Printed Matter / St Marks and 8-Ball Community are hosting a free outdoor Spring Zine Fair on Saturday, 12 June from 11am to 7pm. Taking place between First and Second Avenues along St. Marks Place, the fair will feature over 40 New York-based exhibitors and include a day of activities to engage with the local community and celebrate the history of the East Village.
With both non-profits having had their recent fairs cancelled or held virtually, this year’s edition fully embraces the return of the in-person format with a free street fair, including DJ sets and encouraging visitors to explore and support local businesses. The exhibitor guide will be in the form of an East Village Fanzine, noting local restaurants, businesses, public gardens, and featuring stories and interviews which showcase the area’s counterculture history. The packed list of exhibitors will present creative and experimental zines and publications.
Celebrating the rich legacy of grassroots reclamation of unused outdoor space, the fair has coordinated with several local community gardens from the East Village to the Lower East Side and Nolita to host a variety of programs throughout the day. Activities will include poetry and tarot readings, free composting workshops, acoustic music performances, and solar printmaking. Details and locations for each activity will be available on Printed Matter’s website and in the Fanzine.
To coincide with the fair, organisers have also announced the release of four fundraising prints by artists Kim Gordon, Ari Marcopoulos, Jia Sung and Bobbi Salvör Menuez. Prints can be purchased online and at the fair, with proceeds supporting Printed Matter / St Marks and 8-Ball Community.
The Spring Zine Fair will take place Saturday, June 12 from 11 am to 7 pm on St. Marks Place between First and Second Avenues.