be devoted to showing the Arion accordion-fold with 39 photo-collages by Baldessari, along with copies of the three volume set. A few copies of the book and suite set are still available for purchase. Saturday, November 21, 2009 through Sunday, May 23, 2010: The celebrated Arion edition of The Apocalypse with woodblock prints by Jim Dine will be included in the upcoming “Extraordinary Exhibitions: Artists' Books of the 20th Century” exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The exhibition is in two parts (1900-1949 and 1950-2000), and our book is in the latter, running from November 21, 2009 through May 23, 2010. A few copies of this rare title are available for sale. Recent Events
Ongoing and special exhibitions are Wednesday, April 22, 6:00 p.m. Grabhorn Institute Spring Benefit Dinner with guest of honor Stephen Shore. This year's guest of honor was renowned New York photographer Stephen Shore, who illustrated the Arion edition of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence in 2004. Please visit the benefit page for more information on the special offering of five Shore photographs, sales of which proceed the Grabhorn Institute. Wednesday, March 11, 5:00 p.m. Talk by noted historian Fred Kaplan, "Abraham Lincoln as a Writer". Professor Kaplan is the biographer of Mark Twain and Henry James and the author of the recent Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer, which is cited as among the latest reading of President Obama. Reception at 5 p.m., talk at 6 p.m. Celebrating the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Book Club of California, and the Brick Row Book Shop. Reservations required: (415) 668-2542 or grabhorn@arionpress.com Wednesday, February 25, 5:00 p.m. Book artist and cultural critic Johanna Drucker on "Writing as a Printer, Printing as a Writer". Drucker is the Bernard and Martin Breslauer Professor of Bibliography at UCLA. Her scholarly work includes Sweet Dreams: Contemporary Art and Complicity (2005) and Graphic Design History: A Critical Guide, with Emily McVarish (2008). On display will be a number of Drucker's artist's books with her own writing and images. Reception at 5 p.m. The talk begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a musical interlude by vocalist Syd Straw, accompanying herself on guitar. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the Book Club of California and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tuesday, December 9, 5:00 p.m. A celebration of the 400th anniversary of John Milton's birthday (9 December 1608 - 8 November 1674). At 6:00, Andrew Hoyem delivered a lecture on “Milton's Paradise Lost Regained”. An exhibition of early and special editions of Paradise Lost, Milton's great work, included the Baskerville edition as well as the Arion Press typographic limited edition, with commentaries by Blake scholar Robert N. Essick and Milton scholar John Shawcross, and accompanied by our William Blake portfolio. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Wednesday, November 19, 5:00 p.m. Party celebrating the release of our most recent publication, The Structure of Rime, the first collected edition of the series of prose poems by Robert Duncan, with an introduction by Michael Palmer, and augmented by etchings by Frank Lobdell. An exhibition of color etchings by Frank Lobdell, offered for sale with the book and an accompanying print, is mounted in the gallery. Readings from the poetry were presented by Michael Palmer, Christopher Wagstaff, and Andrew Hoyem at 6:00. Sunday, October 12, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Novelist Diane Johnson signed and read from her latest book, Lulu in Marrakech. Johnson is the author of the introduction to the Arion Press edition of Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 5:00 p.m. Publication party celebrating the release of the Arion Press edition of Tono-Bungay by H. G. Wells, with artwork by Stan Washburn. Tuesday, July 15, 2008,
6:00 p.m. Double-feature screening of legendary films of plays by Samuel Beckett.
See event photos. Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 6:00 p.m. William Stout on “Collecting Frank Lloyd Wright”, an informal talk by architect and publisher William Stout, with a viewing of rare items from his personal collection of books and graphics by and about Wright. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Book Club of California. See event photos. Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 6:00 p.m. The annual Grabhorn Institute Spring Benefit Dinner. With honored guest William T. Wiley, who has upcoming retrospectives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and at the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Please visit the Grabhorn Institute webpage for more information about the special offering of Wiley prints and a drawing. Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 6:00 p.m. Helvetica screening. The documentary by Gary Hustwit, released in 2007 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the type's introduction. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Book Club of California, and the San Francisco Center for the Book. Friday, January 4, 2008, 5:00 p.m. The premier showings of The Household of Robert Duncan and Jess: An Intimate Portrait of a Legendary Home, a documentary by Christopher Wagstaff and David Fratto, and an excerpt from Peekaboo Flicks, home movies made by Jess, 1981-91. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Book Club of California. -2007 EVENTS-Monday, September 10, 2007, 6:00 p.m. Chicago printing scholar Kim Coventry with an illustrated talk entitled “Printing for the Modern Age: Commerce, Craft, and Culture from the Presses of RR Donnelley”. The firm of RR Donnelley was founded 140 years ago and is now the nation's largest printing operation. This event is part of the Grabhorn Institute Lecture Series, preceded by a reception at 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Book Club of California. Wednesday, August 15, 2007, 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Opening reception for the exhibit “Pj’s on the Qt: selected Tangrams / more pieces to the puzzle”. Tangram is the limited edition press of Jerry Reddan, longtime printer for Arion Press, and has published many wonderful small books of poetry and prose by prominent writers including Jim Dodge and Barry Lopez. In the words of Southwest BookViews, “Tangram is a limited-edition, letterpress house in Berkeley that pays attention to detail and the quality of a book as physical object, amplifying its role as the repository of well-chosen words.” The exhibition is sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute and supported by The Book Club of California and the National Endowment for the Arts. Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 6:00 p.m. Twelve Men in a Print Shop by Adam Hochschild. To mark the 200th anniversary of Britain's abolition of the slave trade, an illustrated talk, Twelve Men in a Print Shop, by Adam Hochschild, author of Bury the Chains, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Award in History and the PEN-USA Prize. The abolition campaign was launched in James Phillips' print shop in George Yard, London on May 22, 1787. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Book Club of California, and the English-Speaking Union. Tuesday, April 24, 2007, 6:00 p.m. The Grabhorn Institute Spring Benefit Dinner. Guest of honor: artist John Baldessari. A celebration benefiting the Institute's programs in the history of printing, the art of the book, preservation, and education, including apprenticeships in typecasting, printing, and bookbinding. For information and to reserve: 415-668-2548 or email grabhorn@arionpress.com. Sunday, April 15, 2007, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. Andrew Hoyem has been selected to receive the Fred Cody Lifetime Achievement Award during the 26th annual Northern California Book Awards on Sunday, April 15, 2007. Read more. Monday, March 19, 2007, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Internationally acclaimed book binder Jill Tarlau talking about her work in connection with the exhibition “Jill Oriane Tarlau: Embroidered Bindings”, an exhibition of 22 bindings using rare and luxurious materials. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute and the Book Club of California with support from the National Endowment of the Arts. Saturday, March 10, 2007, 10:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. Arnold Hano, author of Arion's recent book A Day in the Bleachers, on the radio show West Coast Live on March 10th. Now in his 85th year, Hano discusses the book as well as his take on baseball today. West Coast Live takes place in front of a live audience at the Freight and Salvage, 1111 Addison, Berkeley, CA, and is broadcast on dozens of stations across the country as well as Sirius satellite radio. Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 7:00 p.m. Andrew Hoyem presenting at the opening of the exhibition “Andrew Hoyem & Arion Press: 36 Books 1976-2006,” at the Gutenberg Museum, Mainz (Frankfurt). For more information and directions, see the Gutenberg Museum website. Friday, January 12, 2007, Morgan City, Louisiana: Charles Martin of Arion Press presenting a slide lecture on Andrew Jackson Grayson's Birds of the Pacific Slope at the Everett Street Gallery, 201 Front Street, Morgan City, LA at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2007. Sponsored by the Humanities Council of Louisiana and the Book Club of California. -2006 EVENTS-Saturday, November 18, 2006, Lexington, Kentucky: Andrew Hoyem at the University of Kentucky on Saturday, November 18 in an afternoon seminar during the King Library Press Fiftieth Anniversary celebration. The presentation is titled “Bible, Baseball, and Beckett: Recent Arion Press Books”. More information. Wednesday, November 8, 2006, 6:00 p.m. The History of London Bookselling. Historian C. Paul Christianson gave a slide lecture on “The Beginnings of the English Book Trade: The Booksellers of Early Tudor London”. Sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute and the Book Club of California. Tuesday, May 2, 2006, 6:00 p.m. A conversation with Joseph Goldyne and his collaborators in artists' books, moderated by Charles Hobson. With an accompanying exhibition of Goldyne's artist books through June 4, 2006. Tuesday, April 25, 2006, 6:30 p.m. The annual Grabhorn Institute Benefit Dinner, this year celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Institute. With honored guests Ira Michael Heyman, past Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and Mel Kendrick, New York Sculptor and Print Maker, who contributed woodblock prints for the Arion Press edition of Kora in Hell, prose poems by William Carlos Williams. For more information, please visit the Grabhorn Institute page. Tuesday, March 21, 2006, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Signing and reception of recent art and design books: Jacquelynn Baas, Smile of the Buddha: Eastern Philosophy and Western Art from Monet to Today (University of California Press); C. Paul Christianson, The Riverside Gardens of Thomas More's London (Yale University Press); Leslie Freudenheim, Building with Nature: Inspiration for the Arts & Crafts Home (Gibbs Smith Publishers); Diana Ketcham, The de Young in the 21st Century: A Museum by Herzog & de Meuron (Thames & Hudson); Marc Treib, The Donnell and Eckbo Gardens: Modern California Masterworks (Willliam Stout Publishers). Authors will be present, with remarks at 6:30 p.m. Co-hosted by Arion Press and William Stout Architectural Books. Recent ExhibitionsNovember 7, 2007, through January 4, 2008: Jess: An Exhibition of Books, Magazines, and Broadsides. More than 60 items by the San Francisco artist known as Jess (1923-2004) are on display, including illustrations for books and magazines, as well as original works, drawings, and paste-ups on loan from the Jess Collins Trust, and the Arion Press facsimile of his children's book with Michael McClure, The Boobus and the Bunnyduck. For information on the exhibition or the Arion Press facsimile edition, inquire by email to arionpress@arionpress.com or call 415-668-2542. August 16 through September 7, 2007: “Pj’s on the Qt: selected Tangrams / more pieces to the puzzle”. Tangram is the limited edition press of Jerry Reddan, longtime printer for Arion Press, and has published many wonderful small books of poetry and prose by prominent writers including Jim Dodge and Barry Lopez. In the words of Southwest BookViews, “Tangram is a limited-edition, letterpress house in Berkeley that pays attention to detail and the quality of a book as physical object, amplifying its role as the repository of well-chosen words.” Opening reception for the exhibit on August 15, 2007, from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibition is sponsored by the Grabhorn Institute and supported by The Book Club of California and the National Endowment for the Arts. April 16 through June 8, 2007, Pomona, California: “The Word and the Image: The Artist/Author Collaboration of Andrew Hoyem and Dick Barnes”. Special Collection Reading Room, Honnold/Mudd Library, 800 Dartmouth, Pomona College. This exhibition celebrates the artful collaboration of two Pomona College alumni, poet and scholar Dick Barnes and artist/printer Andrew Hoyem. From the 1960s to the late 1980s, they teamed to produce several important, finely printed books at the Arion Press. Materials on view are drawn from the Richard G. Barnes Papers and the Arion Press Collection in the Pomona College Archives. More information about hours and location. March 26 through May 10, 2007, Kalamazoo, Michigan: The A. M. Todd Rare Book Room at Kalamazoo College is offering an exhibit entitled “Jim Dine: Collaborations with the Arion Press”. This exhibit showcases the works of American Pop Art leader Jim Dine. The works range from painting, sculpture, and prints to poetry and performance art. The exhibition is from the collection of Paul G. Smithson, who is a long-time Arion Press subscriber. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 1 PM to 3 PM until May 10. More information. Three of Jim Dine's livres d'artistes for Arion Press are currently available: Biotherm, The Case of the Wolf-Man, and Ape & Cat.
February 28 through April 15, 2007, Mainz, Germany: The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, just outside of Frankfurt; an exhibition of Arion Press editions beginning February 28 and running through April 15. Opening Hours of the Museum: Tuesday to Saturday: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m; closed on Mondays and on public holidays. For more information and directions, see the Gutenberg Museum website. Recent FairsMay 9, 2009, San Francisco: Annual Book Arts & Printer's Fair, Fort Mason, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: Free. Information: www.pcba.info. Letterpress printers, book artists, calligraphers, paper marblers, publishers, and book enthusiasts gathered to share their love of the word in all its forms. M & H Type was on hand with information about our foundry and ordering type. February 9 through 11, 2009, Berkeley: Arion Press was represented at the second biennial Codex International Book Fair Monday, February 9 through Wednesday, February 11. For more information, visit www.codexfoundation.org. January 22 through 25, 2009, Los Angeles: International Fine Print Dealers Association Los Angeles Fine Print Fair at the Los Angeles Convention Center, West Hall A, 1201 South Figueroa Street. Arion Press exhibited artist books and prints in this fair, which was recently added to the annual Los Angeles Art Show. For more information, visit the LA Art Show website. -2008 FAIRS-October 29 through November 2, 2008, New York: International Fine Print Dealers Association Fair at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street. Arion Press exhibited artist books and prints in this annual fair. For more information: www.printdealers.com. Saturday, September 20, 2008, 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., San Francisco: Roadworks: Steamroller Prints. M & H Type at the fifth annual street fair hosted by the San Francisco Center for the Book. The highlight of the event was the making of prints from large-scale linoleum blocks, carved especially for the occasion, with a steamroller. The fair took place on De Haro between 16th and 17th Streets. For more information, see the SFCB calendar. October 4 and 5, 2008, New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Fest XV, the fifteenth annual fair celebrating book arts, sponsored by Oak Knoll Books, a leading antiquarian dealer and publisher. This year, Oak Knoll was "Celebrating a Hot-Metal Man", honoring Henry Morris of Bird and Bull Press and his 50th anniversary in printing. For more information, visit the Oak Knoll Fest website. January 23 through 27, 2008, Los Angeles: Los Angeles Fine Print Fair, newly added to the Los Angeles Art Show, sponsored by the International Fine Print Dealers Association. Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. www.laartshow.com. -2007 FAIRS-December 5 through 9, 2007, Miami, Florida: INK Miami, a fair for contemporary works on paper during Art Basel Miami Beach, featuring twenty notable publishers and dealers, including Arion Press, all members of the International Fine Print Dealers Association. Suites of Dorchester, 1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. www.inkartfair.com October 31 through November 4, 2007, New York: International Fine Print Dealers Association Fair at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street. Arion Press exhibited recent artist books and prints in this annual fair for printed art offered by premier dealers in Old Master to Modern to Contemporary works. Artist Kiki Smith made an appearance at 4:30 p.m. on November 3, in conjunction with her artwork for Sampler, the collection of poetry by Emily Dickinson. www.printdealers.com October 6 and 7, 2007, New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Fest, the fourteenth annual fair celebrating book arts, sponsored by Oak Knoll Books, a leading antiquarian dealer and publisher. Kenneth Howard representing Arion Press and M & H Type at the fair, held in the charming town of New Castle, Delaware. The theme is the current renaissance of letterpress printing and its place in college and university programs. The Arion exhibition includes The Waste Land, Journey Round My Room, Godot and other recent publications. More about Oak Knoll Fest: www.oakknoll.com September 8, 2007, San Francisco: M & H Type at the Street Fair sponsored by the San Francisco Center for the Book on Saturday, September 8, 2007, from 11 AM to 5 PM. In conjunction with the Roadworks: Steamroller Prints event, with artists making prints from large-scale linoleum blocks with a steamroller. The fair takes place on De Haro Street between 16th and 17th, San Francisco. More information. May 5, 2007, San Francisco: Annual Book Arts & Printer's Fair, Fort Mason, Building A, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: Free. Information: www.pcba.info. Letterpress printers, book artists, calligraphers, paper marblers, publishers, and book enthusiasts gather to share their love of the word in all its forms. Our own M & H Type will be on hand with information about our foundry and ordering type. February 14 and 15, 2007, Berkeley: Arion Press and the Grabhorn Institute will be represented at the Codex International Book Fair, titled “The Fate of the Art: the Handmade Book in the 21st Century”, on February 14 and 15, noon to 6 p.m. The fair takes place in the Pauley Ballroom, Telegraph and Bancroft, at the University of California at Berkeley. Book fair tickets are $5-$15. More Information: www.codexfoundation.org. -2006 FAIRS-December 7 through 10, 2006 Miami, Florida: INK Miami, a fair for contemporary works on paper during Art Basel Miami Beach, featuring fifteen notable publishers and dealers, including Arion Press, all members of the International Fine Print Dealers Association. Suites of Dorchester, 1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. Hours: Thursday, December 7 through Saturday, December 9, 10:00 – 8:00; Sunday, December 10, 10:00 – 3:00. Information: (212) 674-6095, www.printdealers.com. November 1 through 5, 2006, New York: International Fine Print Dealers Association Fair at the Seventh Regiment Armory, 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street. Arion Press exhibiting recent artist books and prints in this annual fair for printed art offered by premier dealers in Old Master to Modern to Contemporary works. In addition to work by Alex Katz, R. B. Kitaj, Stephen Shore, and others, Arion Press presented new work from William T. Wiley inspired by Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. www.printdealers.com October 7 and 8, 2006, New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Fest, the thirteenth annual fair celebrating book arts, sponsored by Oak Knoll Books, a leading antiquarian dealer and publisher. Andrew Hoyem featured speaker on Saturday, October 7, 10:00 a.m. in a program on “The Private Press and Redefinition of Traditional Texts”. Arion Press a participant at the fair. For further information: www.oakknoll.com. April 8, 2006, San Francisco: 31st Annual Book Arts & Printer's Fair, Fort Mason, Building A, 10-5. Admission Free. Information: www.pcba.info. Letterpress printers, book artists, calligraphers, paper marblers, publishers, and book enthusiasts gather to share their love of the word in all its forms. Our own M & H Type on hand with information about our foundry and ordering type. January 28 and 29, 2006, Los Angeles: Los Angeles Fine Print Fair, International Fine Print Dealers Association. Los Angeles County Museum of Art LACMA West - 5th Floor. Information: www.laprintfair.com. Recent Outside ExhibitionsJuly 10, 2008 through January 4, 2009 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: 246 and Counting: Recent Architecture + Design Acquisitions The Arion Press edition of Invisible Cities, illustrated by Wayne Thiebaud, will be displayed with 246-plus objects of architectural, graphic, and industrial design acquired for the permanent collection since 2006. September 13, 2008 through January 11, 2009 Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, de Young Museum Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco An exhibition of prints by Martin Puryear, including both Arion Press editions of Cane by Jean Toomer. In the Anderson Gallery. For more information contact: Directions to Arion Press. |
