Friends have zest for art zine
Art has always been a release for high school friends Kristine Cunningham and Sarah Torstvet. The Anaheim women both made sacrifices for their art.
Two years ago, Torstvet, 29, quit her 9-to-5 job to move into a tent in her friend’s backyard and focus on her drawings. Around the same time, Cunningham, 28, quit her job in marketing to write poetry.
Making these transitions led the women to epiphanies of just how much art can help someone attain a positive mind-set. In February, they teamed up to produce a zine for Orange County artists.
Their creation, called Po’Me Zine, will launch at a fundraiser party on May 29.
Cunningham said the project started as a desire that she and Torstvet had to express their creativity. Garden Grove resident Meg Gonzalez, 22, became involved shortly after the idea sparked. The women began working to spread the word to local artists. That was when their idea became reality.
“Once you give people that opportunity to be involved, it’s just amazing,” Cunningham said. “People want to be able to express themselves and be a part of something.”
By definition, zines are self-published works that are reproduced via photocopier. Zines became widely popular in the 1970s with the growing punk scene and continued to thrive in the 1990s with the riot grrrl movement.
While it is commonly thought that zines died in the ‘90s, many are still being published. OC Zine Fest will take place in July, showcasing current zines from local artists.
Like all zines, Po’Me is a completely do-it-yourself operation.
Art can be included in any way, “as long as it can be scanned and printed,” Cunningham said.
This means artists can include written works, drawings and paintings or use scotch tape to plaster something on a standard piece of paper.
“I think it’s really neat,” Torstvet said. “We don’t need a publisher. We just do whatever we want. It’s cool to be able to just be like, ‘Here’s a poem I wrote.’
“The whole point is to share our expressions and connect,” she said. “We want even more people to participate. All you need to know is the layout, which is just printer-sized paper, and it becomes just part of this super easy way to express yourself.”
Po’Me’s creators hope to raise enough at the fundraising event to cover production costs for the first issue. They said $1,000 would have them set for the next few bi-monthly issues.
The free event will feature live art and performances by local musicians.
Torstvet said they want to keep the zine free of cost.
“We only want to make money to continue doing this,” she said. “I love that it’s free. That’s why this is a donation fundraiser. We’re not charging people at the door. A lot of people can’t afford art, and to me, that’s upsetting.
“Art is therapy,” she added. “If we make something that makes us feel better, someone’s going to see that and it’s going to affect them. It would be cool to make money so we can keep producing this to continue making people feel good.”
For its first issue, Po’Me has nearly 20 artists involved in varying mediums from poetry to drawings. Torstvet said she hopes 50 to 100 people contribute to the coming issues.
“Anyone can be involved,” Torstvet said. “As long as they’re expressing themselves and I see truth, then I’m happy. When I see that, I feel like I’ve done my job with this zine.”
Anyone wishing to contribute to Po’Me Zine is asked to visit and message https://www.facebook.com/pomezine.
If You Go:
What: Po’Me Zine fundraiser and art show
When: May 29 from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Where: 207 N. Broadway in Santa Ana
Cost: Donations only