Pencil Magazine
Pencil Magazine will be a biannual, themed, print publication featuring work created entirely with pencil and paper. Artists and writers will be invited to respond to each publication theme through visual art, writing, or a combination of the two. The mission of Pencil Magazine is to create an opportunity for artists and writers to connect or reconnect with an unsung, basic tool for creative expression — the pencil — and to inspire our readers to make time and space for analog experiences in this digital age. Research is unambiguous that our reliance on internet-enabled digital tools to communicate and consume media is negatively affecting our attention spans, ability to focus, and mental health. Pencil Magazine is an opportunity for creators and readers to reclaim their focus and connect with their creativity through analog means — by using pencil and paper.
Artist bio:
Sasha Wizansky is an artist, art director, graphic designer, and publisher, and holds an MFA in sculpture. Sasha co-founded Meatpaper, an internationally distributed quarterly journal of art and ideas about meat, in 2007, and was editor-in-chief, art director, and event producer until the last issue came out in 2013. Meatpaper’s mission was to create a non-dogmatic forum in which to explore the ethics, aesthetics, and cultural significance of meat. Meatpaper received a Print magazine Regional Design Award, several Utne Independent Press Award nominations and “Best of the Bay” awards from San Francisco and 7x7 magazines. Meatpaper was included in a design show at the Walker Art Center and Cooper-Hewitt, and appears in several books, including "The Modern Magazine" and "Graphic Design, Now in Production." Since 2013, Sasha has maintained an independent design practice focusing on book design and supporting artists and writers in self-publishing their books.
Cover image: Draft introductory letter. Artwork by Sasha Wizansky, pencil on paper, 12" x 9", 2023 and 1990.