ALMANAC - Collective Futures

ALMANAC: valuable information for these times

October 8 – November 15, 2026
Icebox Project Space, Crane Arts Building
1400 N. American St, Philadelphia 19122

Closing reception November 12, 6-9pm

BYO Printmaking Collaborative is pleased to present ALMANAC: a printmakers’ portfolio book and facsimile publication, co-curated and edited by Jessica Aguilar and Kate VanVliet. This multi-faceted project features 26 artists and collaborative pairs from across the United States, selected to participate in a traditional editioned printmaking exchange portfolio. Reflecting on the Semiquincentennial, the curators created a cross-section of contemporary essential data, abstracted and scattered through each artist’s perspective and style. The result is an eclectic artist’s book, showcasing each double-sided print, creating dialogue and narrative threads through the page spreads. Mediums include silkscreen, etching, risograph, woodcut, letterpress, lithography, and cyanotype, with some specific variation throughout the editions of each book.

From the curators: “ALMANAC calls for socially engaging works channeling the power of the artist’s voice to disseminate information and hope beyond their own community. Artists will meditate on the history of the almanac in Philadelphia’s printmaking and publishing history and reinterpret it as a contemporary resource in 2026 with guidance to address the attacks on the rights of women, undocumented individuals, and the queer community. We strive to reclaim the Almanac as a feminist endeavor – a community-sourced guide to these times, nodding to revolutionaries who promoted rebellion against authoritarianism through joint community action. As feminists, our Almanac will present an inclusive approach to resource building, inviting and curating a diverse group of artists’ voices outside those of powerful men.”

A digitally printed edition of the artist book is available from BYO Printmaking Collaborative.

ALMANAC is presented by BYO Print as a publication of the city-wide Collective Futures Festival. The project was made possible with support from the Penn Treaty Special Services District, The Joseph Robert Foundation, and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Thank you!

almanac (noun)

: a publication containing astronomical and meteorological data for a given year and often including a miscellany of other information

: a usually annual publication containing statistical, tabular, and general information