Kickstarter campaign aims to build publication’s team

The Foundation, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of masculinity in photography, recently announced the relaunch of Bob Mizer’s flagship publication, Physique Pictorial. The periodical acted as a springboard for the careers of many of the muscular, posingstrap-clad men posed within its pages, enjoying a nearly 40-year press run from 1951 to 1990 by Mizer’s studio Athletic Model Guild.

Kickstarter 2017 | Physique Pictorial

“The Physique Pictorial relaunch is a project we’re hoping will gain the financial support of both longtime Mizer enthusiasts and those new to his groundbreaking work. We’re picking up right where Mizer left off but with a bigger, thicker issue 42,” says Dennis Bell, president and curator of the Foundation. 

“We’re excited to be able to offer such a diverse range of content, which includes both original Mizer work and the work of newer, up-and-coming experimental photographers. Physique Pictorial is the new mouthpiece of the Foundation”

In order to ensure that the relaunch is a success, the non-profit Bob Mizer Foundation has a new Kickstarter fundraiser that launched this week. Bell says the current Kickstarter goal of $10,000 will help fund continued printing of the periodical, and establish a base fund for other Physique Pictorial costs such as design. The first issue of the quarterly art journal is already being printed, and pre-ordered copies and subscriptions will be mailed in August.

“We already have a dedicated team of volunteers who have moved us forward in a big way recently,” Bell says. “Their archival work has allowed access to new images, and now we can start to show some of this historical work in Physique Pictorial. We will take what Bob started with Physique Pictorial and build upon it, by offerIng more unique content, promotIng other photographers as Bob did in his own time with the magazine. He was a big believer in helping other photographers cultivate an audience, and we want to carry on that tradition.

“We’re excited to be able to offer such a diverse range of content, which includes both original Mizer work and the work of newer, up-and-coming experimental photographers. Physique Pictorial is the new mouthpiece of the Foundation”

Bell says that can only be accomplished with a professional team of writers, editors, designers, photographers, printers and publicity professionals. “Right now, we’re searching for talented folks who can make this magazine really shine – to take it into the 21st century while keeping the timeless feel of Physique Pictorial and Bob Mizer’s work alive.”

“Of course, we want to be able to reward those who donate, and every little bit helps,” Bell says.

Donors will begin earning rewards at $20 (for which they will receive a free copy of Physique Pictorial, issue 42) to $5,000 or more (for which the donor may participate in the selection of the first exclusive Physique Pictorial model, to be featured in a future issue).

“We’ve had great success with past Kickstarter campaigns, and we hope this one continues that trend. The supporters of this Foundation continue to display their generosity time and again, and it always amazes me,” Bell says. “This campaign isn’t just funding the development of a publication – it’s funding a development of our core team, of people who are passionate about Bob Mizer and his vision.”