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• Jayne Wilkinson

Art writing has recently become a favoured term for those less comfortable with the established disciplinary roles of historian or critic. But despite an ever-expanding public interest in contemporary art, the last decade has seen several art publications fold or merge. At the same time, many new publishing models, academic and non-, are emerging; how can these models continue to support critical writing about art, artists, theory, and cultural histories? How can digital spaces be venues for rigorous debate and also disseminate real-time critiques? Can social media tools intersect with established forms of art publishing? And how can this field sustain critical writing practices without replicating the colonial structures inherent in so many publications? This roundtable invites wide-ranging proposals for short statements, papers, or presentations from artists, scholars, cultural workers, art writers or critics—early career and established—to discuss the possibilities of art publishing now, and in the future.

keywords: publishing, art writing, criticism, publics, artist-run culture

session type: roundtable

The Past Three Years: Art Publishing with ReIssue Magazine

• Casey Wei, Simon Fraser University

In 2019, after years of making zines, publications, posters, and pamphlets, ReIssue co-founder Brit Bachmann and I successfully applied for a Vancouver Foundation Systems Change grant to make an art magazine. We talked to folks across the sector initially to see what worked, what didn’t, what consistent and specific challenges each faced in their own experiences with art publishing, and landed on our online content model, which would be curated into a yearly physical anthology. Throughout the pandemic, we had a lot of ideas to promote ReIssue: we hosted various online events/Free Schools, partnered with other organizations for co-productions, and made two strategic plans. We are in the final year of our Systems Change grant, and will be applying for funding to keep ReIssue going in 2024. The presentation will discuss ReIssue, including the kinds of outreach that have been successful, the rewarding (and occasionally very difficult) work of editing, brand identity, staff structure, the short and long game of art writing (who does it and who is it for?) and, of course, the ever-difficult funding question.

keywords: art writing, art publishing, art criticism, ReIssue, West Coast

Writing Art/Artists’ Writings

• Geoffrey Robert Little, Concordia University

In 2019, Concordia University Press launched Text/Context, a series dedicated to the writing practices of Canadian artists. Privileged as compelling primary sources that illuminate artistic practice, artists’ writings also strongly resist categorization and traditional narrative forms. Text/Context publishes collections of essays, statements, articles, lectures, and other written interventions by Canadian artists, collating published and unpublished texts that are otherwise scattered, hard to find, or not easily accessible to readers. The series explores the interrelations between what and how artists write, as well as where they publish, and the rest of their practice. Books in the series illuminate an artist’s relationship not only to her/his/their own work, but to their peers and to broader social, economic, cultural, and political questions. As of Spring 2023, collections by Ken Lum, Colin Campbell, and Liz Magor have been published, with others by Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald and Ian Carr-Harris slated to appear in 2023 and 2024. Books in the Text/Context series are published in print, but they are also made available online and without any access restrictions. The goal is to make the books available as widely as possible. To fulfil this mandate, the press experimented with a variety of tools and platforms, some well-known by students and scholars, some less so.

This presentation engages with several broad questions, namely: How does this series sustain and support our knowledge of Canadian art and what does it contribute to the discourse writ large? How can digital publishing support access to and engagement with primary sources? How does a digital edition relate to the printed one? What is changed and what is enhanced in the transformation? And what questions around accessibility, display, and flow, as well as the spatial relationships between book text and image, confront the publisher?

keywords: art writing, publishing, Canadian art, digital

RACAR and Art Publishing in Canada

• Mitchell Frank, Carleton University

As the official journal of the UAAC and the sole general art and art history journal in Canada, RACAR (Revue d'art canadienne/Canadian Art Review) holds a unique place in the field of art publishing in Canada. Publishing two issues per year, RACAR features articles, research-creation projects, interviews, book and exhibition reviews, and other contributions relevant to the Canadian arts community. Since 2013, RACAR has followed a practice of publishing a general issue in the spring and a themed, guest-edited issue in the fall. Celebrating its 50^th anniversary in 2024, RACAR has endured due to a variety of factors, from institutional and governmental support to voluntary work from numerous editors and writers, who are supported by institutions, such as universities and museums, as well as other forms of funding. RACAR’s longevity evidences both stability and change. Its peer-reviewed content has greatly expanded from traditional historical topics to more engagement with contemporary thought and art, even with a peer-review process that seems, at times, overly restrictive. During the past decade, RACAR has also added polemics and practices sections, which engage with pressing contemporary issues, art practices, and curatorial work. RACAR’s change from hard copy to a hybrid format (hard copy and online) has also enabled it to sustain itself through gains in revenue and readership. This short presentation will look at RACAR’s history and the challenges it faces in keeping relevant in the age of digital spaces and social media.

keywords: RACAR, art publishing

Mondo Books and the Arctic Art Book Fair

• Tanya Busse

Mondo Books (Tromsø) is an independent book platform that mediates artists’ publications through publishing projects, distribution, exhibitions, book fairs, workshops, launches and other events. We pursue research-based projects around topics of printed matter and its relationship to social movements, in particular in the Barents region. Recently, Mondo Books hosted the first edition of the Arctic Art Book Fair, a multi-day celebration of artists and independent presses, featuring more than 35 local, national and international publishers, as well as a diverse line-up of presentations, readings and artists’ projects. Featured exhibitors produce everything from books, magazines, zines and printed ephemera to digital, performative or other experimental forms of publication.

AABF is the first art book fair (to our knowledge) that brings together producers from across the circumpolar north: Alaska, Northern Canada, Greenland, Northern Scandinavia and Russia. The fair is committed to Arctic content, with a focus on Indigenous perspectives, under-represented voices and emphasizes cross-border collaborations. The first edition of the Arctic Art Book Fair took place November 13–15, 2020, in Tromsø, Norway. The next edition will be announced shortly for 2023.

Mondo is currently run by Tanya Busse, Marion Bouvier and Nicolas Siepen.

keywords: art publishing, art book fairs, Arctic, circumpolar art and artists