Scrap Paper: Belonging & Resistance

"Scrap Paper: Belonging & Resistance” explores methods of community-making and organization through art by showcasing The Ohio State University Libraries’ holdings of personal zines, punk show posters and calendars, Latin American political publications known as cartonera and ephemera from independent bookstores. These physical artifacts of community, belonging and movement-making celebrate collective efforts and creative output… questioning how the physical manifestation of community can build solidarity and momentum for social change.

The communities explored in “Scrap Paper” include third places – outside of the home or workplace – as reflected in the Libraries’ collections. Printshops, art galleries, DIY film festivals, independent publishers, bookstores and other grassroots spaces and events generate and share art that is at once essential and ephemeral. The temporary nature of these objects also brings into question the purpose and importance of community archiving and preservation. This exhibit hopes to provoke a dialogue about counter and subcultures rooted in art and music that have historically come together to fill gaps in mainstream social structures.

This exhibit also questions the practice of libraries’ collection work and stewardship. It investigates how materials are acquired and used in contexts which are often at odds with the materials themselves.