A Book About Colab (and Related Activities)

This book documents Collaborative Projects Inc., known as Colab, the group of young downtown New York artists who worked together from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.

Colab made artworks, curated shows and took part in debate on the political questions of its time, and it ran projects including The Real Estate Show and The Times Square Show. The full-color book reproduces the printed matter and media the group produced and adds first-hand accounts from members. Contributing artists include Jimmy DeSana, Jenny Holzer, Kiki Smith, Liza Bear, Jane Dickson and Charlie Ahearn. It follows A Show About Colab (and Related Activities), held at Printed Matter in October and November 2011.

The editor, Max Schumann, is a former executive director of Printed Matter, the New York artists' book organization that published the volume. Printed Matter also published the 2011 show, and the book is its fullest account of Colab's output.