THE gets digital presence, magazine makeover
THE Magazine may be turning 25 this week, but the new owner and publisher’s plans are to bring the publication into a younger era.
In correlation with its milestone anniversary on Saturday, Lauren Tresp will launch the monthly contemporary arts magazine’s new website, which will allow for web-exclusive stories and expand coverage to include more types of art. This will be soon followed by the print edition also receiving a revamp.
The website will be debuted Saturday at THE’s anniversary party, held at form & concept gallery in the Railyard District. The party is free and open to the public.
Tresp, a former contributing writer who bought the magazine last year from the original owner when she was 28, moved to Santa Fe in 2012 and soon became involved with THE. She said once she took over, she realized the “untapped potential” of bringing THE into the digital era, something that hadn’t been done in a robust way with the previous owner. Tresp said it’s an opportunity to find a national audience, as well as let people know what Santa Fe and New Mexico have to offer.
“There’s such a diversity of contemporary arts [in Santa Fe], it’s overwhelming for people coming here and wanting to find something that fits for them,” said Tresp.
Tresp has enlisted the help of local web design firm Think All Day. The firm’s owner, Kristin Carlson, who has been working on the site since March, said there will be additional drop-down tabs that make searching more “user-friendly.” In addition to searching by issue, readers can also search for content by magazine section or by cultural topic. The current website’s archive goes back to 2016 and Carlson said the new website will have magazines from 2011 to the present day.
Under the “culture” tab is where THE can now put more daily or weekly content if it doesn’t fall under a monthly schedule, something Tresp said was important to her when she decided she wanted to add more diverse arts stories that maybe can’t be covered for print.
“When we say we want to cover film or performance coverage, if it’s not on a monthly schedule, it’s difficult,” Tresp said.
Carlson added that the home page will now also include features like a distribution map, an Instagram feed and a calendar feed. The “Store” feature will also include not only old issues, but also prints from local artists, she said. In addition to the site’s launch, Tresp said the party will also debut the beginning of THE’s print series, which will allow for a selected Santa Fe illustrator or designer to have one page in three consecutive issues to show off original work.
Later on this year, Tresp will also unveil THE’s redesign, which is still in the works. With the update of the website, she said it was even more important to increase print pickup and make it a community-wide experience by offering things the website cannot. She’s considering things like changing the size, the format, or even offering
small prints or bookmarks within the pages.
“I really want to address our design and make the magazine pop compared to the others in New Mexico, really giving it a fresher makeover and allow the print publication to become this artwork [of itself].” said Tresp.