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Eastern Edge Artist-Run Centre · 72 Harbour Drive, St. John’s, NL, Canada · 709 739 1882

HOLD FAST Zines 2025: Workshops & Programming

Workshops

Thanks to our partners at Artforce NL, a charity which supports youth through arts initiatives, we are offering TWO free workshops at zinefest (Saturday, March 22). Space is limited, so please register to save your spot!

Folding with Feeling: Artist Books with Amanda Penney

Register here to save your spot!

Time: 12-2:30pm
Discover handmade artist books in this workshop with book artist Amanda Penney. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned artists, this session focuses on the art of paper folding and bookbinding, transforming simple materials into captivating three-dimensional objects. We will delve into the technique of the meandering fold, offering a unique opportunity for artistic expression.

Meandering Fold Technique

The meandering fold is a remarkable paper engineering technique that creates books with pages folding in a maze-like pattern. This innovative method allows your book to open in various directions—sideways, upside down, or even backwards—offering a playful and interactive experience for both the creator and the reader. This dynamic structure is perfect for exploring personal narratives and complex themes.

Artistic Exploration

Participants will have the freedom to draw, write, and collage images within their books. Guidance will be provided throughout the process, from conceptualizing your theme to binding your pages into a cohesive art book. By the end of the workshop, you’ll walk away with a precious personalized art book—a testament to your creativity and newfound skills.

Create Your Own Art Book

In this hands-on workshop, participants will craft their own hardcover meandering fold art book. Our thematic focus will be on polarizing emotions, encouraging you to delve into your own emotional spectrum and reactions to the world around you. This exploration provides a unique opportunity for self-expression, allowing you to reflect and create in a personal way.

Mini Comics with Kevin Woolridge

Register here to save your spot!

Time: 3-4:30pm
Join cartoonist Kevin Woolridge for this workshop all about making mini comics! We’ll start with some basics about comic design: layout, lettering, composition, character, and more. Then we’ll move on to mini comics! We’ll learn about different ways of putting together a mini comic and walk away with our own creations. Some basic materials will be provided, but feel free to bring along anything you’d like to work with!

Kevin Woolridge (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist from Goulds, NL, primarily working in theatre and comics. He has been making comics since he was a kid but got more serious (or less serious) about it in 2007, when his comic strip, The Little World, found publication in Current. He is the publisher behind Heavy Sweater Comics, which launched in late 2023, and has published 8 books by local cartoonists since then. He has released a score of mini comics over the years, and loves introducing people to the medium. In hi day life, he is the Operations Manager of the Resource Centre for the Arts and Board Chair of Untellable Movement Theatre.

All-Day Activities

Special thanks to the excellent Christine Hennebury and Association for the Arts Mount Pearl for bringing these fun activities to zinefest!!

Christine Hennebury (she/her) Creative Coach and Chair of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl will be hosting some drop-in activities during HOLD FAST Zines. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be GOOD at these things, you can just play with the process.

Oracle Cards

Ok, so we can’t give you access to an actual oracle BUT we can help you make a small set of oracle cards from paper, stickers, drawings, and all kinds of bits and pieces. Christine will have some suggestions to guide you to use your brand new art for journaling, writing, or decision making.

Collaborative Story

We’re going to start a story and it’s up to everyone to take it from there. We’ll provide index cards and markers and tape so you can add the next part of the story OR branch off at any point to take the story in a different direction. Let’s make stuff up!