Dallas Zine Fest is this weekend, and over 50 artists will be featured at the free event on Saturday, Sept. 24.
While the popular Zine Fest in Houston is put on by community members, Dallas Zine Fest is organized by Tractorbeam, a design studio and a digital marketing firm based in the city.
“It gives a chance to really celebrate that design and writing community, and also just get to know some of those folks better,” said Jessica Figueroa of Tractorbeam.
“There's such a good mix of up-and-coming artists, and veteran artists, and we just thought it would be fun to have something in our own space where we could make all those folks’ cross paths."
Figueroa says zines are usually conceptual, self-produced publications that are also usually limited edition.
“Its roots are in counterculture where maybe you were making small batch, easily digestible, principal material that were designed for either a specific community or a specific message,” she said. “And they’ve had a sort of creative evolution beyond that.”
Here are some of the artists and collectives being represented at Dallas Zine Fest:
1. Cranity
Roxy Flores, aka Cranity, is an illustrator and printmaker based in Dallas. The Mexican-born artist says their cultural background influences their use of bright, bold colors. They sell prints, pins, and more featuring their artwork.
2. SM Sanz
Stephanie Sanz, aka SM Sanz is a Dallas-based visual artist. Her art ranges from illustrations to large scale mural projects, which can be seen in Texas, and across Latin America. She also sells prints, apparel, and more featuring her artwork.
3. Rodeo
Rodeo is a queer art and skate collective based in North Texas. Inspired by other Black, queer skate groups like froSkate, they’re hoping to create a similar safe space here in Dallas. The collective holds meetups regularly and makes their own merch.
4. Chelsea Akpan
Chelsea Akpan is a Texas-based cartoonist who “focuses on bringing bold colors and exaggerative shapes together to create distinct and playful illustrative work.” She also sells prints and stickers featuring her artwork.
5. Carlos DonJuan
Carlos DonJuan is a Mexican-American graffiti artist and painter. He also has done both photography work and large scale murals. He's also an assistant professor in art and art history at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dallas Zine Fest is open to the public and will be hosted at Tractorbeam’s Good Latimer space in Cedars on Saturday from 1-5 pm.
