The seeds of First Print Press were planted in 1986 with an effort to reach the public directly through an arrangement with The New York Times Magazine. Like many artists, Roy wanted to engage his audience and be able to offer something they could live with in their homes and offices. After all, art should be available to those who seek it. So he and art historian Sherry Turner DeCarava began creating limited edition prints of select images under the name “First Print.”

As it turns out, Roy and Sherry were a bit ahead of the curve in terms of artists’ offering their work directly to the greater public. Though there were certainly interested clients and an eager audience, one can only imagine what might have blossomed if the internet had been as central to modern life then as it is now.

And yet they persevered, turning a side project into a small family business with their three daughters. Over the years First Print made select public offerings here and there, while Sherry continued to search for a publisher to support keeping Roy’s work in print.

“Roy set a standard for excellence that remains unmatched,” Sherry noted in a 2017 interview. “Yet in the 21 years since [Roy DeCarava: A Retrospective was on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York], despite the collective best efforts of supporters and friends, he has not had a book published or a major solo exhibition. This has remained an enduring frustration even as his work continues to speak to who we are as human beings and continues to inspire generations of artists.”

First Print Press is built upon the DeCaravas’ early efforts to celebrate Roy’s work and make it widely available. Before his passing in 2009, Sherry vowed to redouble her efforts and committed all of her resources to bringing Roy’s work back into print. Thus began a 10-year journey to raise funds and build support for a publishing project. In 2018 her efforts began to bear fruit and First Print Press was officially born with its first publication, a heritage edition of The Sweet Flypaper of Life, Roy’s iconic collaboration with American poet Langston Hughes. It is the first of many planned art-centered publications of DeCarava’s photographs by First Print Press. In addition to reissuing a heritage edition of The Sound I Saw, Roy’s classic poetic homage to jazz, we’ll also be releasing catalogs of both his known and unknown works.

First Print Press is thankful for the assistance and support of David Zwirner Books, as well as of the family and friends of Roy and Sherry Turner DeCarava. We owe a debt gratitude to all the people across the globe who have told us they are inspired by and love the work of Roy DeCarava, and who carry it in their memories and their hearts. We thank you and hope you’ll continue to support our efforts to keep Roy’s work accessible to all.