Open to the public and free
Saturday April 13th, Sunday April 14th
Other Islands Book Fair celebrates independent publishing, cultivating communities, and the many activities in between. The event brings together the work of local publishers, community builders, designers and artists on Pratt’s historic Brooklyn campus.
3 Dot Zine, 10x10 Photobooks, anna pinkas, felu, Body&Forma, Boston Ujima Project, Bricks from the Kiln, Bungee Space/3standardstoppage studio, Childish Books, Columbia Books on Architecture and the City, Christian Nicolas, dispersed holdings, Draw Down Books, Dream Labor Press, Edition Patrick Frey, FORGOTTEN LANDS, Familiars Strangers, Fruit & Rot, G Axis Press, Gallon Design, Gender Fail, Gong Press, Head Hi, Harpy House Press, JahJah Press, lucky risograph, KGP Monolith, New Poetics Publishing, Nightboat Books, Pratt’s Graduate Communications Design Department, Max Pepper Studio, Radix Media, RAPID RELEASE, Seaton Street Press, Spark Journal, Ugly Duckling Presse, Vera List Center, Water With Water, Wendy’s Subway, x_x, and more...
During each ticketed time you are welcome to attend a free workshop, first come first serve in the Student Union.
Text as Palimpsest is a notebook-binding and experimental translation workshop with two collective members of Ugly Duckling Presse. What does translation even mean, or entail? How do we translate sound or images into text? Or translate one language to another—or even translate into the same language but newly and wildly? By first making handmade books with tracing paper, and then using the tracing paper to write, layer, and create experimental translations, we will explore through poetic sensibilities new ways of knowing ourselves and others.
This interactive workshop on trust and practice building is led by Kathleen McCain Engman, subject of the photo book MOM by photographer Charlie Engman (Edition Patrick Frey, 2020). Charlie began photographing his mother as more of an artistic experiment in 2009, with ever more intention and collaborative process evolving over time. The work won accolades traveling internationally before it was published in book form. Of all things people ask the subject about the daringly vulnerable imagery, Kathleen/Mom says one question always stands out: How Could She Do It? Her answer is always: TRUST. This workshop invites people to reflect on how they understand trust in relation to their own art practice. Participants will be encouraged to reply to a variety of prompts and to speak on their longterm projects, current or incubating.
Join this one-hour workshop with Anmol Baliga for a hands-on dive into DIY screen printing. Discover how to design screens, layer vibrant inks, and transform ideas into prints. Unleash your creativity and explore the exciting possibilities of this art form. Let's get messy and craft something extraordinary together!
This workshop takes its basis from the working process for Yelena Yemchuk's book Malanka (Edition Patrick Frey, 2024), a heartfelt documentation of a Ukrainian/Romanian tradition. Participants will devise patterns and/or lettering from a simple but flexible embroidery grid, basing their work on some personal or shared notion of tradition. We will work intuitively and quickly, and discuss the work as a group.
Together, with Lojain Al-Mubarak explore the captivating world of abstract Arabic lettering. Throughout this workshop, we will uncover the beauty of a specific calligraphic style, equipping you with the skills to craft your own expressive calligraphy designs.
The cover of the artist's book A Few of My Favorites, which won the Most Beautiful Swiss Books Award in 2021, is a collage of the Brooklyn-born rapper The Notorious B.I.G. who grew up on St. James Place in Clinton Hill, a 15-minute walk from Pratt Institute. After a brief introduction by the co-editor, the artist, Armando Alleyne, will share with students his collage-making process. Students will then make their own cover collage, drawing inspiration from Biggie Smalls, while Alleyne reads poetry from his book. The goal is to display the various new covers at the publisher's table for the duration of the book fair. This workshop is family-friendly!
Do you have a story to tell or a poem to share? Self-publish your work with a fun, quirky zine. In this workshop, we will make quick and easy zines, explore different modes of making visuals and maybe even exchange zines!
During this one-hour journey, let’s use a traditional calligraphy brush, and explore the relationship between ancient Chinese pictographs and their modern-day ideographs. Together, we will learn the evolution of the Chinese characters that tie to “sun”, "moon", and “good future” in Chinese.
Let's create our own experimental alphabet books! Join designer Ishita Gujarathi in this hands-on workshop where you will sketch alphabets, craft creative compositions, print with receipt printers, and assemble your unique alphabet books.
In just one hour, immerse yourself in bookbinding with our workshop. Learn three binding techniques, easy to understand and exciting to master. From classic to modern, stitch, cover, and decorate your way to beautiful handmade books. Join us for a fun and enriching experience!
In this workshop, we will learn the basics of illustration, specifically for the purpose of preparing it to be given to a tattoo artist. Students will learn a quick overview of different tattoo design styles, some tips, and tricks on how to draw a well-accepted tattoo design, and then be given time to try it out for yourself.
Other Islands Book Fair was organized by various faculty and students within Pratt’s Graduate Communications Design Department.
Ishita Gujarathi, Event Producer
Anmol Baliga, Event Producer
Annie Hoang, Event Coordinator
Xuehui Luo, Brand Designer
Matt Martin, Website Coordinator
Cristina Gabriele, Strategist, Coordinator and Community Builder
Gaia Hwang, Strategist, Coordinator and Event Manager