Free First Thursday
June 5
5-9 PM
Join us for Free First Thursday on June 5 at Contemporary Calgary! Enjoy complimentary admission from 5–9 PM and take part in Printed Resistance, a zine-making takeover inspired by June Clark: Witness and the radical creativity of DIY culture.
From 5–8 PM, local artists Harvey Nichol and Blake McLeod will lead hands-on workshops exploring zines as tools for self-expression, resistance, and storytelling. Drawing from June Clark’s deeply personal work, participants will create their own zines around themes of identity, memory, and speaking truth to power. No experience necessary—just bring your voice and your story. All materials provided.
At 6:30 PM, join us for a panel discussion on zine-making as protest and personal archive, moderated by Beth Kane, Contemporary Calgary’s Manager of Visitor Experience and bookshop curator. The conversation will explore the power of independent publishing and its enduring cultural impact.
Throughout the evening, explore a special presentation of over 100 photographs from the legendary California-based zine Hamburger Eyes and founder Ray Potes—one of America’s most influential photo publications known for capturing the unseen and iconic moments of everyday life.
Throughout the evening, enjoy a DJ set by Pawnzi and a curated selection of wine, craft beer, and non-alcoholic beverages as you explore the exhibitions, engage in hands-on art-making, and connect through contemporary art. All ages welcome!
Art for All – FREE with registration.
About the Zine Workshop Facilitators/Panellists
Blake McLeod
Blake McLeod is an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller of Nehiyaw + settler descent from Fort St. John, BC, in Treaty 8 and has been living and working as a guest on Treaty 7 territory in Mohkinstsis / Calgary, AB, since 2013. McLeod is the Creative Director and Founder of CINIC Studio, an arthouse providing service work to collaborators and community designing and producing apparel, zines, stickers, photos, and video. Through the means of writing, illustration, photography, filmmaking, silkscreen printmaking, and music, they weave together narratives of Indigiqueer identity, space/placemaking, and the ongoing search for belonging amidst polite-washing and historical erasure in the prairies.
Harvey Nichol
Harvey Nichol is a Manila-born, Calgary-based independent comic book writer and multidisciplinary artist whose work explores themes of protest, identity, and cultural resistance. His debut comic, Aklas, meaning "to rise up" in Filipino, is a bold fusion of speculative fiction and social commentary, set in a dystopian future inspired by his lived experiences as an immigrant and former houseless youth. Through Aklas, Harvey uses visual storytelling to examine issues of displacement, power structures, and collective action. His unique style—what he calls social-folk-expressionism—combines folk motifs, street art aesthetics, and expressive character design to create stories that challenge dominant narratives and uplift marginalized voices. With Aklas, Harvey creates space for readers to engage with protest not just as an act of defiance, but as a necessary form of healing, survival, and imagination.
About the Moderator
Beth Kane (she/her) is an arts professional with over nine years of experience in the UK and Canada. Based in Mohkinstsís/Calgary, she is the Manager of Visitor Experience at Contemporary Calgary, where she also manages the gallery’s bookshop and curates book selections that connect with exhibitions and programming. Beth is a Board Member/Director of the Exposure Photography Festival, and her work focuses on accessible arts engagement, photography, and independent publishing. She has curated exhibitions for a range of organizations and written about zine culture for Elephant magazine, including the article Female Photo Zine Publishers Shaking Up the DIY Scene.
