Candor Arts Records, 2014-2021 | Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Developed in Los Angeles in 2015 by Matt Austin and Ally Hasche, Candor Arts Press began as an online boutique of homemade artist goods. After moving to Chicago in 2016, Candor Arts was reincorporated under the co-ownership of Austin and Melanie Teresa Bohrer as a small artist book publishing company. The press was created with the intent to identify the exploitative relationships between publishing institutions and the artists they represent. With this mission, Candor Arts provided artists with an alternative to various self-sacrificing aspects of art publishing, such as: significant fund contribution by the artist(s); artist loss of control concerning content, censorship, and/or the possession of rights; and disproportionate profits for the publishing institution.

Between August 2016 and February 2020, Candor Arts press binders Austin, Bohrer, Katie Chung, and Hannah Batsel produced over 5,000 books by hand. Additional assistance in critical times of heavy production included Justin Nalley, Lauren Zollo, Molly Berkson, and Devyn Mañibo. In March of 2020, as the global pandemic impacted business across the United States, the press’ staff shrank to only include Austin and Bohrer, with much of the printing being outsourced. On May 18, 2021, Candor Arts Press closed its on-site location and by September 2021, their website was shut down. Since then, the Candor Collective has worked to continue the mission of Candor Arts as "a holistic support system for arts workers."

Sources

Candor Collective. "History." Accessed September 11, 2023. https://candorcollective.info/candor-history-menu.