The Expressionist got a chance to talk with art director and content editor for Loyola’s very own BROAD magazine, Ellie Diaz. BROAD is a social justice and feminist magazine created by Loyola students. The staff at BROAD are very passionate about the causes they address. Check out what Ellie has to say about how art affects the work at BROAD!
What is your role with BROAD and what does it entail?
I’m the art director and content editor for BROAD magazine. For each issue, I find art pieces and ask artists to submit to the magazine. I also copyedit submissions including columns, sections and articles. As a BROAD member, I have my own column called “The Pink Paperbacks.” I write about feminist-friendly novels.
What is the overall theme of BROAD?
BROAD is a social justice and feminist magazine. Our focus is to ignite a dialogue among our readers. The magazine is different from one you might pick up a store. We want to have a diverse range of voices, faces and backgrounds.
How does the artwork in BROAD enhance the magazine’s messages?
I love art because it tells a story in a language that all people can “read.” It’s a universal language. I’d like to think that BROAD’s artwork captures a range of stories. For one issue, we’ll feature a couple kissing but on the next page we’ll have a military war sketch. Featuring diverse pieces ignites a dialogue.
Do you see discrimination toward female artists or female subjects of art?
I do see an inequality in the pieces I find on the Internet. For example, for our LGBT issue, I searched the term “gay” and found a range of pieces: couples holding hands, activist rainbows, Harvey Milk. But when attempting to find lesbian artwork, many pieces were over sexualized.
How is BROAD fighting for feminism through art?
What I love about BROAD’s themes for each issue (such as LGBT, crime, immigration and body image) is that they challenge BROAD members to dig deeper. It would be easy to publish a picture of a white male, a beautiful slim woman or a heterosexual couple, but those stories have been told before.
How do you determine the art/ content that gets published in the magazine?
Two weeks before deadline, I start researching current news topics. Then, I go to Etsy and look up keywords to find art pieces. I contact about 30 artists from Etsy for each issue and usually around 10 reply back and send their pieces to BROAD. There are huge groups of people that often get left out of publications: old people, children, the LGBT community, average-looking people, those with disabilities and many races. My job is to make sure their voices are featured in the artwork.
How do you see art (like the work in BROAD) affecting the feminist movement?
Art makes us feel something. It grabs our attention and doesn’t let go. For the feminist movement to continue to succeed, it has to pair the power of words with the undeniable strength of art.
What has been your favorite experience contributing to BROAD magazine?
My favorite issue to help contribute to was our disabilities issue. Every art piece in that issue had a story and most artists that submitted had a disability.
Liked what Ellie had to say? Want to get involved with BROAD? They’re always looking for contributors! You can email artwork, poetry or article submissions to broad.luc@gmail.com.
Interviews for next year’s BROAD team will happen in April. You can follow BROAD’s Facebook page for updates!
Photos of the covers courtesy of BROAD Magazine.
I think that this magazine is amazing because it is showing the female side of art and how amazing it really is.
We agree Hannah! It’s a great way to be involved on campus, as well as featuring our fellow Ramblers and their work. Stay tuned for an interview with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago’s curator, Julie Rodrigues-Widholm, this week. She will discuss this very issue in our conversation with her.