The biannual CU Small Press Fest took place Saturday at Lincoln Square Mall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and celebrated local artists and small presses. The event featured a keynote speaker, Ben Denzer, who is an artist, designer and publisher from New York. 

The first festival was held in 2019 and has become a biannual staple in Champaign-Urbana. The Small Press Fest invited independent publishers, small press publications and local DIY artists to share their work with the community. According to the CU Small Press Fest’s website, the event wants artists to embrace their creativity and empower others.

Sarah Christensen, visual resources and outreach specialist at the University Library and organizer for the event, believed the event to be a success.

“It’s been absolutely wonderful so far,” Christensen said. “The keynote was wonderful, the event last night, the soiree. It has exceeded all my wildest expectations.” 

The fest brought back returning artists, while also featuring up-and-coming zines in the C-U community. 

“I was part of the first-ever Small Press Fest as the Nobel Print Club when I was in college, so I’m just really excited to be back in this kind of environment,” said Alyssa Knights, a local artist. 

Knights said the feeling of community was a major aspect of the festival.

“This community has a lot of options for ways to make your art and sell your art, which I think is very good,” Knights said. “Urbana especially is a very fun, artsy environment. It’s definitely a good environment to continue art, and there’s good structure to get yourself out there.” 

After the exposition, keynote speaker Ben Denzer shared his insight with the audience. His speech had an emphasis on creating art. The theme was “Work is Play and Play is Work.”

Denzer’s work is featured in several art museums, like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim. He has had work published in The New York Times and The New Yorker and has designed book covers with Penguin Books. 

Denzer runs his own small press, where he self-publishes books centered around oddity. He continues to use unusual materials to make his own books and has held a workshop to teach participants to bind and create books.

“I think 2018 was when I started making books myself, and you know, I was aware of small press stuff before that, and I worked in publishing as a book cover designer, but I always loved more informal making and publication,” Denzer said.

Denzer’s workshop explored bookbinding with corn husks. Denzer said he wanted to incorporate a unique aspect to a skill he has honed. 

“The theme of the Small Press Fest was play and I make kind of weird, odd, books. So I was coming to this state, and thinking, ‘What could we make books out of? Maybe corn would be good.’” 

Denzer highlighted the importance of continuing artistic work, but also thinking outside the box while doing so. 

“I think interesting things can come when you play in unexpected ways,” Denzer said.

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