New student journal at Knox College focuses on visual art

The newest student journal at Knox College, Folio, is the first campus publication devoted solely to visual art.

The Folio site and printed magazine features graphic design, photography, drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, prints, and woodcuts.

"We received 137 total submissions and selected 48," said founder and creative director Joseph Kozlowicz '12. The journal was a special independent study project for Kozlowicz and eight other students.

"In addition to submissions from students, accepted submissions also came from a faculty member, a staff member in admission, and five alumni," Kozlowicz says.

One of the alumni artists featured is world famous surrealist Dorothea Tanning '32 -- to whom the issue is dedicated. The issue includes several drawings that Tanning made in the 1930s for other student publications.

The inaugural issue of Folio coincides with a series of events in Galesburg to commemorate Tanning's accomplishments in art, design and literature.

"The students are talented and motivated. When questions came up, I deferred to them, let them answer and make decisions," said Folio's advisor, Christie Ferguson Cirone '79, a member of the Knox journalism faculty. "They used the framework of a design agency to develop Folio," Cirone says. "Each student contributed valuable expertise to the collaborative team project."

Folio staff:

• Andrei Papancea '14, Romania
• Anne Horrell '12, Stillwell, Kansas
• Duong Bui '13, Vietnam
• Tashi Ongmo '11, Bhutan
• Nicolas Cueter '13, Washington, DC
• Joyce Lee '11, Buffalo Grove, Illinois
• Ashley Wolfgang '14, Rosemount, Minnesota
• Hongyu "Sophie" Zhou '14, China
• Christie Ferguson Cirone '79, faculty advisor

The inaugural issue of Folio was supported by a Richter Foundation grant and private donations. A limited number of 52-page first editions were printed and distributed at the launch reception on May 26. Designed by Papancea, the Folio website will archive each edition in an interactive format.

"The students have made an extraordinary effort," Cirone says. "This hybrid and inclusive method of documenting the visual arts is a 'first' in the history of the College."

Retired from Illinois Central College, where she served as professor and chair of graphic design, Cirone has taught graphic design at Knox since 2007.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 48 states and 51 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

More from the creation and release party for the inaugural issue of Folio:

Above right, Folio staff Nicolas Cueter, Andrei Papancea, Joe Kozlowicz, Anne Horrell (seated), Christie Cirone, Tashi Ongmo, Joyce Lee, Hongyu "Sophie" Zhou, Ashley Wolfgang; not pictured, Duong Bui.
Folio staff put up artwork and distributed copies of the inaugural issue at a reception on May 26. Folio and all other student publications are free to Knox students and the campus community.