Radius Books has quietly amassed a remarkable mission: to place 100,000 books on public shelves, empowering readers who might not otherwise have access.
Published December 12, 2025
Santa Fe-based nonprofit Radius Books was founded on two guiding questions: How can an art book honor the way artists think? And how can we reach a broader audience? Co-founder David Chickey frames the aim this way: to treat artists’ ideas with true respect while expanding access.
In its 18 years, Radius has produced more than 200 photography and visual-arts titles, covering a wide range—from iconic figures like Georgia O’Keeffe and Ellsworth Kelly to rising talents such as Cara Romero. Running alongside this publishing program is Radius’s Donation Program. Each year, with roughly 18 to 20 titles released, Radius donates 350 copies to institutions that would otherwise struggle to acquire them. Beneficiaries include public libraries, prisons, schools, and art centers across the United States and Puerto Rico, plus a school in Meyerton, South Africa, that supports students recovering from trauma. To date, Radius has donated over 100,000 books, with a retail value of about $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 of this work is felt in diverse ways. Chickey recalls a recent call from a librarian in rural Arkansas. The library allows book loans for only 24 hours, yet a 14-year-old girl checked out one of Radius’s titles and renewed it daily for two weeks. The book in question was Deborah Roberts’s Twenty Years of Art/Work, a study of a collage artist who highlights the challenges Black children face. “She clung to that book,” Chickey notes. The librarian asked Radius to recognize how transformative it can be to move books out of traditional collections and into hands that would not otherwise access them. While Radius is often approached by museums or artists’ estates, the organization also welcomes submissions from emerging artists. “We’re not some strange, closed network,” says Chickey. If you react only to what comes to you, you can’t be truly diverse.
For some artists, the grant represents a full-circle moment. Chickey highlights Wendy Red Star’s Bíilukaa Rare, which investigates the material culture of the Apsáalooke people. “I recall Wendy saying she wanted to create the kind of book she wished she could have found as a young girl—one that teaches you how to be a photographer, especially if you don’t know where to start.”
Radius Books aims to broaden the program’s global reach through increased book sales and continued donations. Locals in Santa Fe can participate in donation days, where volunteers help pack and ship cartons from Radius’s warehouse.
radiusbooks.org
