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Our story.
About
Polemical Zine (@polemicalzine) is a free, global arts collective which publishes works from all people, regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, geographic location, and/or skill level. Our online publication provides an outlet for artists to experiment with new mediums and share works they are proud of without fear of rejection or the judgement of a selection/editing process.
We believe juries limit the diversity of published content and make a magazine a reflection of only one group’s artistic preferences. Instead, we hope to allow artists of all backgrounds to share pieces which might otherwise go unpublished or unnoticed. We accept and publish all non-hateful works received - up to two pieces per person, per edition.
Despite our growth, it is important to us that Polemical continues to remain free and accessible to everyone. Thanks to our passionate volunteer staff members, we have no need to charge submission fees, and we are able to distribute our online magazines and podcasts free of charge. We do not accept payments or donations; the purpose of this magazine is - and will always be - to share art and support artists.
Note: Artists retain the rights to the works in Polemical Zine, and thoughts and opinions expressed within our publications do not necessarily reflect those of our staff.
Our Beginnings
Polemical Zine’s mission has always been to create a community where everyone can be an artist.
Polemical started as a one-off, digital magazine curated by Rebecca McLaren under the theme of "Discover". Having been exposed to alternative arts publications as both a staff member and a contributor, Rebecca became frustrated with the limitations of the juried selection process - she felt it discouraged amateur artists from pursuing art, working in particular styles or aesthetics, experimenting with new mediums, and submitting art for publication in the first place. With the mentality that "everyone is an artist", Rebecca recognized the incredible stories and talents of her own community and crowdsourced art from her friends and family members to publish our first edition in 2017.
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As news of the magazine and its mission reached a global community, Rebecca was encouraged to further the series, eventually adopting the name "Polemical Zine" to refer to the amalgamation of works by the zine’s talented and diverse contributors.
From 2017 to 2019, Polemical was managed entirely by Rebecca, who volunteered her free time to sourcing submissions and designing all editions from start to finish. In August 2019, a group of seven volunteer-staff members joined the Polemical team to help grow the publication and meet the increasing demand from global artists. Today, the team consists of 16 members in 4 continents, and the magazine has published the works of over 850 artists in 65+ countries.
Polemical strives to scale to provide more opportunities for amateur artists while remaining true to its core values of inclusion, acceptance, and accessibility. Polemical has proudly connected artists of all walks of life for collaboration on everything from interviews to illustrations and given artists a platform to share their work on a larger scale. Moving forward, we will continue to create opportunities for all people to become published and to build their skill set, network, resume and confidence.
Media
Why Rebecca McLaren Started Polemical Zine: The Art Publication for Everyone
Interview with SheDoesTheCity
Trinity Theatre Podcast
If you are interested in reviewing our magazine or interviewing any of our staff members, please reach out to us at polemicalzine@gmail.com.
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