Mount Allison Zine Scene
The Teeny Tiny Zine Library collection was created in 2015 to archive and promote the small but mighty form of the zine, with a special focus on Sackville-made zines and the work of Mount Allison Fine Arts students, Sackville artists, and community youth.
In its early years, many of the zines in the collection were made by current students, faculty, and recent graduates of Mount Allison. Though the zine library has grown considerably since then to include hundreds of other authors, zines by Mount Allison students and faculty continue to be the added to the collection. New additions often include zines created for class assignments or during gallery visits, as well as those made purely for creative expression. Together, they highlight the expansive possibilities of DIY print culture on campus.
From poetry, comics, interviews, drawings, and research-based essays, these independent publications demonstrate how zines offer an accessible, intimate space for sharing ideas, identities, and perspectives that are important to their makers. Because they reflect the time and place of their creation, familiar campus buildings, and pertinent social issues often appear throughout these zines. Together, the zines capture a distinctive view of what it means to live in Sackville, NB across generations of student experiences, and I hope they will continue to do so in the future.
—Rachel Thornton (BFA ‘15), Curator of Digital Engagement
