Scrap Paper: Belonging & Resistance

Scrap Paper: Belonging & Resistance is on display at the Thompson Gallery in the Ohio State University Libraries, and it's going to be there through February 7, 2027. It's an exhibit that looks at how people build community and organize around shared causes, and it does that by pulling from the library's own collections of zines, punk show posters, calendars, and other ephemera.

Much of what you'll see comes from the margins of publishing. There are personal zines, posters from punk shows, and cartonera—the Latin American political publications known for their handmade cardboard covers. You'll also find ephemera from independent bookstores. Together, these are the physical artifacts of community and movement-making: the flyers, the self-published pamphlets, and the calendars that keep a scene running. The show gathers them in one place to ask how the material things a community leaves behind can build solidarity and momentum for social change.

The exhibit was co-curated by Courtney Hunt, an art and design librarian, and Leticia Wiggins, an ethnic studies librarian. They recently talked through the inspiration behind the show and their thoughts on the history and impact of zines on an episode of WOSU's Broad and High, so if you're interested in the thinking that went into the curation, that's a good place to start.

Because it's on display through February 7, 2027, you've got plenty of time to swing by. It's at the Thompson Gallery, part of the Ohio State University Libraries in Columbus.