So much has happened since we last saw you. COVID-19 has impacted how we used to move about our daily life on campus. Seeing familiar faces by the elevators or while passing through the halls has moved online. The university has jumped into action during this difficult time, keeping students, faculty and staff informed and connected more so now than ever.

While community quarantine remains in place, we wanted share some fun photos from our digital album of our zine workshop series held this past January and February.

Each year the Learning Zone hosts a series of zine workshops for OCAD U students. The workshops are a fun hands-on experience led by Marta Chudolinska, a comic book artist and zine maker.

Learning DIY skills like binding or block printing adds a special handmade touch to your zines, artists books, multiples, posters or other material that is part of your creative process, and opens the door to the industry of self-publishing.

Join us in the Learning Zone this January as we host a series of workshops to help jumpstart your creative process in 2020! These introductory workshops are designed to cover basic skills, techniques and tools to create digital artwork, self-publish your zines or publication, or learn the art of bookbinding.

All of the workshops are led by Marta Chudolinska, librarian, artist and zine maker. Marta brings her many years of experience with publishing her comics and art, and is happy to share and demonstrate her skills.

Introduction to Photoshop Tuesday Jan. 14, 2-4 pm

Get started with the Introduction to Photoshop (Jan. 14) where you will learn the differences between Raster and Vector images, file resolution and all the nifty tools on hand in the toolbar to create or retouch your images. This workshop is intended for current OCAD U students who are new to Photoshop and are ready to get started with this powerful tool of image editing. Bring your laptop to follow along, a notebook to take notes, and any questions you have.

Self – Publishing 101 Tuesday Jan. 21, 2-4 pm

Self-publishing 101 will cover the steps in publishing your zine or publication no matter the size. Learn how to design, price, and choose a publication method in this introductory workshop.

Softcover Bookbinding Wednesday Jan. 29, 2-4 pm

Ready to give your publication a handmade touch? This workshop will cover the basics of softcover bookbinding,  including cover folded bindings, pamphlet stitch and Japanese stab binding.

If you have a special paper that you would like to use for the cover or for the interior pages, bring it with you! Otherwise, all material is provided. Maximum attendance is 12, first come, first served.

Open to OCAD U students and is free, including materials.

This exhibition captures the raw energy behind zines – self-published works from zine creators with unique perspectives and diverse voices. The DIY culture embodies freedom of expression unlimited to stories, poetry, drawings, collages, comics and perzines while delving head on into current and contemporary political issues.

Zines are artistic in nature driven by a do-it-yourself (DIY) ethos of handmade or photocopied; zines fit comfortably in an exhibition space as an artifact of voices with a growing urgency to be heard.

FREEDOM-HI! An Exhibition of Zines and Documentation from Hong Kong’s Civil Movements

Atom C and Jason Li from Zine Coop installed the Freedom-Hi! exhibition featuring zines and documentation from 2019 Hong Kong’s protests that began over the controversial extradition bill that could send Hong Kong residents to Mainland China to be tried in court.

The passing of this extradition bill, The Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, would violate the constitutional principle “One Country, Two Systems” which the Chinese government had promised to uphold for 50 years following the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997.

This situation, far from being resolved, has created uncertainties and unrests within Hong Kong which are reflected in this exhibition, and the introduction of new zines being added weekly present real time documentation and preservation.

In response, this exhibition highlights and investigates the current social and political climate of Hong Kong. It offers a glimpse into DIY publishing as a vehicle for information dissemination, self expression and creative resistance.

Salam // Wai : Resistance Beyond Borders

Salam // Wai : Resistance Beyond Borders curated by Diaspora Express and Hong Kong Gong draws parallels between Salam// Wai : Resistance Beyond Borders and  Freedom-Hi! April 6, 2019 mark the start of pro-democracy protests in Sudan. A political crisis erupted since the removal of the long-serving ruler, Omar al-Bashir.

…how can we hold space for one another, when our own homes are under attack?

The curators seek to answer this question with bringing both the Sudan and Hong Kong community together with art, zines and family photos.

This is a scaled version of the exhibition that ran at Tea Base in August. A collection of art and zines from two communities sharing parallel experiences. On at the OCAD U Zine Library until October 7.

Download the  Salam//Wai Exhibition Statement by Diaspora Express and Hong Kong Gong

Zine Coop is an indie publishing artist collective that promotes zine culture in Hong Kong. It provides support on zine making and distribution, connecting artists with book fairs while serving as a bridge between distress and potential readers.

www.zinecoop.org / FB: zinecoop / IG: zine_coop

OCAD U Zine Library marked their celebration of Pride Month last week @ocadulibrary with Tamara Noor ‘s staff pick:

Stonewall 1969 by Mike Funk:

As we come up on Pride month, it is important to remember the origins of Pride and this zine serves as a great reminder. It provides a brief history of the Stonewall riots in comic form. Most importantly, it highlights the important roles that LGBTQ activists and pioneers Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera played in the 1969 Stonewall rebellion. Pride did not begin as a fun corporate-sponsored party, it was a police riot. This zine reminds me to pause and thank the courageous LGBTQ activists that came before us for the important work they did.

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#DisplayYourPride at OCAD U! Visit the many events across campus and join us at the Learning Zone for a button making party; Thursday June 13th from noon until 4 pm. Be creative and make a button or a few – only 2 for $1.00. All welcome!

For Pride Month 2019, our LGBTQ+ and supporting Learning Zone Staff members discovered some of their favourite zines from the OCAD U Zine Library. The zine library is an evolving DIY collection promoting diversity and embracing inclusive communities. We’ve highlighted staff picks and more in our Pride Month display.

Tamara Noor staff pick:

We begin with a personal favourite of Tamara’s called Kingston is for Lesbians by Cleo:

For this years’ Pride display, Kingston is for Lesbians by Cleo was a zine I immediately gravitated to. Being a queer person of colour in a very white, conservative city is something I relate to a lot. However, even in those unfortunate circumstances, it is still possible to find role models to aspire to (i.e. the older lesbian couple next door in their domestic bliss). This zine also beautifully explores the concept of “home” and what that means… is it a place? A feeling? I also adore Cleo’s illustration style. All in all, a magnificent perzine about self-discovery.

Nik Szafranek staff pick:

This zine What Makes An Object Queer by Jamie Q was an immediate favourite for Nik:

I was immediately drawn to the playfulness of the little (XS) zine; with its playing with descriptions of queerness that are both fun and accessible. Where a lot of cis/heteronormative discourse tends to essentialize LGBTQ+ identities to merely their sexual aspects and there for deemed not ‘child appropriate’. It is refreshing to see a more light hearted but still very holistic approach to this diverse grouping of identities and lived experiences. The pairing of attempts to describe queerness you can imagine being used for individuals you may know and empathize with equally ‘queer’ but definitionally different representations of abstract composite forms along and more recognizable objects with unexpected additions and omissions attempts to bridge understanding by comparison and contrast seems very approachable.

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Casey Helm staff pick:

A Queer Women in History: A Zine Celebrating the lives of Queer Women in History caught Casey’s attention:

While the zine is certainly not exhaustive, it gives the reader a great little primer on some influential + pioneering LGBTQ+ women throughout history. I want people to use this zine as an introduction; there are so many more amazing women to learn about, and so much more in-depth information about everyone featured in the zine. Do your research, especially about historical LGBTQ+ women of colour! An important figure missing from this work is Marsha P. Johnson, a Black Trans woman activist who was at Stonewall. Queer and Trans women of colour were so instrumental in building the community we have today, and we owe so much to Marsha and others. I also want this zine to remind everyone – WE HAVE ALWAYS EXISTED!!

Samiya Karim staff pick:

Decolonizing P@renting a zine by & for Queer parents of color edited by  Se’mana Thompson and Maria Teresa Carmier  was love ❤️ at first sight for Samiya:

It is rare to see conversations about queer parenting let alone queer parents of colour. This zine opens up the conversation of how we can approach parenting as POC with Queer identities. A healing zine for anyone of queer POC identity.

Visit the OCAD U Zine Library and discover your favourite LGBTQ+ zine and share it with us!