The Alour Zine Fest

Community Artist Spotlight

Recap and Interviews by Danielle Batac

This summer, 11:11 Projects hosted a cohort of high school interns as part of a Bloomberg Philanthropies and LA County Arts initiative. Every week, alongside the jobs at their respective worksites, these interns met at Third House Studios and learned valuable skills in communication, collaboration, and community. They attended panels with art professionals from varying fields, and went on enriching excursions all across Los Angeles. One of these students, Laura Pentinio, took the skills she learned through her time at Third House to find the Alour Zine Collective—a teen-run organization that makes zines to uplift young, creative voices in the community.

On September 5th, 2026, they held their first festival in Verdugo Park, Glendale known as the “Alour Zine Fest” to celebrate the artists highlighted in these journals. It was a testament to the joyous power of youth culture, and a look into the next generation of artists who use their art to change the world. 

Laura Pentinio

Co-Founder of the Alour Zine Collective

“The Alour Zine Fest is an event I wanted to organize to create a community for people my age, as well as other creatives. It’s important to have a space where a bunch of artists, musicians, clubs and organizations could express themselves freely while also earning money for what they do and love. I think it’s even more important for young people to have that opportunity, and I wanted the AZ Fest to provide it. Its mission is to support these creatives and allow their work to be seen and appreciated.

When I first pitched the idea, I had some doubts in my own ability to pull this off. So many things could go wrong: What if the venue I chose was off? What if there were technical difficulties? Would anyone even come? It was also a matter of putting myself out there in a way I hadn’t ever done before. However, the collective itself and our mission was the motivation I needed to be the organizer that could pull this all together. It helped me gain the confidence and perseverance to see my vision realized. Through the festival, I learned that I am capable of stepping out of my comfort zone to get things done, and to have fun doing so. 

I’m really excited for future events and I think the festival was a success for myself and others. I’m so glad to be able to bring a sense of community for people my age and I’m proud to be from a community with so many events organized by teens. I hope to be a part of my community’s culture and pass the baton to others!”

AZ Collective Testimonies:

Kara Horacek

“Hi, I am Kara (17) and I sell pottery and glass! I got into ceramics when I was four, when they let us work with clay at my pre-school and I’ve been doing it since. With glass, I started my freshman year of high school, but I recently got into glass-blowing a few weeks ago! I think I’ve always been confident in displaying my work, in part to the people in my life who are so supportive and celebrate what I do. But also knowing that when I love a certain work that I made, someone else may also love it.”

Gala’s Crafts

“Hello, my name is Gala (17) and I am currently running Gala’s Crafts where I sell an assortment of crocheted items and projects. I found out about the Alour Zine Fest because the coordinator, Laura, interned with me at the same place. She had reached out to me for the Fest and I decided to come along. In the past, I ran Crochet Club at school events and it was always a success, so I thought it was time to take it a step further and sell here.”

Cadence Johnson

“Hi, I’m Cadence Johnson (17) and I am a digital and traditional artist that makes sculptures, animations, and comics. I’ve always been an artist—ever since I knew how to pick up a pencil, I have been drawing. I am confident in putting my art out there because I love my work and I love making it. I found out about the Alour Zine Collective and Festival because I am in a band with Laura (follow fisheyetheband on Instagram), and as a teen you get so many opportunities that a lot of people don’t know about like participating in teen-run festivals and rockshows!”

Create the Impact

“My name is Lena (16) and I do a lot of art, but Create the Impact is my most recent endeavor. Create the Impact is a club that I run at school, and we try to combine creativity and activism to make social issues easily accessible to our students. I think with a lot of issues going on today, I think it’s really hard not to speak up. I’d rather say something—to use my voice—than be silent.”

Write It!

“Hi, my name is Michelle Apostol (17)! I love journalism so much that I am part of “Write It!” a digital magazine where we highlight personal narratives of students from Crescenta Valley High School. In middle school, I wasn’t that good of a student but I loved English so much because there’s no bad answers. Your interpretation of a text or writing is not universally right or wrong, and it’s why I love writing in general. I wanted to incorporate that love into a digital magazine and highlight the stories at my school.”

Liza Mushegyan

“Hi! I’m Liza (18). I do digital painting, 3D modelling, and the occasional craft. I found it fascinating to have the ability to create something from imagination. To show something you can’t say and make something you’ve never seen before, pushed me to become an artist. I was self conscious about putting my art out for the first time, but I feel like a lot of people have been supportive of me. I make a lot of art for school, like posters for my visual performing arts program and rallies, that I eventually got used to it, and now I’m selling here!”

11:11 Projects and Third House is proud to support young and emerging artists. Thank you to LA County Arts & Culture and Bloomberg Philanthropies for providing us the opportunity to meet Laura and other creative young people. Thank you to the Alour Zine Collective for inviting 11:11 Projects to participate in the first ever Alour Zine fest!

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Danielle Batac is the LAC Arts Intern for 11:11 Projects. She's been absolutely crushing the social media coverage of 11:11 and Third House, helping mentor the BAI high school students, and making art in the studio. She is currently studying animation at CSUN.