Taylor Davis-Van Atta realized something was missing in the art world after he graduated from college and started his graduate studies at Syracuse University.

After working at a small independent publishing house four years ago, he started Music & Literature Magazine, a nonprofit organization devoted to publishing and promoting the work of underrepresented artists around the globe.

Now, the graduate student in the School of Information Studies doubles as the publisher and co-editor of the magazine and has been working with faculty and administrators to bring events associated with Music & Literature to the SU campus.

“I’d love for Music & Literature to become formally affiliated with Syracuse University and integrally involved with the programs and activities at the University,” Davis-Van Atta said in an email.

From the start, Davis-Van Atta solely ran the magazine. Now, a team of six based out of New York City, London, Paris and Berlin all work together to produce content for the magazine.

M&L team member Madeleine LaRue said in an email that the magazine has been very successful in Berlin, where she’s based, because the small Anglophone literary community gets the word around quickly.

“It increasingly happens that when I meet a stranger at a literary event and mention that I work for Music & Literature, their face lights up and they say, ‘Oh, I love Music & Literature,’” LaRue said.

Despite the distance, the team members work together closely.

Davis-Van Atta and co-editor Daniel Medin work simultaneously to curate and edit the print editions of M&L. Together they organize the magazine’s global events series.

“The project is very much a labor of love, but the impact the project is having on the global arts scene is remarkable, and the fun of watching that happen is what keeps us all going,” Davis-Van Atta said.

M&L is centered on the print editions, which are published twice per year. Each issue features three artists whose work has yet to be recognized by a large audience in the English-speaking world.

The M&L team works closely with each of these artists over a period of 9 to 18 months. During this time, they collaborate to create an authoritative collection of around 100 pages of literature about the artist’s work.

Additionally, M&L publishes book reviews and features on its website relating to the artists in the print editions. The magazine also organizes 8-10 live events in major cities around the world that are documented on the website.

“This brings our print issues to life on stage with readings, visual presentations and live music celebrating the work of our featured artists,” Davis-Van Atta said.

Beyond the magazines programming, the staff puts a lot of effort into promoting the featured artists around the world. The events, literature and promotion have helped these artists achieve greater stature.

Some of the artists featured in previous issues include: Arvo Pärt (Estonian composer), Max Neumann (German painter) and Stig Sæterbakken (Norwegian author). In total, the magazine has showcased 19 artists and will feature three more in the seventh edition of the magazine that will be published in 2016.

“It’s not a coincidence,” Davis-Van Atta said. “We do a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure key people become aware of the work of our featured artists.”

Many of the artists that have appeared in the magazine have gone on to win major prizes and have been offered commissions and residencies.

Published on November 4, 2015 at 9:57 pm

contact Phoebe: phsmith@syr.edu