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Dear riffRAG reader,
Whether you are a longtime friend,
contributor or just joining us, welcome to the second issue of
riffRAG. When we started riffRAG
in 2004, we devised a forum that would highlight the fantastic
work artists were making that wasn’t getting acknowledged
by art establishments. We aimed to break away from the idea of
an art “scene” and create spaces—whether in
cyberspace or tangible—that eschewed notions of hip-ness
and exclusivity, working in favor of dialogue and shared inspiration.
riffRAG editors take over the kissing booth at Snapshot fundraiser |
As subcultures become increasingly
commodified and the line between artistic production and commercialism
continues to thin, projects
like riffRAG remain vital to creating diverse cultures of resistance.
In the year since we launched Issue 1 of
riffRAG, we have been busy collecting and reviewing submissions,
presenting at conferences
such as the New
York City Grassroots Media Conference, participating
in art shows like the “Urban Logbooks” show at the
Local Project in
Queens and putting on events such as a film screening at Le Petit
Versailles community gardens and
a benefit
party at Snapshot
NYC.
We found that attendees were excited to talk about political
issues in conjunction with art and culture. riffRAG
supporters were invigorated to see art which differs from that
shown in most mainstream museums and galleries.
In response to our second call for
submissions, we received art and writing from all over the world
as well as from our home city,
New York. After an intense review process, we selected work based
on its formal qualities, artists’ statements and the works’ fit
with riffRAG’s mission. We are thrilled to be able to present
an issue filled with such diverse and talented artists.
We are constantly seeking avenues for engagement offline as well
as online. We have produced a second limited-edition print version
that features original prints, postcards, stickers and comics,
donated to us by the artists.
With another issue under our belt, we hope to continue building
spaces where critical dialogue about issues of race, class, gender
and sexuality and their relationship to art can occur. We are always
seeking cultural projects and groups with whom to partner and host
events. In addition, if you are a reader that has skills you would
like to contribute to riffRAG (e.g., proofreading, web design,
marketing and event planning), please email us.
If you are a progressive-minded artist interested in pushing boundaries
and engaging in creative dialogue, we would like you to submit
your work to the next issue of riffRAG. If you would like to stay
up-to-date on upcoming issues, calls for submissions, and events,
please join our mailing list to be notified or check the riffRAG
blog.
Enjoy riffRAG’s sophomore effort! Thanks for reading and
don’t hesitate to let us know what you think.
The riffRAG editors,
Em Sixteen, Felix Gatopardo, L.N.R., KP
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About the Editors
Em Sixteen is dedicated to addressing classism,
racism, and gender issues through her writing and art. She works
in a variety of mediums; including digital art, drawing, video,
writing, sewing and printmaking. She has been a youth educator,
counselor, and currently works as a freelance graphic designer.
She loves dialoging and sharing work with her friends and community.
Her current lust is finding more time to make art. She is based
in LIC, NYC, and on the web at www.em16.com.
Felix Gatopardo’s films and videos have
screened at many festivals including the New Festival and MIX,
in New York City; Chicago’s Women in the Director’s
Chair; San Francisco's International Asian American Film Festival;
the Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney, Australia; and the Mill
Valley International Film Festival. In addition to writing and
producing horror films and teenage romantic comedies, he would
like to spend the next several years incorporating seasonal vegetables
into his diet.
L.N.R. is an educator, writer, cultural worker,
zine publisher and printmaker. She hopes to incite youth to revolution
through making independent media and thinking ciritcally about
art and culture. An uprooted Mainer, she has been an organizer
of the Portland Zine Symposium and various feminist collectives
on both coasts and is working to stay critical, aware and hopeful
as she grows older. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
KP is a California transplant who is totally
obsessed with indie fashion, zines, and redefining what it means
to be a “feminist”. She has lectured on zines and identity
at the University of Maryland, Middlebury College, and Sarah Lawrence,
and parts of her thesis, “We Don’t Need You: Zines
and Feminism Outside the Mainstream” have been reprinted
in Bitch Magazine, Off Our Backs and Mahogany Magazine. KP lives
in Brooklyn.
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