You asked—we answered! After many requests for more drop-in art making in our Art Studio, we were excited to launch the Open Studio program in January, and crossed our fingers that families would show up. And you did! More than 1,400 visitors have stopped by the studio since we opened the doors in January, and we are thrilled to see so many artists of ALL ages making and creating. So what could be better than gluing and painting and drawing to your heart’s content? How about having local artists join in the fun?
The March Open Studio project is designed by local artist Raul Rodriguez, a photographer, publisher, and zine-maker from Fort Worth. His publishing company, Deep Red Press, helps Texas artists express their art through print, digital, and other formats across the United States. For the March Open Studio program, he designed a mini zine project, explaining, “I like zines because they can be easily made and they have no limits on the content, medium, or voice. Everyone can voice themselves with a zine!”
Mini Zines
In planning the project, Rodriguez was drawn to the art featured in the Women Artists in Europe from the Monarchy to Modernism exhibition, which presents work by women artists who broke the traditional rules of the time. One of the works in the exhibition is a book titled A Little’s Duck’s Nest . . . of Bad Words by Olga Vladimirovna Rozanova (Russian, 1886–1918), which includes images of art not intended to be displayed on walls or replicated. Rozanova combined poems and narratives with abstract drawings to express her emotions and thoughts in the hand-colored book. Rodriguez notes, “With just a few materials and disciplines, [women artists] counteracted discrimination and made work for the Cubist, Expressionist and modern art movements of their time.”
Olga Vladimirovna Rozanova and Alexei Eliseevich Kruchenykh, A Little Duck’s Nest . . . of Bad Words, 1913, letterpress cover and hand-colored lithographs on paper, Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Natalie H. (Schatzie) and George T. Lee, Jr., in honor of Olivier Meslay, 2012.61.1
Creating a zine is easy and fun. Most zines don’t have specific narratives—instead, they are more like art magazines, with each page its own work of art; however, I made sure each page had a personal connection. I had a great time working on my zine, from making an “about me” page, to creating a still-life drawing based on something I saw on my desk. It was very therapeutic.
Engaging with your child
This is a great project for friends and families to do as a group, but also alone as an individual. When engaging with your child, think of a topic that interests him or her and design a page inspired by that topic. If your child is crazy about transportation, make a page all about things that go. Or choose a favorite family memory and have everyone in the family design a page that captures their favorite moments and create a family zine! Challenge older children to use mixed media like magazines or newspapers and create poems or stories to make their zine.
Possible topics to consider:
- Self-portraits or portraits of family members
- All about me
- My favorite place (landscape)
- My favorite things (still life)
Fun fact
You may wonder, “How are you supposed to pronounce zine?” and the answer is pretty simple (but I still say it wrong!). It’s like maga-“zine” or “zeen.” No matter how you pronounce it, we hope to see you here at the DMA for Open Studio!
Upcoming dates
Saturday, March 2
Sunday, March 3
Saturday, March 16
Sunday, March 17
Time: Noon–4:00 p.m.
Melissa Brito is the Teaching Specialist for Family and Access Programs at the DMA.
