In May 2024, I wrote a slightly salty draft which I never ended up publishing explaining why ReIssue was going on hiatus. Reading it now, there’s nothing I drafted that was overly specific or interpersonal. But still, it was written in a highly burnt-out, emotional time, and on this side of things, it feels much better to write from the perspective of renewed energy.
ReIssue’s existence under the purview of UNIT/PITT(2019–2024) and VIVO (2019–2022), through a pre-pandemic Vancouver Foundation Systems Change grant, was wonderful and cushy to say the least, but with it came unavoidable institutional busywork in the form of strategic plans, promotional events, fundraising activities, blah blah bleh, that all took away from the core mission of the project itself: to do art writing.
Following a 2+year break, ReIssue is back because there has been a definite void in the community for independent art writing and art criticism. As a community service, I’m not certain how well ReIssue 1.0 worked to fulfill its mission, as there were, and still are, avenues for art writing already—The Capilano Review, C Magazine, etc.,—, but over time, ReIssue did publish articles that I was very proud of editing, and on occasion, writing.
A few things are different with this reboot, and I thought it best to let ReIssue’s readership and contributors know directly:
- This is a tentative reboot. ReIssue is operating with a reduced capacity, and will be publishing content at a much more relaxed pace.
- ReIssue does not get any grant funding, and I have no plans to pursue any at the moment. I will be engaging with community partners and advertisers once the new year starts.
- ReIssue still accepts submissions. See the About page for an updated submissions policy.
- At the moment, ReIssue cannot pay its contributors, but this is something I’m working on for 2027.
To be honest, the motives for this reboot bubbled up in September, after folks actually responded to a close-friends story I posted, desperately upset that there was no place to write down (for posterity, for sanity!) all the bullshit that was going on—at our workplaces (e.g., the Centre A lock-out), and within our communities (e.g., SFU School of Contemporary Art’s #nogunsoncampus campaign). Now that ReIssue is not beholden to any institutions or funders, my vision for it is to be more engaged politically with what’s going on on the ground. Not art for art’s sake, but art in relation to our values, ethics, and what we want to support in this incredibly fucked up time and world.