Rare Books San Francisco hosts a special talk by Ben Kinmont on the San Francisco Diggers group in the Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture (FMCAC). Kinmont, a local artist, bookseller, and antiquarian bookseller, discusses his art project, Our commons are free: An Exhibition About The San Francisco Diggers. This talk is free to attend with Rare Books SF admission, register for space in advance. The talk takes place at Rare Books San Francisco in the Gateway Pavilion (Pier 2) on Saturday, February 1, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The San Francisco Diggers were an underground movement that came out of street theater. Named after the 17th-century Diggers in England, the San Francisco Diggers emerged in 1966 in response to police brutality and the Vietnam War. They were also critical of consumer culture and created a culture of free: free food, free crash pads, free medical care, a free bank, and free stores. Most of their actions and publications were anonymous and they viewed themselves as both the message as well as the medium. They initiated spontaneous events, challenged authority, took drugs, and formed tribes of like-minded people. They also developed their own form of print culture. The exhibition Our commons are free presents this print culture and contextualizes it through news footage, photographs, films, and a multitude of Digger street sheets.

Ben Kinmont is an artist, publisher, and antiquarian bookseller living in Sebastopol, CA. His work is concerned with the value structures surrounding an art practice and what happens when that practice is displaced into a non-art space. Since 1988 his work has been project-based with an interest in archiving and blurring the boundaries between artistic production, publishing, and curatorial practices. He is also the founder of the Antinomian Press, a publishing enterprise which supports project art and ephemera (the archive of which is in the collection of drawings and prints at MOMA). The project Our commons are free has already occured in Italy, France, and England, and will be coming to  FMCAC in 2025.

Rare Books San Francisco sets up in the Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture (FMCAC) on Saturday and Sunday, February 1 and 2, 2025. The literary event brings with it a Regency-era flare in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of revered English novelist Jane Austen (1775-1817).

With support from AbeBooks and KQED, this celebration of antiquarian books, rare maps, fine printing, ephemera, and artists’ books, for the first time, includes a selection of independent writers, artists, and creators curated by San Francisco Zine Fest.

In addition to guided tours of the book fair and a zine-making workshop, leading writers and “Janeites” speak to the life, work, and lasting influence of Jane Austen (1775-1817), author of such classic novels as Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816).

Among the talks and special events is “Jane Austen’s Bookshelf” with Rebecca Romney, a rare book collector and Pawn Stars guest, who discusses her new title, Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector’s Quest To Find The Women Writers Who Shaped A Legend. The $75 ticket for this event includes entry to Rare Books SF, an advance copy of Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, and a special Jane Austen-themed tote bag. A portion of the proceeds from this event benefit The Book Club Of California in San Francisco.

Another free talk, “In Conversation With Richard Wagener,” with California printmaker and book artist Richard Wagener takes place at Rare Books SF on Sunday, February 2, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register in advance.

Visit RareBooksLA.com for more information, including a list of exhibitors.