My Musical Zine: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A mini zine from the Kids Solidarity Mini Zine Pack titled My Musical Zine, designed by Jennifer White-Johnson and written by Kevin “Knox” Johnson III. The mini zine is constructed from a single sheet of hot pink paper that has a slit at the center and has been folded into eighths, creating a six page booklet. The front of the single page is divided into eight panels which form the six interior pages and the front and back covers. The back of the page is in portrait orientation and features black illustrations of an organ, a drum, bagpipes, a cello, a saxophone, and a natural horn at the center. Large black text in the bottom right corner reads [Hello / Everyone!]. The interior pages include black text and black illustrations. In its folded format, the front cover features illustrations of a drum, a saxophone, and a natural horn at the center. The zine title, [My Musical / Zine], is printed in black text at the top, and author credits, [BY KEVIN JOHNSON III] is printed below the illustrations. At the center of the back cover is large text that reads [The / End] superimposed over a large illustration of an organ. Printed on pages one and two are the musical notes [La la la la la la la la la la / la la la / laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa / aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa / aaaaaaaaaaaaa] printed small text over two large text musical notes [La / LA]. Page three features illustrations of a drum, a cello, an organ, and a saxophone with the text [Make A] and [BEAT] printed above and below the saxophone. On page four is an illustration of the horn end of a natural horn at the bottom center. Centered text printed above the bell reads [Bip / Bop / Hop / Woot / Poof / Beep / Bop]. Printed on page five is the text [And now for the / GRAND FINALE / of the zine is…. / Incredible banjos!] printed over an illustration of a banjo body. Page six features three identical, overlapping illustrations of a banjo.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2020
• Designed by: Jennifer White-Johnson, American
• Written by: Kevin Johnson III, American, born 2011
• Type: graphzines
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Folded): 2 13/16 × 2 3/16 × 7/8 in. (7.2 × 5.5 × 2.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Unfolded): 5 1/2 × 8 7/16 in. (14 × 21.5 cm)
• Place made: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Graphic design
• Topic: Parenthood
• Object number: 2022.87.5.2.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jennifer White-Johnson, Neurodivergent Artist and Designer
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Jennifer White-Johnson Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.