The Franklin Furnace Artists’ Books Collection is now housed in our independent office space in Long Island City. This research resource is made available to the artists, curators, researchers and the general public for study, enjoyment, and exhibition.

Franklin Furnace actively seeks Artists’ Books to be donated to its collection.

We request that you send up to two copies of your work, the completed biographic information form and bibliographic information form, and your resume. Also, if you can include other documentation of your work, scholars and other users of the collection will have the opportunity to use that additional documentation for research purposes. Be advised that all information and materials you send will become the property of Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc. and may be used in exhibitions and publications.

To submit your artists’ books to the collection, please use the address below:

Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc. 30-30 47th Avenue, Suite 470, Long Island City, NY 11101 USA

To visit, please make appointments via mail@franklinfurnace.org

It is important that all types of artists are represented by Franklin Furnace Archive.

Franklin Furnace has a liberal collections policy – if an artist says their publication is an artists’ book, we usually take them at their word and accession it into our collection. Franklin Furnace’s collecting mission focuses on democratic multiples and does not collect one-of-a-kind books; book sculptures; print portfolios; art catalogs; monographs; or still image excerpts from video works. 

Finally, bigger is not necessarily better. Franklin Furnace is a small nonprofit organization with storage limitations. We are set up for ordinary size artists’ books and book-like works, not oversize objects. If size is vital to the content, we may be able to accommodate an oversize artists’ book but please inquire ahead of time before you send it (mail@franklinfurnace.org). Thank you very much for considering making a donation of artists’ books to Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc.

Franklin Furnace began as an artists’ bookstore. When Printed Matter opened up a few blocks away, through a mutual agreement, Printed Matter became an artists’ bookstore and Franklin Furnace became an artists’ book archives and exhibition center.

Years later, the Franklin Furnace collection of artists’ books became the largest in this country. In 1993 the collection was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art Library’s collection, forming the world’s premier repository, and entitled the Museum of Modern Art / Franklin Furnace Artists’ Books Collection. To this day, Franklin Furnace maintains its own collection on the campus of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.