
Zines again became popular in the 1960s and 1970s punk scene, focusing on social and political activism, as well as in the 1990s. Their origins can be traced back to the 1930s, when they first emerged among science fiction fans.


Zines, short for fanzines, are typically handwritten and hand-drawn, then photocopied for wider, and more affordable, distribution. “Zines were a form of activism, and I thought it was something students would find exciting and engaging. “This is a 100-level class, so I wanted to give them an introduction to art history and get them engaged with the art,” Shipley said. The class, which meets at the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College, was offered to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Nochlin’s essay, celebrating its significance while focusing on the women artists whose work is part of the College’s collection. The project is a collaboration among the students in art history professor Lesley Shipley’s course Women, Art, Power. And to know the history behind it is empowering because ladies are at the forefront.” “It’s different from your typical project,” said Lamontria Brown ’24. In “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?,” Nochlin challenged the myth of the male genius and inspired a new era of feminist art history-inspiring countless artists along the way.įifty years later, a group of Randolph students are responding to the essay with something of their own: Who Are the Great Women Artists at the Maier?, an old-school, collage-style, photocopied zine. In 1971, art historian Linda Nochlin wrote a groundbreaking essay examining the institutional obstacles that prevent women from succeeding in the arts. Students in Lesley Shipley’s Women, Art, Power class work on a zine in the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College earlier this week.
