It is cosy when you know everyone that is active in the arts scene in your town or city but it is much more exciting when you stumble across things you had no idea were happening.
And it was in this ignorance that a small group of us walked down from Leeds College of Art to The Roast Café on Whitehall Waterfront.
What we found was a lively atmosphere in an unexpected venue, with live music and flowing wine.
This was all in aid of a new magazine called The Juice set up by a small group of recent graduates and young artists that have organised themselves into a formal structure to be able to support and nurture their artistic endeavors and to share this with a wider audience through a print publication.
This need for support and criticality is carried throughout the magazine, with the theme being ‘Part Time Job, Full Time Artist’; a story that will be even more familiar to those working in the arts when the chance of funding is cut back even more.
It’s a slightly schizophrenic publication, its design is reminiscent of DIY fanzines – cut, paste and photocopy – yet it is printed on glossy paper. The articles include monologue reflections on individuals’ experiences, interviews, as well as artworks and fashion shoots. It’s hard to say if a more polished and cohesive design would be better, the straightforward layout takes away pretension, but it might put some people off picking it up.
The Juice hasn’t pigeon-holed itself into one art form and embraces a range of artistic activity; dance, visual art, opera, fashion are all covered, which bodes well for it keeping an open-mind but they will need to be careful that it retains a focus and a readership.
More criticality is something that Leeds and the West Yorkshire art scene desperately needs. Culture Vulture has given a vital space for discussion, but I am a firm believer in keeping opportunities for dialogue as open and varied as possible. So it is great to see more people adding to the conversation.
The Juice was an enjoyable read on my way home from work tonight and I look forward to the next issue.
Only wanna comment on few general things, The website style is perfect, the subject matter is really excellent. “War is much too serious a matter to be entrusted to the military.” by Georges Clemenceau.