Public Collectors: Marc Fischer's Archive of the Overlooked Since 2007
Established in 2007 in Chicago by Marc Fischer, Public Collectors focuses on safeguarding materials often overlooked for preservation, including underground ephemera, personal collections, and unique imagery. It addresses the voids left by conventional archives. Rather than functioning as a typical museum or archive, it serves as a lasting fanzine dedicated to cultural creation. Among its significant projects are 'Hardcore Architecture' (2008), which chronicles the residences of 1980s hardcore bands, and 'Library Excavations' (2009), which reveals underutilized library resources. Its online initiatives include 'Grave Plots' (2019) and 'You Spat on Me By Accident' (2024). 'Provisional Costumes' (2023) showcases eBay costume images, while 'News Photo Back Views' (2025) explores the backs of press photographs. Additionally, 'Quaranzine' (2020) produced a remarkable 100 publications in just 100 days.
Key facts
- Public Collectors was founded in Chicago in 2007 by artist and publisher Marc Fischer.
- The project focuses on materials typically excluded from institutional archives, such as underground ephemera and personal collections.
- 'Hardcore Architecture' (2008) photographs former homes of 1980s hardcore bands using Google Street View, based on Maximum Rocknroll contact listings from 1982–1989.
- 'Library Excavations' (2009) highlights underused physical materials in public libraries.
- Online series include 'Grave Plots' (2019), 'Sold as Blank/Possible Lost Media' (2019), and 'You Spat on Me By Accident' (2024).
- 'Provisional Costumes' (2023) collects eBay photos of costumed individuals from the 1970s to early 1990s.
- 'News Photo Back Views' (2025) examines the reverse sides of press photos, comparing them to works by Rauschenberg and Basquiat.
- 'Quaranzine' (2020) produced 100 one-page publications in 100 days during the pandemic.
- 'Courtroom Artist Residency' (2017–2020) involved artists observing Cook County criminal court hearings in Chicago, followed by lunch at Taqueria El Milagro.
Entities
Artists
- Marc Fischer
- Walter Benjamin
- Maurizio Ferraris
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Francesco Ciaponi
- Aryz
- Francesco Faraci
- Joyce Lin
- Nel Verbeke
- Seth & Manni
Institutions
- Public Collectors
- Maximum Rocknroll
- eBay
- Craigslist
- Taqueria El Milagro
- Cook County Criminal Court
- Design Museum Gent
- Westwing
- Crosby Studios
- Wu-Tang Clan
- Clarks
- 24Bottles
- Super Duper Market
- Memphis
- Kindle
- Collater.al
Locations
- Chicago
- United States
- Vienna
- Austria
- Ibiza
- Spain
- Bergamo
- Italy
- Palermo