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Parsons School of Design Illustration Department zine and comics collection

 Record Group
Identifier: PC-02-08-01

Summary

The Parsons School of Design Illustration Department compiled this collection of approximately 175 zines, little magazines, and other illustrated limited run publications.

Dates

  • 1983 - 2011
  • Majority of material found within 2000 - 2011

Creator

Extent

2.4 Cubic Feet (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Content of Collection

The Parsons Illustration Department Zine Collection was originally assembled and maintained within the department before being transferred to the New School Archives. These zines, comics and little magazines, numbering approximately 175 items, range in size from 2 inches x 2 inches to full-sized tabloid newspaper, but the majority are approximately 4 inches x 5.5 inches, or the size of an 8.5 inches x 11 inches piece of paper folded in half. Mostly created in the 2000s, the items have diverse visual styles, suggesting they were collected as examples for students enrolled in the Illustration program. Some appear to have been collected from the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival in 2006, and others were sent directly to instructors in the department. Several are of international origin.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.

Use Restrictions

To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives and Special Collections. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.

Historical Note

Zines and little magazines are small-circulation periodicals that are often self-published by the author or artist. Created in all shapes, sizes, colors, and formats, zines and little magazines began to appear more as cheap replication technologies, like the mimeograph and the photocopier, were invented. Zines can be literary magazines, artist books, comic books, collage works, journals, or other forms. Often, these periodicals are distributed by hand and sold inexpensively.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine

Organization and Arrangement

Arrangement is alphabetical by author and/or publisher. Unattributed zines are arranged alphabetically by title, and precede those zines with identified authors.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collection was transferred as a unit from the Illustration Department (School of Art, Media and Technology) of Parsons School of Design to the New School Archives, 2013.

Related Materials

Student work, including zines produced as coursework, and publicity materials created in the Illustration Department will be found in the Parsons School of Design academic departments, programs and schools (PC.02.01.02).

Researchers interested in exploring additional examples of self-published and/or limited edition periodicals may wish to consult artists' books and periodicals in the New School Archives and Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Ari Spool, 2013. Individual items were cataloged using information present within each zine, comic, or little magazine. In many cases, the publication date is either unknown or estimated. The New School Archives and Special Collections encourages individuals with further information about the items in this collection, to contact us at archivist[at]newschool.edu so we can provide a more accurate record to researchers.

  • Comic books (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
  • Fanzines (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
  • Little magazines (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
  • Newspapers (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
Title
Guide to the Parsons School of Design Illustration Department zine and comics collection
Status
Completed
Author
New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
Date
April 18, 2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • December 13, 2021: Jenny Swadosh added "comics" to the collection title.