PROJECT: WINTER 2025 ISSUE OF YES!
THEME: Renaissance
The Renaissance issue was the final print edition of YES! Magazine. In many ways, it made a bold, declarative statement about who YES! was becoming—and the future we believed was still possible.
This issue was produced during the 2024 presidential election cycle, a moment of profound national uncertainty. By the time it went to print, we didn’t yet know whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump would emerge as the next president. The U.S. was actively funding Israel’s war on Palestine, and at home, we were contending with deepening ideological division, violent disruptions, and rising acts of hate and mass murder.
Our executive editor framed the issue this way: “In these times—and always—it’s essential to fortify our bonds to one another and to our collective vision for a world in which we’re all able to thrive. So rather than feeding pervasive pessimism, our Renaissance issue aims to elevate the people, experiences, and moments that signal where we’re moving.”
This issue acknowledged the urgency of the political moment—and the creative, communal resilience it demanded from us.
At a time when the organization was in steep financial decline, budget cuts required a more resourceful approach to visuals. I prioritized powerful stock photography, existing archives, and donated artwork that could still deliver emotional and narrative depth.
The lead feature, A Return to a Leftist Defense, opens with a striking portrait of a counterprotester in Portland, geared up to defend his city from an impending Proud Boys rally. The imagery traces the legacy of citizen-led protection movements, including the Jewish Labour Bund and the Black Panther Party, while also illustrating how today’s youth are reviving those traditions of self-defense in response to modern threats.
In Tools for Liberation, artists share how they channel their creativity into acts of resistance and support. The artwork featured in this story was intentionally sourced from grassroots creators and activists invested in the lives and liberation of the Palestinian people—demonstrating how visual expression becomes both a tool and a testament in the fight for justice.
