Self-Publishing for Artists
Through the practice of self-publishing, artists can learn how to spread their art and ideas in a sustainable, cost-effective, and tangible way. This was a course offered at my school, Pomona College, during the Spring 2019 semester. The course focused on artist's books as an art form. We created "zines", books, pamphlets, posters, and a wide variety of other forms of publications. Over the course of the semester, I became proficient in Adobe InDesign and Photoshop, and I familiarized myself with the use of the scanner, photocopier, and Risograph machine. Not to mention, I explored a variety of book-binding and paper-handling techniques. Each book has 20 editions.
The prompt for that resulted in "Dead Children" was to create a serial publication. I worked with two of my classmates Alexa Ramirez and Anthony Zhang to create this book about childhood. To create the book, we used used crayons for the illustrations and cover, formatted everything in Adobe InDesign, printed 20 copies, glue-bound the books using the glue-binding machine, and then glued pieces of fabric onto each edition. Here is our editor's note, included in the book:
Dear Reader,
We hope you enjoy this as much as we have. The idea for this publication came out of seemingly nowhere and then, somehow, it took over our lives. As far as we know, this is the first publication about dead children in the way we have done it. Dead Children was created to mourn our past selves the world too often tells us is dead. This is our first edition of many to come after. It’s funny, in a way, that it is made by college students. We are in a weird limbo between childhood and adulthood in which everyone tells us we are neither a child and yet we are constantly reminded of our adult inadequacy. Dead Children is an attempt to step out of that limbo and, instead, bridge the gap– rebirth, celebrate and incorporate that dead child into our present days. Whether we recognize it or not, our past is a leading factor in who we have become. We wish to ritualize the commemoration of the memories of who we were in order to understand the fundamental parts of ourselves that will continue to be carried with us into the future.
We reject the idea that childhood is something to leave behind.
Love,
Alexa, Anthony & Mei
Dead Children
Paper, fabric
9.5" x 9.5"
The premise of the "Library Excavations project was to explore, get lost in, and discover the wonders of the Honnold-Mudd Library in Claremont, CA. My classmates and I were each drawn to unique and niche parts of the library. Other students created publications like a pamphlet about old maps, a book about racist yearbooks, and a delicate collection of precious photos from their birthplace.
Library Excavations: The CD Booklet
Paper, stapled; CDs
5" x 5"
As one of our first projects, we interviewed each other (the students) in the class and made a "zine" about the interview process. I interviewed Derry and Ethan, two art and computer science majors who are older than me. Instead of recording all that was said, I focused more on snippets that were said by both of them that I felt set the mood for the entirety of our conversation. It was a pleasantly awkward, yet genuine, experience.
To create the book itself, I used photos I took of Derry and Ethan, physically cut and pasted them onto paper, and copied and printed them into booklet format.
An Interview with Derry and Ethan
Paper, stapled; marker
5.5" x 8.5"
The instructions of this project were to make a piece about habits and rituals. I was inspired by the Mass Observation Project in Britain and the idea that people often share routines in public spaces. At the Ontario International Airport, I stood in line for the women's restroom and jotted down observations on 5 different women. This is a piece about privacy in public spaces.
A Tiny Mass Observation
Paper, Riso ink, marker
3" x 1"
