After a record success at the 10th annual Fair in 2016, the Mercantile Library is taking its signature event into a second decade of bringing exceptional examples of books and works on paper to the Midwest.   The Fair audience builds each year, and organizers are expecting up to 1,000 art and rare book collectors to pack this year’s St. Louis Fine Print, Rare Book and Paper Arts Fair.  Visitors will be rewarded with the opportunity to build their collections and chat with the thirty-five top-tier dealers from around the country in the conveniently located J.C. Penney Conference on the University of Missouri – St. Louis north campus. 

“We are very gratified by the number of exceptional dealers who are asking to participate,” notes Julie Dunn-Morton, Curator of Fine Art Collections at the Mercantile Library.  Dealers new to the fair for 2017 include Conrad R. Graeber Fine Art and Anthony Philip Fine Art who will join Aaron Galleries and William R. Talbot Fine Art as returning dealers.  “I always enjoy the St. Louis Fair both because it is a chance to get together with a great group of fellow-print dealers, but also because the clientele coming through is so knowledgeable.  They recognize and appreciate what is on display in our booths, and it is fun to both help educate them, but also to learn new things ourselves!” states Chris Lane, owner of the Philadelphia Print Shop West.

Among the many returning dealers, Stevens Fine Art from Phoenix, Ariz., handles American and European art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and includes Depression era art, New York urban and city subjects as well as WPA and California impressionists.  Also returning this year will be New York’s Susan Teller Gallery featuring American art of the 1930s and 40s, especially industrial realism and modernism, and Arader Galleries of Philadelphia, known for historic American prints including those of John James Audubon.

Returning local dealers include Kodner Gallery with both national and regional fine art; McCaughen & Burr Fine Art featuring Missouri artists; Anthony Garnett with his antiquarian, first edition and international book titles; Judith Haudrich Antique Prints specializing in 17th – 19th century botanical and historical subjects; and Photography Past & Present with works by contemporary American photographers. Local artists will be on hand Sunday to offer lively demonstrations, including The Firecracker Press, a graphic design and letterpress print shop and Julilette Travous Fine Art presenting a pastel painting demonstration.

An opening night benefit preview of the Fair will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 5. Preview tickets are $20 each or two for $35 for Mercantile members; $25 each or two for $40 for non-members and $15 for young collectors 35 years of age and younger.  The preview offers a first look at the dealers’ booths and a benefit silent auction featuring towboat rides, unique cultural experiences, fine art and more.  Ticket price includes wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres at the party and admission all weekend.  The Fair continues from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 6 and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 7.  Admission is $5 for members and $7 for non-members per day, $2 for students and UMSL Alumni Association members with an ID. Ample free parking is available in the West Drive Garage, or visitors may reach the Fair via a short walk from the UMSL North Campus MetroLink stop.

Proceeds from the preview and fair will benefit the Mercantile Library collections acquisition and conservation funds. Visit printfair.umsl.edu or call 314-516-6740 for more information.

The St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri St. Louis was founded by philanthropic businessmen in 1846 as a subscription library and continues today as a vibrant community and cultural asset.  The Library makes its collections of American river and rail history, Western expansion and the history of the St. Louis region, and the growth of Missouri art and cultural history available to local and national users through educational programming, exhibitions, and online access.