Discover Who Cares lol past issues

The first issue of Who Cares LOL introduces the zine’s playful, curious approach to Arlington’s art and history. The editor’s note reflects on the nature of making and the urge to create, while features explore early local art histories, overlooked cultural spaces, and interviews with artists building community today. With spotlights on music, galleries, and independent businesses, the issue sets the tone for a project rooted in curiosity and connection.

The second issue of Who Cares LOL dives into themes of value and trash, reflecting on how we assign meaning to what’s discarded or overlooked. It highlights public art like Dark Star Park, profiles local artist Anne Hancock, and explores both the absurd and profound in everyday life. With music interviews, mathematical musings, and gallery reflections, the issue paints a portrait of Arlington’s creative scene as one that embraces humor, history, and experimentation.

The third issue of Who Cares LOL looks at reality, value, and perception, opening with reflections on doubt and how history can blur over time. It uncovers Arlington’s past through stories of Jackson City, Luna Park, and Lustron homes—spaces where art, memory, and transformation overlap.

Artist spotlights feature Federico Cuatlacuatl and Zaq Landsberg, whose work bridges technology, connection, and cultural identity. The issue also highlights a rare vinyl discovery—Sunrise by The Seventh Dawn—offering a nostalgic glimpse into local music history. With set theory musings, poetry, and playful reflections, the zine continues to mix art, history.

The fourth issue of Who Cares LOL reflects on memory, identity, and transformation in Arlington’s cultural history. It revisits the erased Black neighborhood of Queen City and honors the pioneering contributions of Alma Thomas, alongside a spotlight on Big Al Carter’s uncompromising artistic spirit.

The issue also features artist interviews, a retrospective on the David M. Brown Planetarium, reflections on Pop Art’s emotional impact, music and community voices, and even winter gardening advice. Together, it weaves a portrait of resilience and creativity across Arlington’s past and present.

The fifth issue of Who Cares LOL continues the zine’s offbeat exploration of art, music, and history across Arlington and the DMV. The editor’s note reflects on memory and connection, setting the tone for stories that uncover itinerant painters, wax museums, and the journey of stained glass windows from a forgotten mausoleum to MoCA Arlington.

Interviews feature gallery owner Eli Pollard on curating multi-sensory spaces, photographer Lloyd Wolf on instinct and mystery, and musician Charlie Kramer on improvisation and failure as part of performance. With poetic contributions, local shoutouts, and behind-the-scenes notes on the print process, the issue highlights the creativity and community.

The sixth issue of Who Cares LOL explores themes of rediscovery and play through Arlington’s history, art, and culture. The editor’s note reflects on perception and memory, setting the stage for a conversation with collector Steve Fernie about Amos Paul Kennedy Jr.’s prints commemorating the 1960 lunch-counter sit-ins, and how the act of collecting carries echoes of the city’s past.

This issue also highlights skateboarding’s crossover into gallery space, an artist spotlight on Cathy Wu’s Impossible Spaces VR project, and a music interview with local musician Zak Suleri. Profiles of Ultimate Frisbee Hall of Famer Jenny Fey and designer Caroline MacDonald’s Allons•y collection round out the mix, weaving together art,  music, and fashion.

The seventh issue of Who Cares LOL explores the shifting relationship between art, place, and perception across Arlington’s evolving cultural landscape. Beginning with reflections on how environments shape identity and creativity, the issue looks back at Artisphere as both a physical arts space and a symbol of temporary cultural energy within rapid urban development. Features include local history connected to Arlington resident William H. Pelham, exhibition observations inspired by Anselm Kiefer and ideas of scale and the sublime, a long-form film meditation on Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, and Savage Heart Field Notes by musician and photographer David Savage. The issue also highlights Northern Virginia screamo trio BODIED, experimental photography by Kevin Hacker, and an interview with Magic Bullet editor Mark Lindblom about comics, physical media, and Washington D.C.’s indie comics scene. Throughout, the issue reflects on impermanence, creative community, and the ways art continues to persist within and beyond the structures built around it. 

The eighth issue of Who Cares LOL drifts through questions of knowledge, observation, and creative connection across Arlington and the wider DMV art scene. Beginning with an editor’s note reflecting on  time, and perception, the issue moves between local art history, experimental music, comics culture, and DIY publishing. Features include artist spotlights on Matty Gerlach, Amanda Lin, Rick Bach, and Adun Henry, an exhibition write-up from DMV Arts and Culture Alliance’s first Local Scene event, and an interview with Brian Baynes of Bubbles Zine about independent comics publishing and preserving overlooked manga history. Throughout the issue, reflections on making, community, and creative persistence weave together alongside comics, poetry, and observations.