ISSUEMAGAZINE.CA
ISSUE Magazine is a resurrection of a publication that came out of the Helen Pitt Gallery and Unit 306 Society starting in September of 1983. It originally ran as a bimonthly magazine for 2 years, with 14 issues printed. The emphasis then was on local art events and politics, with an almost equal mix of joshing, irreverence, and sincerity. The revived ISSUE is attempting to rebalance those ratios.
Revived in January 2014 at Unit/Pitt Projects by Keith Higgins, Brynn McNab, Carla Stewart, Dana Howell, and Natalie Gitt, the first year of the magazine saw it gradually finding its footing. With low runs, and local distribution, it was pulled together by emerging artists, writers and designers with lots of hard work. In its first year, ISSUE Magazine travelled to the New York Art Book Fair, The London Art Book Fair, and the LA Art Book Fair, as well as having a large presence at the Vancouver Art Book Fair, as editor Brynn McNab spoke about its creation.
Featuring Vancouver-based artists and writers, ISSUE Magazine is filling a perceived void in the city’s art discourse. We are seeking to proliferate alternative ways of functioning in the political and social landscape of Vancouver’s art world, while providing a venue for critical discourse about current happenings. The editorial strategy encourages collaboration between writers, editors, designers and artists in the generation of each issue, with content focussing on the workings of Vancouver from the perspective of young, working, and underpaid artists. We seek to encourage discussion about the work happening in Vancouver, and a framework to position our community to those around the world.