Radius Books has quietly redefined access to art by placing 100,000 books on public shelves.
Published December 12, 2025
Santa Fe-based non-profit publisher Radius Books grew from two core questions: how to produce an art book that genuinely respects how artists think, and how to reach a broader audience. Co-founder David Chickey puts it simply: “How do you make an art book that truly honors the artist’s process? And how do you reach more people?”
In the eighteen years since its founding, Radius has released more than 200 photography and visual-arts titles. The catalog spans a range from iconic figures like Georgia O’Keeffe and Ellsworth Kelly to rising talents such as Cara Romero. Running parallel to its publishing program is Radius’s Donation Program. Each year, Radius publishes about 18 to 20 titles and donates 350 copies of every book to institutions that would not otherwise be able to afford them. Beneficiaries include public libraries, prisons, schools, and art centers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, plus a school in Meyerton, South Africa, that supports students recovering from trauma. To date, Radius has donated more than 100,000 books, representing a retail value of around $7 million.
Twenty Years of Art/Work, by Deborah Roberts
Price: $150
BUY (https://www.radiusbooks.org/all-books/p/deborah-roberts-twenty-years-of-art-work)
The impact ripples outward in tangible ways. Chickey recalls a librarian in rural Arkansas who called after one of Radius’s titles. The library has a 24-hour loan policy, and a 14-year-old girl would renew the same book for two weeks straight. The volume that captivated her was Deborah Roberts’s Twenty Years of Art/Work, a study of a collage artist who foregrounds the trials faced by Black children. “She clung to that book,” Chickey notes. The librarian expressed gratitude, underscoring the powerful effect of moving books from traditional ownership into the hands of readers who normally wouldn’t have access to them. Radius isn’t a closed, exclusive club; while they often collaborate with museums or artist estates, they actively invite submissions from emerging artists. “We’re not some strange or closed network,” says Chickey. “If you only react to what comes to you, you’ll never be truly diverse.”
For some artists, Radius’s work comes full circle. Chickey highlights Wendy Red Star’s Bíilukaa Rare, a project exploring the material culture of the Apsáalooke people. “I remember Wendy describing the kind of book she wished she could have found as a young girl—one that would show her how to pursue photography, especially for someone who didn’t yet grasp the process.”
Looking ahead, Radius aims to broaden the program’s global reach through a combination of book sales and continued donations. Locally in Santa Fe, volunteers participate in donation days, packing and shipping stock from Radius’s warehouse.
radiusbooks.org
