UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Emily Burns, assistant professor of graphic design in the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, moved from New York City to State College, she began thinking about how artists share their work, how they connect and learn from others, and how she could sustain a studio practice outside of major art centers. Rather than accept the limits of geography, she said, she imagined a platform that could publish artists’ work, build a lasting archive of contemporary art and create opportunities for emerging voices to reach wider audiences.
“I missed the community of artists and artist-run spaces that were flourishing in the city,” said Burns. “I decided to combine my myriad interests and skills into an organization as a way to connect with people, engage with artists and build community around contemporary art.”
That initiative became Maake, the artist-run organization she founded, which publishes a guest-curated print magazine, maintains a global online archive of artist interviews and curates exhibitions both at galleries around the country and in its own exhibition space, Maake Projects.
Over time, Maake has become a thriving platform for contemporary art — one that shares artists’ work while creating meaningful opportunities for visibility beyond traditional art world centers.
Burns created Maake before virtual creative communities were common. Instagram was still new, Zoom did not yet exist and the art world remained centered around major cities. She said she wanted to change the idea that location should determine access or opportunity.
“I wanted to defy geographic boundaries, and I saw the fresh possibilities in networked social media channels that were new at the time.” said Burns. “So I connected the print magazines, the website, social media and physical exhibitions in a hybrid model that was accessible for everyone, everywhere.”
Drawing on her background in painting, the visual arts and curatorial practice, together with her experience in graphic and publication design, Burns said she was able to leverage design to bring Maake to life in an engaging and accessible platform, with print as a central player.
“We’ve intentionally kept print part of the mix for the past decade. As digital culture accelerates and AI reshapes how we produce and consume media, the value of tangible, analog formats has resurfaced. Physical publications offer a stable form of archive — one that doesn’t rely on changing software or interfaces. Print publications are an intimate way to engage with material that is quiet and more intentional,” said Burns. “Print delivers an elevated encounter, and I wanted to harness thoughtful design to share the work in a beautiful way.”
While print serves as a tangible reference, Burns said the digital platform opens the door even wider. Every feature on the site is free and accessible, giving emerging artists and readers around the world a space to learn from longform interviews, studio visits and conversations about process, materials and the realities of sustaining an art practice.
Burns’ favorite part of curating the magazine come from the collaboration aspect, she said. Each issue is comprised of a selection of artists and projects chosen by a guest curator whose perspective shapes a “mini exhibition” in print.