2025 King Artist in Residence: Ala Ebtekar
Arion Press is thrilled to announce the 2025 King Artist in Residence will be Ala Ebtekar. A Bay Area native, Ebtekar is an acclaimed visual artist and faculty member at Stanford University, whose practice intertwines classical bookmaking with cutting-edge sciences and technologies. Known for his innovative work spanning from photography to illuminated manuscripts, Ebtekar personifies Arion’s mission of bringing traditional craft into the 21st century by interrogating contemporary scientific themes through centuries-old, Persian aesthetic traditions. The King Residency offers artists the unique opportunity to work on site with Arion’s legendary printing equipment to craft a fine press book from the cover up. Ebtekar will join the press during the winter months while he will creates, conceives, and executes a new vision of Isaac Asimov’s Nightfall alongside Arion’s team of expert craftspeople. Ebtekar will collaborate hand-in-hand with Arion’s foundry, pressroom, and bindery teams and enjoy access to an unparalleled suite of printing equipment and archives to envision his title while producing site specific new artwork timed to the lunar eclipse.
Since its founding in 1974, Arion Press has inhabited some of San Francisco’s most storied neighborhoods, from Chinatown to (pre-dot-com boom) South of Market to the Presidio. Now, as we mark our 50th year, we are proud to join the community at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, on the northern edge of the city. You can now find Arion Press and M&H Type, along with our 47 tons of historic equipment and century-old machinery, on the campus’ Landmark Building B. At the new Mark Jensen designed facility—which houses a letterpress room, type foundry, and book bindery on one level—our limited-edition books continue to flourish and be made by hand, from start to finish, from comma to cover. Our new neighbors include arts organizations such as FOR-SITE Foundation, Magic Theatre, and SF Cameraworks. The iconic location by the Bay, coupled with Fort Mason’s rich programming, allows more people to discover and appreciate our craft first hand.