A student-run art publication at Point Park University will debut its newest edition next month, combining an exhibition and printed catalog designed to showcase student and alumni artwork in a professional format.
“The Fix,” produced through the university’s photography community, now functions as both a publication and an exhibition catalog, with organizers emphasizing its focus on visual work rather than traditional editorial content.
“I think ours is definitely more fine art-based and less editorial,” Camryn Drabenstadt, head of the photography lab, said. “The focus is more on the work that’s being produced and shown in it.”
This year’s edition centers on a single theme: “hallucinations.”. Organizers said the theme was developed first, with artists invited to submit work responding to the concept.
Drabenstadt stated that the theme was developed first before submissions were opened.
“We approached it by conceptualizing a theme first,” she said. “So, the theme we went with this year was hallucinations.”
Submissions include work from both current students and alumni, many of whom incorporate their professional experiences into their pieces.
“We have one that owns an aquatic animal rescue, one that works in eye photography at UPMC… a lot of their work kind of nods to their current professions and interests now,.” Drabenstadt said.
The publication is printed annually through a professional vendor and is designed to function as both a book and a record of the exhibition.
Organizers described the project as labor-intensive, requiring a longer production timeline due to the amount of artwork involved.
“This is going to be a once-a-year thing,” Drabenstadt said. “It’s a book. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it, so we’ve been working under a slower timeline.”
The project is produced by a collaborative team of roughly 15 to 20 students working across multiple campus groups, including the photography collective and graphic design club.
“We’re a mix of the Photo Collective, “The Fix” and some of the graphic design club,…” said Alex Olszewski, a student organizer and treasurer of the photography collective. “It’s kind of like a big collaboration,”
Funding for the publication comes from the School of Communication and the photography department.
“Club funding is tight for anyone anymore,” Olszewski said. “That’s generally why we try to mix the groups together. The more we work together, the more we get done.”
Drabenstadt said the magazine is intended to provide students with a professional platform to showcase their work and build portfolios, while also contributing to the broader art community.
“I think there’s been a need for it,” Drabenstadt said. “Art books are becoming very important in contemporary art, and this gives students a chance to show their work professionally.”
The exhibition opening and magazine release are scheduled for March 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Artist Image Resource on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
