Subscribe: Artists and Alternative Magazines, 1970-1995

"Subscribe: Artists and Alternative Magazines, 1970-1995" in Chicago
Private collection; The Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Libraries Special Collections, purchased with funds provided by Eric Ceputis and David Williams. © THING Magazine; The Art Institute of Chicago, Ryerson and Burnham Libraries Special Co

Cover of IT (International Times) magazine, March 9–23, 1972; Cover of Thing: She Knows Who She Is magazine, Spring 1991 (no. 4); Cover of The Face magazine, March 1985 (no. 59).

Emerging on the heels of late 60s political movements, a new form of alternative magazine amplified marginalized voices, redefining entrenched mainstream representations and forever changing the magazine industry. From the 70s through the mid-90s, American and British photo-driven publications such as The Face, i-D, Think Ink, and Out/Look became spaces for artistic experimentation that would in time reshape popular culture. Over 130 issues of those magazines, along with photographs and time-based media works by artists featured in their pages, are on view in Subscribe: Artists and Alternative Magazines, 1970-1995 from December 11, 2021 to May 2, 2022. The exhibition coincides with the Art Institute’s acquisition of rare issues of Blitz, i-D, The Face, Thing/Think Ink, and View (later Vue) that will be accessible to the public through the Ryerson Library Special Collections.  

Event Information
Start Date: December 11, 2021
End Date: May 2, 2022
Venue: Art Institute of Chicago

"Subscribe: Artists and Alternative Magazines, 1970-1995" in Chicago