Zinester Lab & Zinester Nights @ Hillyer

Zine Events @ Hillyer

October 9: Zine Lab with Looky Here 
(sponsored by SCMA and Hillyer Art Library)
3-6 p.m., Hillyer/Museum Atrium

October 16: Zinester Night in Hillyer Library
music, supplies and making with your peers
3-6 p.m., Hillyer Library Classroom

October 23: Zinester Night in Hillyer Library
music, supplies and making with your peers
3-6 p.m., Hillyer Library Classroom

Zine Lab with Looky Here

The Smith College Museum of Art (SCMA) and Hillyer Art Library are excited to co-sponsor Zine Lab with Looky Here, on October 9 from 3–6 p.m. This workshop is a collaboration with Looky Here, a Greenfield-based arts non-profit, gallery, and event space that features a community Risograph print shop, an art book press, and a thrift store for art supplies.

Facilitated by artists Vanessa Brewster AC ‘12 and Sarah Fran from Looky Here, the event encourages participants to explore new formats, collaborate with others, and take risks with their work. It doesn’t matter whether you're a seasoned zinester or a first-time maker to participate in Zine Lab!

The event will kick off with a mini-history of zines, and a series of creative prompts to get started. Participants can work together to share ideas, intentions, and goals for their work. Then attendees can break into workshop stations based on their interests.

Workshop Stations Include:

• Collaborative Mini-Zines: Work in pairs or small groups to create small, creative zines.
• Zine Challenges: Take on quirky prompts like making a zine with just one word, creating a textless zine, or using only a pencil.
• Binding Experiments: Explore various binding techniques like folds, tabs, weaves, and stitches, including the classic pamphlet stitch.

Looky Here will also provide information about Riso Club— their community access Risograph printer— and its capabilities, for any zinesters that are interested!

The workshop will be led by two talented artists from Looky Here, Vanessa Brewster and Sarah Fran Wisby, who bring a wealth of knowledge and creative experience to the event.

Vanessa Brewster is a musician, writer, educator, and bookmaker. As Vice President of Looky Here, she helps run the community arts non-profit and Risograph print press. She recently published her debut short story collection, No Such Thing as Fiction (May 2025), and is currently working on a novel. A Smith College alum, Vanessa studied Spanish Literature and now lives and works in Greenfield, MA.

Sarah Fran Wisby is a poet, teacher, and book artist. She is the author of two poetry collections, Viva Loss and the heart's progress, as well as two handmade letterpress chapbooks, Etiquette for the Next World and Like Gold From a Split Purse. Sarah received her MFA from San Francisco State University and, like Vanessa, calls Greenfield, MA home.

Keep making with Zinester Nights!

Zine Lab is just the beginning! After the workshop, Hillyer Art Library will continue the creative momentum with Zinester Nights on October 16 and 23 from 3-6 p.m. in the Hillyer Library Classroom. Drop by to continue working on your zines. Hillyer will provide supplies, music, and a cozy atmosphere!

Contact

Anna Helgeson, Visual Arts & Humanities Librarian
ahelgeson@smith.edu