About Us

From Magazine to Interactive Art: The Evolution of Napkins

A hand-drawn June 2022 calendar covered in sticky notes — “Mag?”, “reach out to prof…”, “do we need a designer?” — with “Napkins” written across the top and “Seoul” at the foot

Our story dates back to April of 2022, where four students from Minerva University came together to develop and share the beautiful stories of their classmates all around the world.

A hand-drawn magazine cover reading “Napkins”, with a red and orange ribbon curling down the front

In August 2022, Napkins published its first issue and received overwhelmingly positive feedback, both from students and professionals from outside the Minerva community.

At Napkins Magazine, we proudly publish creative works from the talented individuals associated with Minerva University, including students, staff, and alumni. We publish three times a year, during the Fall, Spring, and Summer seasons. We hibernate in the winter. 🐻

A drawing of a torn napkin with red handwriting across it: “to power & propel the art of interdisciplinary imagination”

With our cornerstone set, we also began to look beyond being a magazine and experimented with interactive art exhibitions to further our mission.

We realized what is unique about us is that we are a group of young adults from 10+ countries who have the privilege of living in new countries every semester. We carry with us a wealth of perspectives and creative energy that can coalesce into something powerful and beautiful.

Our goal then is to experience the essence of each city and translate that into creative vision and endeavors in collaboration with local organizations and personnel from all walks of creative life.

An illustration of a figure sitting cross-legged on top of a large black shape filled with blue and orange doodles — musical notes, flowers, spirals and scattered words

So, we talk with people from art galleries and creative spaces in the cities we live in. We talk with artists, educators, professors, and lovers of the arts. We share with them Napkins and our dreams over cups of coffee and sometimes tea.

Our events focus on making arts accessible and enjoyable for all. We are driven by our mission to power and propel interdisciplinary imagination through the arts.

Join us on this exciting journey as we celebrate the diverse and innovative artistic expressions from different communities! Our Instagram is where you’ll see action as it happens :)