Louise Stern is a London-based American artist and curator. Here she discusses one of her projects- Maurice, an art magazine with a difference.

Arght! : First of all, who is Maurice and where did he come from? Describe Maurice and its philosophy.

L.S: Maurice is whoever the reader wants him to be. Certainly he's curious, honest, interested in people, and he definitely has a sense of fun. He's also very restless, for sure. We asked the readers of Issue 1 to tell us who Maurice is, and with every issue, project, and workshop we understand more about who he is.
We were struggling to find a name for this magazine of ours, and in the end we thought, let's give it a name and let it find itself, as a person does.
I love art and what it can communicate like nothing else...but I could not find a regular way of communicating about art on a human level, without the jargon and posturing. So that was the birth of Maurice.

Argh-t! : How did the idea come about?

L.S: I was studying for a MA in art theory and one of our projects was to create an exhibition or an art magazine. I chose the magazine and with three others we came up with an early version of Maurice. One of our teachers really liked the idea, and told his wife, who is the director of the Whitechapel, about our idea. She offered to lend us support for fundraising. It was a much more exciting prospect than getting a job in some gallery or something (I hadn't started making work of my own yet.) We thought the support from her would mean raising the money and finding a way to get it out would be a breeze. Ha! Fat chance.


Argh-t! : How many and what kind of people are involved?

L.S: All kinds of people have worked with us or helped us in some way or the other. Browns Design and Jonathan Ellery who runs it have been so incredibly generous to us - they design the magazine and are always ready to step up whenever we need them. We have some artists who are steadfast supporters of Maurice, most of whom we showed in the recent exhibition. Maurice has some other good friends, like Adam Prideaux from Heath Lambert art insurers, who are always happy to help us out. We worked with new people on the exhibition too...Andreas Leventis who is a really good freelance curator "got" Maurice immediately and was a huge help, and the artist Ella du Cane was the one who hooked us up with the space. But on the day to day long-term front it's me and Shiraz Ksaiba, who is the kind of person who you know always has your back. Oliver Pouliot, my interpreter, has been with me since the very beginning and he's very good to Maurice too.


Argh-t! : Apart from the show you just did at the London Newcastle project space, what other projects (including workshops, etc.) have stemmed from the magazine and working with children?

L.S: We've done all sorts. Maurice seems to draw support from unexpected quarters. We've done a workshop with Camden Arts Centre, funded by the art fund Outset, and we've done a workshop for DU Magazin, a German literature/photography magazine who are really good. I've done a school workshop in Boston, Massachusetts based on Maurice too, and we've even been included in an exhibition in the oldest children's library in Paris. We've done some school fairs too, just sitting there with Maurice on a table selling it to whoever comes up. We have had some near misses too - a collaboration with the ICA didn't happen after all, and neither did a hookup with a great American magazine publisher who found us on her own & emailed us. A TV producer just saw the exhibition & thought we would be good on TV. It probably won't happen, but who knows - Maurice could stand its own in a lot of different worlds, I think.

Argh-t! : Do you know of any other children's magazines about art and if so how does yours differ?

L.S: The ones I know of tend to take the arts and crafts approach. There are some kids' books about art history. But Maurice doesn't teach "about" contemporary art, it just simply uses it as a way to understand the world. That's a completely different thing to either arts and crafts or art history.



Argh-t! : Do you see the magazine as a serious educational tool for children or just a way of talking about art from a different, much needed, perspective?

L.S: Oh god, I hope it isn't a "serious" educational tool! Nah.... We did make Maurice with the thought in the back of our heads that teachers could use it in the classroom, and we have a teachers' guide with ideas on how to use Maurice. But mostly Maurice is an art magazine, full stop. We don't even really think about it as a "children's art magazine", just as an art magazine.

Argh-t! : Up until now, how have you funded the magazine- I saw on your website that you offer it for free to schools? Do you also sell it in regular book shops?

L.S: We funded the first issue with donations from private sources - we have applied for numerous grants & government funds but have never gotten any of them. Damien Hirst, Christie's, Outset, and a City firm were among the funders of the first issue. We give it out free in schools & sell it in the Tate, Serpentine, and the Milton Keynes gallery. When we get the second issue out, it will be sold in Borders too, and Paul Smith shops.

Argh-t! : Have you had a lot of interest from schools and teachers so far?

L.S: We have had so many excited comments from teachers and schools. They say there's nothing else like Maurice and that kids really enjoy Maurice and that it works in the classroom. They look forward to getting the next issue.

Argh-t! : What does Maurice have in store for us in 2010?

L.S: We have to find the money to publish first! And then I can answer that.