Adapting Not-for-Profit Arts Publishing to the Post-Digital Paradigm
PUBLIC (est. 1988) is a not-for-profit print periodical exploring the intersection of art, design, technology, and culture. This research project advances that history by looking at the future of print culture as today’s artists are increasingly making and exhibiting work in online spaces. How can PUBLIC promote engaging and accessible conversations around artists working exclusively in digital, online formats without distorting these works—forcing them to fit within a traditional print format? This project will identify innovative publication strategies that can adequately address these changes in contemporary art. Deliverables include several design prototypes exploring new, relevant technologies, an international symposium on new publishing methods, and an experimental issue of PUBLIC centring on art made for online viewing, utilizing a hybrid, analog-digital format. PUBLIC will directly benefit by expanding its mandate to better suit shifting trends in the art world; by further developing and activating its newly redesigned web portal; and by positioning itself as a leader in the future of not-for-profit publishing models.