Letter from the Founding Editor

An interview at Visible allows creatives to shape their own narratives and write their own histories.

After studying at the Parsons School of Design in New York, I worked in tech and research. I wanted to return part-time to my contemporary art practice when my book tour for 5 Ideas from Global Diplomacy came to a close. Visible, a Magazine by M. Freddy started as a way to connect experimental creatives with cultural insiders.

Launching a culture magazine was not entirely unexpected. For better or worse, everyone at Parsons considered themselves a bit of a taste maker. I was also a fashion week photographer during my Parsons days and photographed supermodels including Gigi and Bella Hadid. I saw the glamour and the “pit” (the photographers’ pit) of culture journalism. Still, I didn’t think an indie magazine could make it commercially until recently.

I started co-directing the Center for Global Agenda at Unbuilt Labs with Marguerite Van Cook around 2020. A friend of David Hershkovits (founding co-editor-in-chief of Paper magazine) and the late Walter Robinson (founding editor of Artnet magazine), Marguerite spoke about the legendary magazines’ humble beginnings. The iconic Paper began as an elegantly designed sixteen-page foldout.

These stories take us outside our bubbles. Creatives often tell the stories that hit the hardest — they question underlying assumptions about modern life and imagine blueprints for a way forward. In my research on system-wide transformation methods for sustainable development, I made the case for culture as infrastructure. Cultural spaces enable people to contest norms’ interpretations and adapt. It is my hope that Visible will offer such a space.

Every founding editor has a signature editorial style. My style is quite “photographic”. I enjoy interviewing creatives. I set the scene, frame the questions, and give the other person space to be themselves. Visible is experimental and open-ended. It reflects the many different voices of the modern cultural insider. At board meetings, casual coffee chats, artist get-togethers, michelin-starred dinners, couture week, the cozy corner spot…

I love the title Visible. It is honest about creatives’ desire to be seen and the financial rewards of being seen. It challenges the landscape of cultural criticism by prioritizing the voices of the makers. Most important of all — an interview at Visible allows creatives to shape their own narratives and write their own histories.

I cannot wait to hear what you share.

M. Freddy

Founding Editor, Visible