Celebrating 25 Years of Photography and the Book Arts with 21st Editions

For the past 25 years, the 21st Editions publishing house and visionary Steven Albahari have created an extensive collection of hand-crafted, fine press books that each focus on the word, image, and artisan binding. Inspired by early 20th-century photographer Alfred Stieglitz and his publication Camera Work, Albahari and co-founder and scholar, John Wood, continued dialogue and presentation around the fine art of photography with their own Journal of Contemporary Photography. Albahari’s vision evolved into publishing unique editions of artists’ books with teams of individual writers, poets, photographers, printers, papermakers, woodworkers, metalsmiths, and artisan book binders that became 21st Editions.

This retrospective exhibition features the 21st Editions Collection along with selections from the publisher archives to highlight years of refined bookmaking, relationships, and collaborations that Albahari and Wood cultivated with artists, writers, and poets around the world to produce 64 magnificent rare artist books.

In the fall of 2018, the University of Minnesota Libraries, with the generous support of the Francis V. Gorman Endowment, acquired the complete 21st Editions Collection concurrently with the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The University Libraries also serves as the repository for the entirety of the 21st Editions archive.

Exhibit details

What: Celebrating 25 Years of Photography and the Book Arts with 21st Editions
When: Friday, June 14 through Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 (Weekdays only)
Hours: Open during library hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday)
Where: Elmer L. Andersen Library, Wallin Center (ground floor), Bell Gallery | Parking & directions