what is the mold collective?

The spores of the collective were first planted in 2019, when the founding members were attending an arts high school together and became enamored with the idea of creating a collaborative zine. Having just learned about slime mold in science class, they excitedly named the project "Mold." The concept was that, like a slime mold, the project would spread to and connect many artists of various passions and interests. As is the case with most impulsive teenage ideas, Mold did not take off at the time. The first issue of Mold was not released until 2023, when the founders began making perzines (personal zines) under the Mold title to send to each other from their widespread college towns (from L.A. to Portland to Rochester) as a way to keep in touch. Once many of the members moved back to Portland, they began to gather in-person to create both personal and collaborative projects and thus established the Mold Collective.