The Magazine
The Urban Backyard: Public Projects and the Chicago Homemade
Distribution and Possible Aesthetics
This is a bi-monthly (twice a month), small magazine (50-60pgs?). That way people cannot plan so far in advance, I want to preserve a level of spontaneity that comes when people choose to attend featured events. Planning too far into the future feels too choreographed and would compromise some of the spirit behind the magazine. To start, each edition would hopefully reach 15,000 readers in the city. Ideally the ultimate goal of my publication would be to have an edition existing for each major city in the United States.
I think some of the best decisions are the last minute decisions. Each publication should be made exhibiting the upcoming events for the next two weeks. I want to shy away from glossy pages or overly manicured aesthetics; I like elements of collage and tactility. I would hope to have some access to recycled paper, or paper that was slightly grittier or had some sort of texture to it. Otherwise, I would like to feature different types of paper in each section, somehow to create depth in the experience the reader has when handling the magazine. In some of the later sections I will be describing a lot of “how-to” columns and homemade projects that I would like to have people contribute and it would be nice to preserve some of their sketches, drawings, hand-written notes and to be able to integrate those. I want it to be a mix between a homemade and handcrafted object and one that is sturdy and substantial. I want there to be a possibility that the reader will hold onto the magazine and archive it because it is intimate rather than tossing it away because it feels disposable.
If it was possible for this magazine to be free, I would love them to be in stacks in the El stations and bus stops. These are locations where people are idle and looking for places to rest their eyes.
Web component
We would have a website for the magazine, constantly updating events to attend, links to local artists’ and groups web pages. However, we would strongly encourage our readers to use the physical magazine as a vehicle to promote removal from the indoors and technology and to really immerse themselves in these projects and endeavors.
The Body of the Magazine
Letter from the Editor
Calendar of Events
This is a fold-out, removable calendar that lists the events for month, though the particular edition of magazine will only be featuring in depth the events coming up in the next two weeks. I like this removable format because it will allow people to take it with them. The backside should have a map of Chicago with a legend of the locations for the upcoming events and features in the current issue.
News
This section should be a brief summary of local government happenings including legislations that have just passed, or topics up for discussion at town hall meetings. I would concentrate on the local and not on the national news, because this magazine is much smaller in focus.
Gallery Exhibitions
Updates from galleries, list of openings, special events. It is not a section for large exhibitions at organizations like the MCA or Art Institute, but more for smaller visiting artists, symposiums, and talks that are being given.
Mobile and Public Art Projects
It should be split into four sections, Downtown, North, West, and Southside. Each geographical location should feature the events that are up and coming on their own personal calendars. The content of these sections should include artworks that are happening in the public sphere: things like installation, performance, and activist art. For example, the Backstory Café in the Southside hosts dinners for discussion and it would be a listing in the Southside events section. I want this portion of the magazine to be devoted to projects that leave the institution and gallery spaces and force people outdoors and to interact with their surroundings. I hope it leads to a greater understanding of the spaces we occupy and how to contribute and better connect with one another. It should facilitate discussion, exploration, and cause people to start asking questions and figuring out ways to answer them. The content should achieve a balance between featuring events people can attend and ones that will inspire people to undertake their own endeavors.
Special Features
(These articles will be interspersed between the four geographical divisions in the Mobile and Public Art Projects section)
I want features on the infrastructures of the city, draw attention to the meat-packing district, landfills, waste management, food distribution, and public transportation. We should expose stories about their histories, how they operate, and how their systems and policies impact art and our lives. These articles and investigations should be art projects in and of themselves.
Other ideas for this section would include guest contributors, bios on local artists, and articles on all related topics. I would love sections for recipes, independent film screenings, listings for all thrift and discount stores, food kitchens, and volunteer work.
I especially would like some “how-to” sections on making homemade crafts, tools, and personal projects. This includes simple tips like how to make bookshelves or sawhorse tables from found materials down-to recycling your clothes.
Freegan-omics
This section would concentrate on teaching people to be sustainable and to practice more environmentally friendly ways of life. Furthermore, it should prompt more innovative ways of thinking and surviving in the climate and environment we live in. For example, there would be tips on foraging for food, urban farming, and eating seasonally. Personally, I would love to write a step-by-step guide to urban camping.
It is not even just about the way we eat or whether we do or do not recycle (are we ever really sure we know where it all goes?) but maybe a way for us to escape the economics and money. This part of the magazine should especially target free opportunities and making sure people are aware of these resources and take advantage of them.
Advertisements
I would love it if the advertisements were ads for people who are looking to teach unusual and/or helpful skills. Lessons on quilting, book-making, herb garden planting, or kits for all of these things should be advertised and taught by local people. This is completely unrealistic, but I am working on it!
Contributors to the first issue
Material Exchange: Sara Black, Charles McGhee-Hassrick, and John Preus
People Powered
Three Walls Gallery
Backstory Café
Mess Hall
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