DENSE

Thank you for joining us at Jersey Art Book Fair 2026! Over three days, we welcomed 150 local and international exhibitors alongside dozens of programs, film screenings, and performances. A heartfelt thank you to our host, Mana Contemporary for once again opening their beautiful space to us in the heart of Journal Square; to our dedicated Fair staff, for the care and thought they brought to every part of the weekend; to our generous partners, Monira Foundation and Jersey City's Office of Cultural Affairs, whose support makes this non-profit event possible; and to our inspiring exhibitors, who showed a remarkable range of books, prints, and zines, and who truly make JAB Fair what it is. JAB Fair 2026 marks a turning point in our vision of an art book fair: a space to build a community of artists, designers, small presses, and independent publishers who approach print as a radical form of resistance and belonging. Stay tuned for more details about JAB Fair 2027! #jabfair2026 #artbookfair #printisnotdead #jerseyartbookfair2026 #printedmatter @manacontemporary @monirafoundation @jcartandculture @contemporaryflea @pierogigalleryreal

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD! It's hard to believe that we're just a little more than one week away from welcoming you all back to Jersey Art Book Fair 2026, in the heart of Jersey City's Journal Square. We can't wait to obsess over, laugh, sigh, pause, nerd out, show off, give a fuck and drool over what unites us: our love of print. But it feels especially timely. Because dare we say... this edition is landing sooo differently. With one shitshow after another and everything we love and care about teetering on the precipice, all that JAB Fair is, is the hope that print matters – always has and always will. Our tiny mighty team knows and feels this, pouring our hearts and hands into making this the landmark year we hope it can be. From the incredible roster of artists, designers, small presses and independent publishers, to the humbling commitment of our hosts @manacontemporary and supporters @monirafoundation and @jcartandculture , JAB FAIR 2026 is our time to come together and be reminded of the power that books, zines, graphic novels, posters, chapbooks and other printed matter have to be the medium of connection. We've been dreaming about what an art book fair can be for a while now, so do expect to feel some changes. But what will never ever change is how much it means to hold this precious promise together with you, to meet old friends, make new ones and leave more inspired than how we arrive. All for the love – and hope – of print. So grab your tickets as soon as you humanly can, and let's GATHER. Link in the bio. #jerseyartbookfair2026 #artbookfair #manacontemporary #jerseycity #weloveprint

VOLUNTEER FOR JAB FAIR 2026! We’re looking for people passionate about print to assist with preparation in the immediate lead-up to Jersey Art Book Fair, on-site installation, as well as help throughout the fair itself. GREAT SHIFTS, GREAT PERKS Crews range from front-of-house to back-of-house and promo. Volunteers receive a JAB Fair t-shirt, complimentary fair entry for 2 friends PLUS a ton more perks when you sign up for multiple shifts. DEADLINE TO APPLY Applications are now open through April 22 for all shifts. Apply early (until April 10) for the best selection of shifts plus a bonus raffle entry. Link to apply in via link in bio! #jerseyartbookfair2026 #artbookfair #iloveprint #volunteer #jerseycity

That’s a wrap! Day two of @setmargins at Jersey Art Book Fair was a sweet mashup of joy, community and a display of love for print that I desperately needed. Thank you, everyone who came out! I am happy to have had the opportunity to pair so many people with books suited to their passions ❣️📚- until next time, fellow bibliophiles! 🏹🔥❤️‍🔥 xx Angel

We are not saying goodbye from DENSE Jersey Art Book Fair… it is see you soon. Thank you to everyone who came to support the incredible vendors, speakers, artists… and of DENSE. Just a quick view of vendors. Watch our stories for more moments from the weekend. DENSE’S 4th annual Jersey Art Book Fair was hosted at Mana Contemporary, with support from Monira Foundation and Jersey City’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Next up at Mana Contemporary Spring Open Studios on Sunday, May 17th! @itsdense @monirafoundation @jcartandculture @manacontemporary @manacommon

Jersey Art Book Fair is here-and Day 1 is almost in the …dare we say it…. books! Be sure to come by Sunday, May 3rd to the last day of DENSE’s fourth annual Jersey Art Book Fair, hosted at Mana Contemporary, with support from Monira Foundation and Jersey City’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Over 145 artists, designers, small presses and independent publishers will showcase books, zines, graphic novels, posters, chapbooks and other printed matter for sale across Mana’s galleries and courtyard. Exhibitor highlights include #blkgrlswurld ZINE, Bored Wolves, Calipso Press, Conveyor Studio, Dancing Foxes Press, Eureka! Press, GenderFail, Handsome Crow, Hi-Bred, It’s Freezing in LA!, Kelli Anderson, Looky Here, Makan Press, McSweeney’s, Mega Press, Neoglyphic Media, New Poetics Publishing, PM Press, Radical Characters, te editions, The Drawing Center, and Unemployed Magazine. The fair’s visual identity is created by JAB Fair veteran exhibitors Draw Down Books. Link in bio for tickets and more details on programming and events. Or contact @itsdense Be sure to view our stories to see just some of the fun from Day 1! @itsdense @monirafoundation @manacontemporary @jcartandculture

🛑 TRAFFIC AHEAD 🛑 Jersey Art Book Fair has arrived. Please use your turning signals and fasten your seat belts. We can't wait to welcome you to our fourth edition! Pull right up with tickets in hand! Tickets at / link in bio #jerseyartbookfair #weloveprint #slowdown #showtime #jerseycity

Join us this weekend for Jersey Art Book Fair @ Mana Contemporary We’re setting up a shoppable lounge space by the Dan Flavin Gallery featuring design, vintage furniture and art books for your home. 📍Mana Contemporary 🗓️ May 1-3 Check @itsdense link in bio for more info

You do you little man. We here for the feelz. Tickets to Jersey Art Book Fair 2026 delivered at the press of an actual button (link in that bio). See you tomorrow!!! #artbookfair #jerseyartbookfair #journalsquare #manacontemporary #printedmatter

~ After all, I reasoned, a ghost needs a body too. ~ This Friday, May 1, I’ll be sharing an iteration of Bodies of Flora, my Rutgers Laureate project, at JAB Fair Eve @itsdense at @manacontemporary JAB Fair Eve (part of In Care of Unfinished Places) Jersey Art Book Fair 2026 Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ 4–7 pm (performance at ~5:30 pm, 25-min duration — no late entry)
With sound design by @leetusman 🔗 Tickets at link in bio Bodies of Flora reimagines vanished plant species from New Jersey. Told as a ghost story and presented as a live lecture-performance, the work draws on the history of botanical science to bring these forms back as spectral presences. It invites the audience into a collective act of conjuring—restoring presence to what has been lost. Credits:
Concept, Writing, Direction: Sue Huang
Sound Design: @leetusman 
Script Editing: @daniel.grushkin Research Assistants: @assemkin , @a.nukriti , Kundan Reddy
Web Development: @kenamarit 
Textures & Animation: @pariahinteractive

TODAY AT 2PM! A few spots left for today's Scavenging Walk. Join Larissa Belcic of Nocturnal Medicine for a behind-the-scenes experience of how they work with place when creating their events. Participants will help collect kindling that will feed the communal fire at the After Hours Party, looking for and scavenging along the Hackensack River (meeting point will be shared upon registration). Ticket holders to this event get 50% off to the After Hours Party. Must be 21 years of age or older to attend After Hours Party. This ticket does not include entry to JAB Fair. 🥾🥾🥾 Register for this free event ASAP. DISCLAIMER: This expedition involves walking through unpaved muddy areas and may involve multiple stops. Dress appropriately — water-resistant shoes, long pants, long sleeves, and work gloves. Participants must be 21 or older, must have their own transportation, and must sign a waiver. This event is part of In Care of Unfinished Places, a program within JAB Fair 2026 featuring artists, writers, designers and researchers whose work is rooted in place-sensing. Attune more deeply to Journal Square – not just where the fair takes place, but in a neighborhood where 40+ languages, ancestral Lenape lands and the Hackensack River are parts of stories still being told. See you in that place called Undisclosed! #scavenging #foraging #lenapehoking #jerseyartbookfair2026 #hackensackriver

What does Journal Square want to remember? Help us photograph it. We’re at Jersey Art Book Fair! Free walking workshops depart at 1,3,5pm on May 2+3. Back inside, images get printed and pinned to a shared wall map next to archival photos of the same location. Sunday May 3: Q&A with special guests, 12-12:45pm. Mana Contemporary, 888 Newark Ave., Jersey City. Anyone can join.