FANZINES AT THE CCNY WORKSHOP CENTER

A dearest and art connoisseur relative kept copies of some of the fanzines I published from the mid seventies up to the late eighties. He was born around that time and knows of that cultural and political trend thru his love for art movements on the edge and the nostalgic view of the past: retro can be very enjoyable if one does not lose perspective of the larger context that produced what is dreamt about, and he does know. Trust me, he does. At the time, the Punk and graffiti sub-culture was influencing not only its well known music, but the world of publishing and the arts in general. Keith Harring or Nina Hagen did not live in a world without history. At the Worksop Center, under the leadership of Lillian Weber and my experience with the creation of those very raw and rustic home-made magazines, some of my students were encouraged to publish their own fanzines; continuing the practice with their own students in the NYC schools. Unfortunately, with the exception of Lillian and Sherrin (last name omitted to avoid legal actions!!!!), the rest of the School of Education was filled with liberal petite bourgeoisie mentalities; and not very aware of what was happening beyond their self-contained middle class worlds; much less, informed as to the ideas and writers that -directly or not- served as foundations to the fanzine movement. My relative is having a great time, not only saving copies of my fanzines, but exploring the world that provided its foundations. At the old Workshop Center he would have felt at home.