Preview of Volume 1, Issue 2: METAL
Off the GROUND, pedal to the METAL
Off the GROUND
Well folks, it’s a wrap on our inaugural issue of Art Forearm magazine!
We went out with a bang by publishing a free downloadable flyer of Nicole Rene Woodard’s 16 Statements on Labor, a manifesto that speaks so brilliantly to our founding ethos. Keep your eyes peeled for a limited edition poster coming soon.
It’s with these meditations on labor, that we acknowledge all of our Volume 1, Issue 1 contributors for lending their work to our magazine and trusting us to publish it. Getting a publication off the GROUND is no easy feat, and without each writers’ knowledge, intelligence, generosity, hard work, and enthusiasm, this magazine would only be a funny name, an abstract idea, and some questionable graphic design.
All our inaugural writers agreed to publish their work without financial compensation because they recognize the value of sharing knowledge, stories, and skills. In doing so, they provided you with the content you’ve learned from throughout the spring and summer, as well as the foundational proof-of-concept needed to seek out the funding we need to sustain a publication like this. For that, we are so grateful.
We are also grateful to all our subscribers for letting us know this work is important. Every time a new subscription comes through, it reinforces our drive to continue volunteering our time putting the issue together.
Thank you especially to subscribers who have elected to pay for their subscriptions. Because of your generosity, we are more than halfway to becoming an entirely reader-supported magazine for one issue. Our goal is to be 100% reader-supported in producing two issues annually by next year.
If you have enjoyed our first issue, we hope you’ll consider upgrading your subscription to paid or making a donation to help us pay our future contributors and keep the magazine running.
Some Highs
We kicked off Art Forearm with a raucous launch party at CO-OPT Reseach + Projects in Lubbock, Texas with pizza, tamales, and readings by Skylar Perez and Anika Todd. This experience reinforced the importance of gathering in person, even for a digital publication, and convinced us to plan more in-person events in more locations. Announcement of our next event in St. Louis, MO is forthcoming!
A few features into our inaugural issue, a reader requested that we replace Substack’s default robot/AI voice reader with recorded human voices. All our contributors from that point forward agreed to record their own voice reading their contribution. This is such a great feature for accessibility and for people who would prefer to listen, and it will continue into Issue 2. You can find the recordings at the top of each feature. We are working to also record the backlog of features so that we can release a full podcast of the Issue 1 contents. Stay tuned!
This summer we received a Future Fund grant from The Luminary and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
This funding allows us to guarantee payment to each of our Volume 1, Issue 2 contributors and helps fund more in-person events.
We also recently received a GIVEAWAY grant from Roman Susan Foundation to fund a limited poster edition. We’re excited to share more about that soon!
We’re glad to be able to reach so many of you on social media. In addition to subscribing and following us here on Substack, you can join us on Instagram if you use that platform.
What’s Up Next
Earlier this year, we put out an open call for the next issue and were thrilled to receive so many pitches. During August we will be finishing final drafts, reviewing edits, and designing the issue. Features for Volume 1, Issue 2: METAL will begin to drop in September. You can look forward to reading more about:
aluminum toolboxes
Connecticut’s quarry landscape
chain link
heavy metal music
purchasing from metal / scrap yards
mount-making
bees (BEES?)
arc welding and grinding
etching copper as romance
monumentalizing
pegmatite
“day money” vs “night money”
the weathered steel of rural Arkansas
pewter as mimic
being held
Jerry Grimes and his car-loving, advice-giving ways
the work of Virginia Overton, Desmond Lewis, and Briena Harmening
William Kentridge’s drawing lesson on time
the steel sculptures of Richard Hunt and David Smith
foraging metal supplies
“steeliness” as a personality characteristic
economic systems aligned with materials like steel
the uncontrollable hum that metal shares with landscape
the rigidity of metal and the fluidity of the human experience
We’re putting the editing pedal to the METAL, and we can’t wait to share more. Thanks for riding along with us.
Fore-ever grateful,
Jennifer Seas, Founder and Editor
and the Art Forearm Editorial Board:
Jana Harper, Matt McInerney, David B. Olsen, Skylar Perez, and Anika Todd