Raw Paw, the groundbreaking art collective, has a reputation for warehouse parties with installations and raucous performance art. Raw Paw also has a long-standing zine series and is known for its meticulous attention to detail and high quality in publishing. Wayne Brenner of The Austin Chronicle described their work as “something you'd discover in the gift shop of a progressive art museum,” reflecting founder Chris Dock’s design background from UT’s College of Fine Arts.[1]

Dock had vision to move beyond visual art, and in 2014, he reached out to established Austin poet David Jewell to curate the Mind Maze poetry chapbook series.[2] These beautifully-crafted books are artistic collaborations between an older generation of poets and the younger artists of Raw Paw. Here we have John Herndon's Birds and Flowers and Jewell’s Bluenote.

The latter is an epic break up poem that Jewell started in the 1980s, but he wasn’t able to fully finish it until he had editing help from UT alum and Raw Paw member Clementine Kruczynski in 2014.[3] The elaborate cover art that reflects the chapbook’s blue theme was designed by artist Nicole Carleton, reflecting Raw Paw’s commitment to collective art-making. Raw Paw continues to operate as a print shop for local artists in South Austin with the mission to “print culture together!”[4]

[1] Brenner, Wayne Alan. “Strong and Talented and Young: Austin’s Raw Paw Collective Inhales Life and Exhales Art.” The Austin Chronicle. December 26, 2014. https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2014-12-26/strong-and-talented-and-young/. Find it at the UT Libraries.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Jewell, David. Bluenote. Austin, TX: Raw Paw Press, 2014, x. Find it at the UT Libraries.

[4] “Raw Paw Screen Print & Collective.” Raw Paw. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://rawpaw.ink/.