Printed Matter's Craig Mathis on the democracy of bookmaking

Since its founding in 1976 by a small group of artists, Printed Matter has stood as a living example of what happens when art, publishing and community converge. We spoke with Printed Matter’s Craig Mathis to reflect on its enduring legacy and the simple yet increasingly radical act of putting ideas into print.

 
STANLEY/BARKER: What was the first book you remember being meaningful to you? 

Craig Mathis: The Call of the Wild by Jack London was one of my earliest favourites and its themes have endured with me. Rugged adventure, wild freedom, remaining true to your nature and fighting for what you believe in. 

S/B: Is there a book that you can't part with despite its terrible physical condition? 

CM: Despite my wife's objections - I'd have to say my trade paperback copy of Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. For whatever odd reason, this period of southern California history captivated me as a youth. My copy is now yellow, brittle, held together by a rubber band and relegated to the storage box with other accounts, counter narratives and sensational theories regarding this dark period in US history. 

S/B:We live in an increasingly digital world, why should people still care about physical objects? 

CM: The digital world flattens everything and saps it of its value. Predatory platforms monetise practically every aspect of our online lives. My favourite physical object is a tree. My second favourite is a book.

S/B: Can you tell us about how you came to work with Printed matter? 

CM: Printed Matter had a job opening for "Distribution Manager" which is their vernacular for shop manager. I started in spring 2017 after working for 10 years as shop manager at powerhouse Arena in Dumbo, Brooklyn. My entry to this world came through making, trading and buying zines. I first encountered Printed Matter at their 2008 NY Art Book Fair as a fan. I'm still a fan.

S/B: Printed Matter feels both like a bookstore and something closer to an archive or a social space. How do you see its role today? 

CM: Printed Matter's flagship location (in its current location at 231 11th Ave. in Chelsea) serves many purposes but our primary objective is the distribution of artists' books and related publications. We're a bookstore and our goal is to stock and sell a representative collection of artists' books, zines, ephemera, prints, posters and everything in between. Beyond this, we host exhibitions, events, class visits and share resources as much as possible. Beyond distribution, our goal is to celebrate the history of artists' books from the past through the present and to encourage (artists, as well as non-artists) to participate to grow and strengthen our community. And for people that cannot visit our physical space, we try to mirror as much of the experience through our online and social presences, at our book fairs and through our publishing program and resource sharing.

S/B: There’s a lot of emphasis in art publishing on scarcity and exclusivity, but Printed Matter feels expansive, generous. How do you navigate that tension between the rare and the accessible? 

CM: We want to offer publications at an affordable price, for a variety of budgets, to the public as long as they are in print. Many of the titles on offer are made in small editions (for various reasons but generally not artificial scarcity). Some things sell faster than others. We try to advertise as widely as possible and make everything for sale on a first come, first served basis. 

 

S/B: How does your experience of an art book and seeing art and an exhibition differ?

CM: I grew up as a part of many subcultures - hardcore and punk, skateboarding, graffiti, etc. The gallery system (or in my case art museums which were the only analogous things available to me in Northern Virginia), felt alienating , aloof and completely uninterested in any world I inhabited. This of course, compelled people to make and exchange things on their own. Through DIY networks, especially pre-internet, this created meaningful exchanges of information and blueprints for further art making. Printed Matter has long held this space to encourage everyone to make artwork in book form and we consider and value these  on a  level scale where you can see a zine by a first timer next to a book from a long-established bookmaker. Books and zines can be affordable, portable and carry a world of ideas in each publication. We're in some ways the antithesis of the highly curated gallery. "Overwhelming" is the word most often used to describe the shop experience. We're bursting at the seams, constantly in flux and eager to make space for new and different forms.

S/B: Printed Matter has always had a strong sense of place, whether at the Chelsea space or at the fairs. How do you approach building community? 

CM: By encouraging people to participate. Make a zine, attend a store event, go to a book fair, spend hours on the floor sifting through the shelves and boxes. Look at the people in the space, we're your community and you are ours. There are many ways to contribute and be a part of something bigger.