Zines and memes are more than self-published collages of images and words: both are platforms for social, economic and cultural expression within and between communities. Cut-and-paste zines emerged in the 1970s with copy machines to give voice and visibility to underground communities, while digital memes arose in the 1990s in the margins of the Internet. Today zines, memes, and other media contribute to participatory forms of action, research and design. ZINES, MEMES, PAR& D is an exhibition that celebrates this convergence of media, community, and activism.

Jon McKenzie is Director of StudioLab and Professor of Practice at Cornell University. His StudioLab teams have co-designed media campaigns with organizations in the US, Africa and the Middle East working in human and environmental rights, healthcare, and education. Owen Madigan is an artist and graphic designer based in Brooklyn NY, whose work mixes pop culture images from past and present to generate social, political, and cultural satire. Together, McKenzie and Madigan organized zine workshops with StudioLab’s Spring ‘24 design teams and Newfield High School students in rural Tompkins County, New York.  

ZINES, MEMES, PAR&D showcases StudioLab’s recent work with Madigan and Newfield School and over a dozen other community partners. Visitors can explore zines, posters, videos, and a Great Wall of Projects whose QR codes reveal four years of participatory action research and design. In addition to exhibiting oversized images of his own design work, Madigan will offer a zine workshop for those seeking hands-on experience making media.