Two years after moving to a 17,500-square-foot loft in Manhattan's Chelsea arts district, Aperture, the nonprofit photography foundation and resource center, holds or sponsors more than 50 public programs each year—from major exhibitions to lectures and books signings—that not only publicize its books but help to spur book sales.
Aperture's offices feature a 3,000-square-foot exhibition area and an adjacent 1,500-square-foot bookstore. “Our books are seen by relatively few people,” said Aperture executive director Ellen Harris, “but more than 700,000 people a year see our exhibitions and public events.” Aperture publishes around 25 books a year. The bookstore features about 50 current and backlist Aperture titles out of the 150 or so active titles on its backlist.
Most of Aperture's public events begin with books, said Lesley Martin, director of the book program. Aperture often partners with museums on a major traveling show or initiates shows and other events at the New York space. In early May, the British conceptual artist duo Gilbert & George were in New York for a signing that originated from an Aperture partnership with the Tate Museum in London, which mounted a major exhibition of their work. Meanwhile the Tate show will travel to Germany, Italy, San Francisco and New York over the next two years—generating book sales at every stop. Gilbert & George: The Complete Pictures, a mammoth, 1,200-page, two-volume, $89 slipcased book copublished with the Tate, sold out quickly (about 500 copies) during the Aperture book signing.
Aperture also has increased its partnerships with New York institutions to conduct exhibitions. “Right now we've got four shows up around the city, and every exhibition sells books,” said Diana Edkins, director of Aperture's gallery.
Some books, like The Black Panthers by Stephen Shames of previously unpublished photos of the Black Panther Party from the 1970s, are the catalogues for major exhibitions organized for the gallery. With other books, like Fandomania by Elena Dorfman—photos of anime and manga cosplayers (fans costumed as popular characters)—the space is used for lectures and signings. Coming to the Aperture gallery this November is Paris New York Shanghai by Hans Eijkelboom, a book and gallery exhibition presenting a witty photo survey on globalism.
Over the next 18 months, Aperture is also redesigning its Web site (which generated over $500,000 in sales last year) to build an online photographic community, as well as to sell books. Harris emphasizes that selling books was originally a small part of Aperture's mission, but has become much more important over time. “When Aperture began 50 years ago, there was no market for photography books,” said Harris, “but books were one way we could distribute images. Now that's all changed. Photography is considered an art now—and educational outreach and public events are central to our mission.”
