A copy of Beth Pickens' risograph zine Making Art During Fascism on a white background

Making Art During Fascism

Last updated: 19 October 2026

Making Art During Fascism is a short zine and activity book by Beth Pickens, a Los Angeles consultant who advises artists on money, funding and keeping a practice going. The Feminist Center for Creative Work (FCCW) in Los Angeles designed and risograph printed it, and every sale goes to the centre. The FCCW shop has it in stock on a sliding scale from $15, which its checkout shows UK visitors as £12, and it ships to the UK.

Buy it from the FCCW shop, from £12

The FCCW link is a plain shop link, so we earn nothing from it.

What Making Art During Fascism is

The zine started life in 2018 as a handout. FCCW made it to go with a workshop Pickens ran at the LA Art Book Fair on 25 February 2018. It has been reprinted several times since.

FCCW was called the Women's Center for Creative Work when it began, and older listings, including our first version of this page, use that name. The centre runs artist residencies, public programmes and a small press, Co-Conspirator Press. It describes its mission as nurturing "feminist and queer creative practices", and its history page tells the story from that first dinner onwards.

What it does

  • Sets out its argument: the zine's own blurb says "Artists are essential in resisting and dismantling fascism", and argues that artists' emotional, financial, physical and spiritual needs deserve support.
  • Gives you things to do: it is an activity book with tips and exercises, not an essay to read once and shelve.
  • Funds the centre: FCCW says all proceeds benefit the organisation.

Key facts

  • Price: a sliding scale of $15, $25 or $38 at the FCCW shop, shown to UK visitors as £12, £20 or £29
  • Postage to the UK: FCCW's checkout quoted $24.95 by USPS First Class Package International, with 7 to 21 days for delivery
  • Format: stockists list it as 24 staple-bound pages, about 21 x 15 cm, risograph printed in one colour on coloured paper
  • Credits: written by Beth Pickens, designed by Kate Johnston and printed by Neko Natalia, according to the UK stockist The Bower
  • First made: 2018, for the LA Art Book Fair workshop

Who it suits

  • Artists who want practical prompts: it is short and built around exercises.
  • Readers who already like Pickens: it is a small companion to her two books, Your Art Will Save Your Life (Feminist Press, 2018) and Make Your Art No Matter What (Chronicle Books, 2021).

If you like your art books with a campaigning streak, Magid Magid's The Art of Disruption sits well beside it.

The limits

Postage is the main catch. At $24.95, shipping to the UK costs more than the zine itself on the lowest tier.

Delivery is slow too. FCCW's checkout gave a window of one to three weeks, and UK import charges may apply on arrival.

Other stockists have run dry. The Bower in the UK and Printed Matter in New York both listed it as out of stock earlier this month, so FCCW is the only seller we found with copies.

Where to buy Making Art During Fascism in the UK

Order direct from FCCW, which ships internationally. Pickens lists her books and consultancy on her official site.

If the postage puts you off, her longer book, Make Your Art No Matter What (Chronicle Books, 2021), covers the same ground in more detail and is sold by UK bookshops.

Order the zine from FCCW

FAQs

How much does Making Art During Fascism cost?

FCCW sells it on a sliding scale of $15, $25 or $38, charged to UK buyers as £12, £20 or £29 when I checked on 19 October 2026. Shipping to the UK was quoted at $24.95 earlier this month.

Does it ship to the UK?

Yes. FCCW's checkout offered USPS First Class Package International to a UK address, with 7 to 21 days for delivery.

Who gets the money?

FCCW says all proceeds benefit the Feminist Center for Creative Work, the artist-run space in Los Angeles that printed it.

Is the Women's Center for Creative Work the same as FCCW?

Yes. FCCW's own history page says the organisation started out as the Women's Center for Creative Work.

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