Hey, I’m Grace!
I launched Shelby x Studios in 2020. Experiencing chronic pain, burnout and grief made me want to create a space with CARE: Community, Artivism, Rest + Education at its core. Zines became a way to contribute to social justice movements at a time when traditional organising spaces felt inaccessible. Since then I've collaborated with over 100 artists, activists and archivists to create a growing zine archive of 30+ self published zines, co-hosted an art activism festival in Hackney, London and completed a creative R+D fellowship in Amplified Publishing. I love zines with a passion and believe everyone should make at least one!
About Shelby x Studios
Shelby x Studios is a CIC using zines as an invitation to imagine and create a more just and equitable world. Bringing together art, activism, creative technology and archiving we view zine-making as a powerful tool for social change.
Since 2020 we've collaborated with over 100 artists, activists and archivists to create a growing zine archive of 30+ self published zines exploring racial justice, disability rights, queer and feminist organising and collective care. In 2025 we made our zine archive entirely open access and developed a series of resources with a view to encouraging people to read, learn and make their own zines in response. Rebel Zine Club was born! Join the club here.
In 2024 we co-hosted If Mi Nuh Laugh, Mi Cry!: Hackney Art Activism Festival alongside our partners Reel Rebels Radio. Check out the Retrospective Zine here. We have had the pleasure of working with a diverse range of people with shared values from inspiring campaign groups to youth educators and cultural organisations to universities. Check out our work here.
We believe that by imagining a more just and equitable world, we can create it, one zine at a time.
If you’d like to work with us:
Our Manifesto
Artwork by Sophie Bass
SHELBY X FAQ
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Shelby is the name of our leopard mascot, symbolising independence, adaptability, strength, overcoming difficulties, self-reliance, personal transformation… 🐆 Shelby offers guidance in times of need. It’s a symbol of defiance in the face of capitalism and a reminder of how our individuality is our superpower.
The X is for collaboration! SHELBY X (insert name of artist or organisation creating social change here).
Studios = a creative space. -
We measure impact via our CARE framework, which is based on our core values:
Community: stronger relationships and creative networks
Artivism: increased confidence using zine-making for change
Rest: feeling supported and able to participate creatively
Education: deeper understanding of creative activism -
Pronounced ‘zeen’, these DIY, self-published, publications have a long history rooted in radical politics.
They tend to be low cost, easy to share, educational, community based - accessible. Long before the birth of the Internet, zines were an underground form of publishing which allowed people to connect with their communities, discuss ideas, and collaborate on writing and artwork. With the dawn of the digital age, zines have evolved with almost limitless possibilities, moving beyond the page into digital, physical and interactive spaces
All you need to make a zine is a piece of paper and something that makes a mark. They can be about anything and everything and there’s no experience necessary.
Zines help to:
Share educational resources
Build communities of care
Counter mainstream narratives
Express subcultures
Amplify radical messages
Tell stories + explore ideas
Make space for creative expression
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The archive is already home to work from more than 100 artists and organisations. We're now growing Rebel Zine Club (RZC) into something bigger - a space for shared resources, creative projects, artist development and radical imagination.
Featured artists:
We have had the pleasure of working with some of the most incredible artists, writers and multimedia creatives using their skills to create social change. Check out their work in our zine archive here.
