Artists and enthusiasts gathered at the Hamilton Public Library to showcase their creativity and sell their work
The Hamilton Zineposium is a zine fair organized by a small volunteer collective of local artists. The event took place on Nov. 2, 2024 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the central branch of the Hamilton Public Library as part of the Hamilton Day celebrations.
This year, the Zineposium had 40 vendors who are all Hamilton-based. The Zineposium provides a platform for local zine makers to showcase, display and sell their artwork in the form of zines.
Zines are usually a self-published work, with similar formatting to a magazine, that highlight a topic the creator cares about. Zine makers also had the opportunity to sell other items such as stickers, buttons and bookmarks.
This annual Hamilton fair initially began on June 27, 2015 and was founded by artists and educators Sally McKay, Taien Ng-Chan, Donna Akrey, Carmela Laganase, Leah Klein and Brittany Sostar.
Sonali Menezes, a co-organizer of Zineposium, is one of three artists who inherited the Zineposium organization. “Three years ago, the organizers asked if we wanted to take over organizing the event. They wanted to pass on the torch to younger artists in the city and so we took it over in 2022,” said Menezes.
The three new organizers, Sonali Menezes, Sahra Soudi and Mariel Rutherford, were originally vendors for the event. “It’s interesting that we started as tablers at the zine fair. Now we organize it and we’re fostering that community for other zinesters,” said Menezes.
It’s interesting that we started as tablers at the zine fair. Now we organize it and we’re fostering that community for other zinesters.
Sonali Menezes, Co-Organizer
Zineposium
Sahra Soudi, another co-organizer of the Zineposium, discussed the seamless transition of taking on the organization with their peers. “They [former founders] passed the administrative torch in some ways . . . luckily all of us are administrators in our own working lives and already have that experience,” said Soudi.
Menezes further explained the convenience of the working relationship with her peers throughout the transition. “Sahra, Mariel and I used to work together . . . at an artist-run centre. We already had a working relationship with each other and were already friends before we took this on,” said Menezes.
As a collective, the three have been facilitating the Zineposium since 2022 and are currently collaborating with the Hamilton Public Library to host the event. “There are lots of wonderful staff at the library who support the Zineposium every year,” said Menezes.
Soudi described the involvement required to organize this event. “How this thing [Zineposium] keeps running is our relationship with the library, also volunteers and the zine community,” said Soudi.
For those new to the zine fair, Menezes suggested bringing cash to purchase the available works. “Price points tend to be lower so bring things like loonies and toonies and 5 dollar bills. If you make zines a lot of zinesters are open to trades,” said Menezes. “Trading is a really big part of zine culture . . . that’s how I put together my own personal zine library.”
Menezes also hopes that more students will turn out to the next event. “What I would encourage is for Mac students to exit the university bubble and come into the community and meet people,” said Menezes.
What I would encourage is for Mac students to exit the university bubble and come into the community and meet people.
Sonali Menezes, Co-Organizer
Zineposium
Soudi mentioned that the Zineposium continues to grow in popularity. “We had around 500 people come through the library. So it’s usually pretty well attended and people look forward to it every year,” said Soudi.
If you missed this year's Zineposium, you can attend next year or get involved through updates on their Instagram.
The McMaster Museum of Art is hosting a workshop to teach the basics of mini zine making and trading art
For this year's Thrive Week, the McMaster Museum of Art is hosting a mini zine-making workshop. The workshop will be hosted on January 23 from 12 to 1 p.m.
Thrive Week is being held from January 22 to 26, and it is being managed by the McMaster Okanagan Office of Health and Mental Well-being. Its purpose is to bring the university community together to discuss mental health and find ways to support each other. Different areas of campus will be holding events throughout the week for students, alumni, staff and faculty.
Past Thrive Week events have included a therapy dog visit, a guided forest walk, a farm visit and a kind thoughts box.
The event will cover the basics of making mini zines while allowing participants to practice their own unique artistic style. You can also learn about trading your creations and the artistic process of zines in general. The workshop will also have a tour of the museum's exhibition Chasm.
The workshop is free to attend and includes free access to zine-making materials. To attend, you have to register online. Spots are limited!
Students should check out the upcoming event if they are interested in creating art or zines, learning more about different artistic forms or taking a break from studies to do something fun. Students should also keep an eye out for other Thrive Week events, especially if they are looking for ways to prioritize their mental health during the busy start to the semester. The full listing of Thrive Week events can be found here.
As the freezing cold wind twirled snow into the night air last Thursday, the inside of Centre[3] for Print and Media Arts was filled with warmth. Chai was brewing and connections were being made as members of the community gathered inside for the first Zine Club meeting.
The free club is the first of its kind at Centre[3] and is designed for zine creators, writers, artists and all others interested in the culture surrounding these DIY publications. The meetings are set for the second Thursday of every month.
The club coordinators are Centre[3] program coordinator Sonali Menezes and administrative coordinator Mariel Rutherford. They had no idea what kind of turnout to expect for this first meeting and were overwhelmed as people continuously trickled in from the cold, quickly filling up the prepared seats.
The idea for the club was sparked by a desire to create a space for Hamilton’s zine creators, who often call themselves “zinesters”, and welcome them to the facilities at Centre[3].
“[I]t really came out of trying to engage with a younger membership and trying to show people what we offer… [S]ometimes Center[3] as a printing house can be really intimidating to people who are younger so… we just want people to know that our doors are open,” Rutherford said.
However, it was not just a younger crowd that came through the doors on Jan. 10 but individuals of all ages. Nor were only zine creators interested. While some were zine artists like emerging artist-in-residence Laura K. Watson, others had never read a zine before or did not align themselves with an artistic form.
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The first meeting was structured to get everyone on the same page. After an introductory icebreaker, Menezes and Rutherford passed out various magazines. Together, the group made a list of themes present and feelings evoked. Flipping through, people repeatedly noted the presence of advertisements, advice championing success and models with “perfect” faces and bodies. People commented on how it made them feel broke and insecure.
Next Rutherford and Menezes handed out zines from Menezes’ personal library. The reactions were notably different as participants commented how the zines were diverse, inclusive, informative and funny.
The difference highlights what has drawn people to zines throughout its long history. Zines are traceable back to the science fiction fans of 1920s and 1930s. From the poets of the 1950s to punk movement members of the 1970s, individuals through the decades have been drawn to the idea of being able to share their own ideas in a DIY way.
It is also what has made Menezes and Rutherford zine creators themselves. Rutherford got started recently started making zines of her illustrations last year while Menezes has been making zines for the past seven years.
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“I got started in school… I just really caught on to zines and I just love making them. I love going to zine fairs and sharing zines with people and meeting zinesters. Zinesters are really nice people. Like the best way to make friends when you move to a city is to go to zine fair,” explained Menezes.
In the spirit of zine culture, the meeting was also very DIY. Rutherford and Menezes had participants create a list of what they wanted zine club to be. Ideas ranged from having question and answer, information and skill share sessions and workshops to hosting zine exchanges, hangouts and working on a collaborative zine.
When it finally came to creating at the end of the night, laughter echoed alongside the music playing in the background. The coordinators wanted participants to feel safe, creatively stimulated and supported while occupying the space.
“[W]e want to create… a space where people can find their niche. And like zines are very niche-y and they're very specific. Come find your niche! Like find the spot where you fit in... It's so nice connecting with other weirdos,” Menezes said.
Everyone created a page to be included in a collaborative zine. As neighbours shared glue, scissors and markers, they also shared their ideas and got to know one another. Each person brought their own talents to the page.
100 Word Copy: Centre[3] for Print and Media Arts hosted the first meeting of its first Zine Club on Jan. 10. With a turnout larger than expected, the monthly club will continue to meet on the second Thursday of each month. It is a space for zinesters and those curious about zines to gather, work together and hang out. Will you be checking out the Zine Club?
