PEGACORN PRESS

SHES GONNA FLY!

  Hello! I'm Caroline Paquita, a visual artist, musician, bee-keeper, and in general, a maker and sharer of things. I live and work out of Port Quincy, in Brooklyn, NY. After many years of self-publishing, I'm officially beginning a small queer, feminist, total-art-freaker publishing house called PEGACORN PRESS. Through your help, Im hoping to raise funds for new and better equipment to make this easier and all the more possible.

  This tiny and unique publishing house will specialize in small-run art books, comics and zines. In the DIY vein of things, I've been creating thousands of copies of work, on an extremely "scrappy" budget for a long time now. I'm beginning this campaign to gather funds to buy necessary supplies (a better paper-cutter, folding machine, heavy duty stapler, binding equipment) and WHOA! possibly even a newer and better operating duplicator. Besides the printing, everything I do- from collating, stapling, folding and hole punching- is done by hand. This is a very laborious and time consuming labor of love that can be hard on the body, but Im hoping to remedy that a bit with some helpful supplies.

  For over a decade, I've made zines and have regularly had my work printed and shown in galleries. PEGACORN PRESS has been a long time in the making and is informed directly from the DIY punk, queer, feminist, art world that I live and engage in. In 2009, I bought my first Risograph duplicator, which is a machine that looks very much like a copier, but technologically speaking, is one step up from a mimeograph. A high speed machine, a Risograph can print between 60-120 prints per minute. Essentially, the process is similar to screen-printing, except done automatically and all within a relatively small machine.  

  Different colored inks can be used in dedicated color drums, but due to the fact that my machine is older, quality issues usually start to come up after two colors are printed. At this point, its easier to use my machine for strictly one color jobs, though the option to use black, red, burgandy, purple or blue ink is there. Ideally, I wouldn't have problems, but considering that this beast of a machine is from the early 1980's (and has made over 2.5 million copies), it's hard to complain since its made it this far and is still working. While Ill keep working this Risograph til it breaks down for good (said with fingers crossed since thats all I have to work with right now...), a better working machine would definitely be helpful and would be the big purchase of this fundraising. Even if the goal isnt met, donations will definitely help obtain any, or even all, of the smaller items needed to put everything together without breaking my back any more than it already is!

COMING UP THIS FALL...

  Recently, I was awarded an artist's residency in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the Roberts Street Social Centre. Based on my proposal for a Punk Health zine and for the necessary time to work on the second issue of WOMANIMALISTIC (a comic-zine), Ill be heading up there in October to live in a rustic shack behind the bustling RSSC, which also houses the Anchor Archive Zine Library. The third and upcoming 2012 Paquita calendar, as well as the comic compilation (assuming that all the contributors get their stuff in by the deadline!) will be printed in time to take to Halifax. A big zine conference and a music festival will be happening when Im there, so all around its a great opportunity for not only my own artistic practice, but to share PEGACORN PRESS with a larger audience. Prior to leaving for all this excitement in Nova Scotia, a New York release party is being planned to celebrate all the new projects coming out. Last year a friend and I had a dual-release party (for the 2011 Calendar, WOMANIMALISTIC and his zine, Slice Harvester) at The City Reliquary, which was a well received and successful event.

THE IMPACT...

 With PEGACORN PRESS, the hope is that any funds raised from projects printed, will help fuel the next one in line (and/or purchase other helpful equipment), in order to help expand the press and its capabilities. The plan isnt to have a huge operation or distribution going (I plan on keeping my real-world jobs), but to infrequently publish- two to four times a year- works that are interesting, inspiring and need to see the light of day.

  I live in a world surrounded by other artists who make incredibly beautiful, intelligent and amazingly funny work that the world deserves to see more of. I've found that more often than not, people who lead "unconventional lifestyles" and who have more radical politics, are less likely to have their work published. Women and queers are noticeably absent from this world and Id like to change that as much as I can through not only art, but the art of dissemination. From my own experiences, I know that many projects are started, but never make it to the printer due to finances, time and other circumstances. I'd like to help create an environment where artists are able to have the luxury to make work that will get printed and done so in a creative way.

  Currently, I keep an Etsy store and also sell to small bookstores around the country. Publications out on PEGACORN PRESS will also be sold online, in stores, have release parties, and possibly small tours to promote their existence. As someone who has been involved with a collectively run non-profit, and has booked, toured, and sold my own work around the world, I feel confident that what gets printed, will actually get out on the streets. I want people to be inspired and to learn from other folks, not only through the written word, but through art! To be able to share the resources, as well as learn some new processes along the way is the root of this campaign.

What is Needed...

   All equipment I buy is done after careful researching and consideration. Most of it is found used via Craigslist or on Ebay and Im constantly on the lookout for good deals. Since costs are dependent on many factors, its hard to give a hard amount on the things I need, but heres some rough estimates:

Better, larger paper-cutter: $100-200

Heavy duty, long-arm stapler: $100-200

Paper folder: $200-400

Dependent on the style, the cost of binding equipment can be all over the place. Currently Im looking for a machine that is heavy duty enough to stitch up small books. If I cant find that for a reasonable cost, hand-binding is still an option, but it would be nice to have the appropriate tools to do it since its time consuming.

Estimated cost, anywhere between $100-1,000

A newer Risograph duplicator, with several drums: $600-1,200

  In the totally wild possibility that my goal is exceeded, any extra money would be used to purchase a set or two of wooden letter-press font for a small letterpress that I also have. After the initial equipment Im seeking is purchased and P.P. is thriving, this will be the next adventure into the world of publishing. One can vision quest, right? Thats where everything begins...

What You Get...

Gifts! Everyone who donates, actually gets real objects sent to them in the mail, as well as being listed as a donor on the P.P. website. I love sending mail and feel like if youre going to take the trouble to help me out, then you deserve to get something real in your hand. The point of this project is to make REAL OBJECTS and it would be crazy to give you anything otherwise.

Every single donation will be truly appreciated and will help this crazy little beast become a reality!

Please share this project and help me get the word out! Facebook! Tumbler! Other Internet sites that I have no idea about! Telephone banks! Fax! Snail mail! Carrier Pigeons! Theres only so much I can do, especially when I need to be adamantly drawing every waking hour for the next few months to get all this done in time to leave for Halifax. Thank you in advance for helping spread the word, seriously.

Caroline Paquita