I often teach archivally-focused undergraduate and graduate seminars where students research the visual culture of American progressive grassroots media (1960s-1990s), focusing in on feminist and LGBTQ periodicals. We examine cover graphics, comics, drawings, photographs, advertisements, typography, layout, and other elements of the periodicals’ visual aesthetics.

In addition to researching in physical collections, my students also conduct research through open-access digital archives, surveying what materials have been digitized and how we can ethically approach such materials. Be in touch with any relevant open-access resources not listed here; I’ll credit you for any that I add to this guide. I first put together this guide in Fall 2020 prior to teaching a remote archives course in Spring 2021.

Thanks to Jolie Braun, Justin Wigard, UF Latin American and Caribbean Collection, Colleen Theisen, Chris Caldwell, Cher Tan, Betty M. Bayer, Jen Scheuer, Erik Kvarnberg, Hillary Chute, and Tony White’s “The History of Artists’ Books since 1950” course for some fantastic suggestions that I’ve added below!

Last updated: March 2024.

Specific grassroots periodicals that have been digitized:

Zine collections:

Larger collections of grassroots periodicals:

Journals about artists’ books:

Additional digital projects of/about grassroots media: