By Riley Hanna
An “Art Resistance” is coming to Lewis & Clark. The Collective, formerly known as the Journal for Social Justice, is a student created zine which showcases the creations of LC students, which is run by presidents and co-editors Andrea Lewis ’21 and Zoey Norling ’21. Their mission is to create an intersectional space that magnifies the typically unheard student voice on campus through art, academic pieces and thoughtful expression. The zine aspires to showcase a multitude of interests, such as art, cultural engagement, politics and academics.
Nicole Lewis ’21 submitted her writing in the first issue of the zine.
“This is the first time that any of my art has been published anywhere so it’s really amazing that the zine provides an accessible platform for artists like me … I’m excited to see where this zine is headed in the future and to continue to collaborate with Zoey and Andrea,” Nicole Lewis said via email.
Alongside promoting the work of students, the zine provides a calendar of social justice events, workshops and marches taking place in Portland. Furthermore, the back of the zine’s first issue features a directory of restaurants owned by people of color, with the caption “because who you support matters.”
“We felt that there was a disconnect between students and faculty and the rest of Portland, and wanted to challenge students to get involved with the outside and internal community,” Andrea Lewis said. With that intention, the zine not only creates a space for social justice among LC students, it also further connects them to the outside community in the Portland area.
When The Collective was known as the Journal for Social Justice, the group released a large journal at the end of the year instead of continuous zines. However, this journal mainly featured academic writing and failed to reach the greater student population. The Collective is, according to Andrea Lewis and Norling, a “rebranding” of the Journal for Social Justice in order to keep the content fresh. They are still planning on releasing a journal at the end of the academic year, which will be a compilation of all of the zines.
As of now, the group is able to release 75 copies per edition. The group is currently underfunded and doesn’t have the means to print more. Until the group is able to get more funding, they are increasing accessibility to the zine by posting submissions on their Instagram, @lc_thecollective, and plan to send digital copies to student unions in hopes that they will spread it around. Furthermore, students are encouraged to continue the migration of the zine across campus, so all students can appreciate it.
Copies of the zine can be found dispersed throughout campus. Students are encouraged to submit their work in order to provide a stronger foundation for the zine, which can hopefully lead to more funding. If you want any of your creations showcased in The Collective, you can email your submission to socialjustice@lclark.edu.
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