A Little About Us

Who We Are

Callosum Magazine is an arts magazine focused in Oak Park that invites Chicagoland creatives of all disciplines and all skill levels to send us their work and in return, receive personal feedback, online and in print promotional publication, as well as invitation and inclusion within a socially-minded, collaborative and conversation-based arts community. 

What Makes Us Different

Callosum works like no other magazine because we don't reject anyone. We don't find it productive to turn anyone away. Instead, we implement a conversation-based feedback process with all of our contributors. This process, emphasizing craft elements, themes, and perhaps unseen value within the creative work is meant to provide emerging artists with considerate and thoughtful discussion of our shared crafts.

What We’re Doing

We strive to establish a connective, productive arts community that promotes participation and conversation with fellow working and emerging artists.

Why We’re Doing It

We want to encourage all creative people to keep creating, no matter their background and no matter the obstacle.

All of our editors are working artists themselves, struggling with similar questions as our contributors. Together, Callosum is our attempt to let artists know that they are not alone here. We form a community eager to listen, to read, to watch, and love your work.

We, as working artists, who form and give color to our communities, need to reclaim the role of the gatekeeper, its power of promotion. We need to hold these doors open for everyone.

That is what Callosum hopes to be, a magazine that is human. A magazine that acknowledges the struggles of each contributor and celebrates each and every moment of expression and creativity. A magazine that invests in the local community and honors the achievements of its most humble and its most ambitious equally. A magazine that accepts everyone.

This is what you've found. A magazine that accepts and publishes everyone.

The problems facing a young and emerging creatives are tremendous. Caught in a world of consumer-based division between 'high art' and the rest of us, the emerging artist is made to feel powerless. Fighting against that age-old model of rejection-based publications, Callosum is here to say, "We are not alone. We are together".

In addition to inclusion on the web and in our hearts, Callosum provides access to arts materials, inclusion in publications, gallery events, performances, open mics, and so much more.

We are an open source, radically inclusive and generous to all artists. In less than a year we have published and performed with over 150 local artists. And we have no plans of slowing down.

Please, if you or a loved one would like to connect with us, don't hesitate to email us at callosummagazine@gmail.com

Thank you for joining us. You are welcome, too. 

With love and deep thanks,

Tony Foley
Founder, Artistic Director