Between all the stuffiness and pressed blazers of years past, I never believed that an art fair could actually be fun — nay, really fun — until yesterday night, when I checked out the inaugural edition of the Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair (BFAPF) in Gowanus. Concurrent with the International Fine Print Dealers Association’s annual fair at the Park Avenue Armory, BFAPF runs March 27 to 30 at Powerhouse Arts, placing emphasis on the close-knit printmaking and publishing community above anything else.

In addition to the genuine relief of being spared an hour-long journey uptown, I confidently can say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself throughout — and not just because BFAPF was only a 15-minute walk from my place. In its first year, the fair felt cozy, with a manageable layout of some 40 domestic and international exhibitors in the Great Hall and over 30 sellers tabling in the Loft, but energetic with its high turnout on opening night.

Best of all, independent printshops, print-oriented galleries, institutional printmaking programs like that of Pratt Institute and Hunter College, and high-profile publishers like Two Palms were all unified in their shared passion not just for the craft, but the connection it elicits through process and appreciation alike.

Luther Davis, director of Powerhouse Arts’s silkscreen printshop, spearheaded the new fair with Ann Shafer and Brian Miller of Fine Arts Baltimore, the chief developers of the city’s own fine art print fair that began in 2022. During my course through the fair, I learned that the trio did the heavy lifting in pulling in exhibitors as well — a majority of participants relayed that they were encouraged to take part by at least one of the three, with some mentioning that Eric Shiner, president of Powerhouse Arts, also extended a few invites.