Helping fill a long-overlooked gap in Calgary’s zine scene is Nicole Gruszecki, a true creative focused on zine-making and DIY methods.
A former student and now instructor at the Alberta University of the Arts, Gruszecki brings both lived experience and love of the art to her practice. Through her Little Good Zine Clubhouse, she’s created an inviting space dedicated to zines where artists of all skill levels can experiment with paper, ink and storytelling while building community, one folded page at a time.
Her favourite hobby is her job, but here are her favourite places to check out when she’s not creating.
1. “I love going to the Central Library. I go there with my kids a lot … it’s just really comfortable there.”
2. “Dingy, like grassroots, do it yourself at pop-up places.”
3. “Native Tongues on Elbow. I go there a lot. My favourite is the salsa sampler. Their chips are so good, first of all, and there are eight different salsas to try, and I get it every time. I’ll go there, just for that. And their margaritas are really good too.”
4. “Art Spot Calgary and Canopy Studios are both my favourites. Art Spot doesn’t have a single location; they do pop-ups all over the place. They do have an event every year called The Under 100 art show, and it takes place in different empty warehouse spaces they find, so it’s always somewhere different.”
