Archive | Zine Fest Houston 2011 RSS feed for this section

Zine Fest Houston 2011 Summary

31 May

Zine Fest Houston 2011 may have been the best Zine Fest Houston ever.  We had a great venue, a good turn out, stellar live music, and plenty of interesting zines.

The event started off with a zine reading by Kirk Loftin of CatBat.  The Grass Skirts played next, followed by  Organ Failure.

The discussion panel, featuring Lindsey Simard of Weak Highlights, Jason Poland of Robbie & Bobby, and Francisco Lo of Film Monitor, talked about DIY, promoting, the advantages and disadvantages of Houston, and pitfalls they’ve encountered.

Muzak John started off the second set of live performances:

Carlos Pozo played next.

Infant Mortality Rate & Rotten Piece followed. At the very end of the fest, Carlos Pozo, Infant Mortality Rate, and Rotten Piece played an impromptu battle set together. The battle set is available as a free download here.

Thank you to everyone who attended the fest and helped with the fest! Special thanks to Khon’s, Khon, Super Happy Funland, Copydotcom, all of the musicians, all of the volunteers, all of the panelists, all of the tablers, and our emcee.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

We’re looking forward to next year’s Zine Fest Houston. In the meantime, continue to work on your zines. We’re planning to release the Zine Fest Houston compilation in 2012.  If you’re interested in contributing, please send us an email at our info address.

Interview with Modernizm

20 Apr
Modernizm is one of the many exhibitors participating in the 2011 Zine Fest Houston. Below is an interview with creator Stacy Kirages.
How did you become interested in zines?
I’ve always been interested in the DIY movement through different projects here and there, but I had never thought about making my own zine until the start of this year when I moved back to Houston to pursue a part time art-teaching job.  I came across an article about zines while looking for something to work on during my free time and thought, “Hey, maybe I can make one for fun!”  That is how my first mini-zine of Modernizm came about.
What is the concept behind your zine?
My zine, Modernizm, is all about art for art’s sake.  I wanted to create an outlet where I could share with others my passion for and dedication to the arts, whether it’s visual, literary, musical, or any other art form.  Like the name of the zine suggests, my goal is to have a clean and simple layout so that the reader can focus on contemplating the words and visuals on the page without too many distractions.
What new projects are you working on this year?
Since I started working on creating this zine in January, I’m constantly thinking of new ways to incorporate art in my everyday life.  I’m organizing a mail art project with a small group of people, mostly friends, just to get some creative energy going, and I’ll probably feature this in a future zine.  I can’t wait to see where this project goes.
What other creative ventures do you have besides making zines?
As an after school art teacher, the elementary school classroom is a place where I get to be creative 24/7, whether it’s testing out an art activity or helping a child problem solve about his or her artwork.  Watching children create art is something that inspires me to continue with my own artistic endeavors.  Oh, and to answer the question more directly…I like making watercolor and ink drawings of random things, like fruit.
What is something you’re looking forward to about the 2011 Zine Fest Houston?
Since I’m pretty new to this scene, I’m mainly looking forward to learning as much as possible at this year’s Zine Fest Houston.  I’m also excited to see what other kinds of zines are out there as well as meet the creators behind them.  As a proponent of sharing and collaboration, I know that the Houston zine community will be a great place for that and I’m sure it will be a great learning experience.

Interview with Calico Grounds

8 Apr

Calico Grounds is one of the many exhibitors participating in the 2011 Zine Fest Houston. Below is an interview with creator Josh Bosarge.

How long have you been creating zines?

Calico Grounds has been around officially since mid-2009.

Why does self-publishing appeal to you?

Having full creative control is important, and I like to know that care and effort went into every release. Since they are small edition runs, I also know that my releases are going into the hands of people who appreciate what is being put out.

What is something you think people should know about DIY in Houston?

If people can take their minds off of how “creative” they think Austin is, and thinking that moving there will somehow make them that much more of an artist, then they could appreciate Houston and the things it has to offer. Houston’s DIY has always stood out to me.

What other creative ventures do you have besides making zines?

I have started making films, which is something I have always been interested in. I have also started 2 bands: a hardcore project with members of some Houston noise bands, and a minimal project.

What new projects are you working on this year?

I will be working on a film installation, a few prints, a collective trade paperback, and many, many zines. I will also be working with other presses from abroad, including Zeitgeists from The Netherlands, and Dark Arts.

What will be on your table at this year’s zine fest?

This year I will have zines from Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Luc Rioual, and Tom Ogden. I will also be showing a print with museum quality paper and inks by Ryan Lowry. There will be a few more I’m sure, but we’ll have to see where the next month or so takes us.

Updates + Meeting

8 Apr

Zine Fest Houston enjoyed the  Houston Indie Book Fest last Saturday!  We met many people enthusiastic about the upcoming zine fest & hope to see all of them (& all of you there).

We’re putting the final touches on the plans for the 2011 Zine Fest Houston this Sunday, April 10th, from 4:30pm-6pm. Join us at 5321 Darling St., Houston, TX 77007 to get involved with the organization of the fest.

Remember to continue to check our exhibitors page to see who has registered for this year’s zine fest.  Also, check back soon for mini-interviews with exhibitors.

Registration form now available

5 Mar

After a short delay and (hopefully) much anticipation, the 2011 Zine Fest Houston form is available, right here, as a .pdf.  Tables will be $25 on or before April 1st and $30 after April 1st. Each table is six feet long.

The information sheet + registration form is available here as a .pdf.

Venue Confirmed

22 Feb

We’re happy to announce that the 2011 Zine Fest will be on the rooftop of Khon’s!

Khon’s (and owner Khon Lu) has a reputation for supporting local music, art, and culture.

Soon we’ll have registration forms available for those interested in tabling.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.