A stack of the first issue of Herd Magazine sits on the front counter of Raw Sugar Café.
Herd is the word in Ottawa’s arts and culture scene with a new media outlet in town.
Herd Magazine is a new arts and culture magazine based in Centretown aimed at showcasing Ottawa’s lesser-known artists, photographers and musicians.
The free quarterly magazine was co-founded by writer Stephanie Vicente and photographer Pat Bolduc earlier this year.
“I felt there was a void for this kind of publication in Ottawa,” says Vicente, adding that they are trying to get everyone together and raise confidence in the city's creative comunity.
“We really want people to stay in Ottawa so that the cultural and creative community can thrive. That is our ultimate mission,” Vicente says. “We want to create jobs for people in the creative field in Ottawa.”
One of the Vicente’s goals is to keep talent in Ottawa by bringing attention and exposure to their work. “We hope that every time we publish we prohibit the exodus of a few local talents.”
The creators of Raised by Wolves clothing line, for example, left Ottawa for Montreal to further their business. Had they stayed, “then creative jobs would come to fruition and more competition could arise,” says Vicente.
The name Herd “represents the gathering of creative people,” says Vicente. “If creative minds gather the creative community can thrive. An artist alone can survive, but artists together are stronger and have further reach.”
The black-and-white cover features local musician Adam Saikaley standing in a washed-out room fiddling with a speaker.
The magazine’s content ranges from poetry to profiles to photography and artwork. The magazine reads like a love letter to Ottawa and the culture lurking below the city’s reputation as a government town.
Fall Down Gallery at Bank and Somerset street hosted the magazine’s launch party earlier this month. The gallery was packed to its 160-person capacity. Live music played in the graffiti-covered concrete basement while a DJ spun dance beats next to local artists’ work.
Robbie Lariviere, co-owner of Fall Down Gallery, says the new magazine will bring positive attention to the city.
“They’re almost giving people a reason to read about Ottawa, something to look forward to every couple of months. I think that their angle is perfect for what Ottawa needs right now in this kind of industry,” he says.
The magazine is available in many Centretown locations, including Somerset Street's the Daily Grind café and Raw Sugar Café, and vintage clothing shop Gypsy and Company on Gilmour Street.
Nadia Kharyati, owner of Raw Sugar Café, says they have run out of copies from the last two deliveries.
“We can’t keep enough in stock,” she says.
Two thousand copies of the first issue were printed the first week of October and so far there’s “been an overwhelming response,” says Vicente.
Vicente says a print publication is an attempt to “revive the appreciation for printed press.”
“I still think people want to pick something up and have something tangible in their hands,” says Kharyati. “The cover alone is incredibly well done and draws you to pick it up and dive in.”