Art & Literary Magazine

Suffield Academy’s 2020-2021 Art & Literary Magazine was distributed campus-wide on May 21 and is now available online. The student-curated publication is in its sixth year of print and features the creative works of talented Tiger artists and writers. This year’s magazine theme is “Reflection.”

The brainchild of Co-Visual Arts Chair Jenny Graham, the magazine was first published by her Graphic Design class in the spring of 2016. Jenny introduced the course in 2015 as an advanced level class aimed at teaching effective communication strategies utilizing graphic layouts and principles of design: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Students learn the industry-standard programs including Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop while examining topics such as logo design and development, brand identity and representation, typography, mixed media poster design, and print layout and design.

The project typically begins with a collaborative discussion centered on themes and each student is assigned a role in production. This year’s magazine staff included Tessa Heick ’22 as layout editor, Hope Selvitelli ’22 as creative editor, and Sophie Pirondini ’21 and Megan Swanson ’21 as chief photo editors. Natalie Datz ’23 and Michael Greystone ’22 curated the senior pages and Zeina Lee ’22, Giselle Ciriaco ’22, and Eric Zhang ’24 conducted the arts and creative writing layouts.

“Creating the art and literary magazine was my way of providing the students a purpose for their designs while also finding an outlet to showcase student artwork,” explains Jenny Graham. “The final product is really a prize for the students who ultimately gain a whole new appreciation for the process of print media design. I learned in the course of designing this project that the school had previously produced an art and literary magazine, but it was not student-designed and was only printed in black and white with more of an emphasis on writing. So, the task was even more exciting for our students who felt empowered to give it a new life and meaning.”