What’s an insulator hobby zine? Wait. What’s an insulator? Glad you asked! For the unfamiliar, an insulator is a device that ensured electrical wires didn’t come into contact with wood poles, which would have diverted energy and ended signal pathways. They are the early unsung heroes of telecom—and for many fans, live on as beautiful sculptures.
On Saturday April 20, 2024, Providence-based artist Ben Sisto’s archive of 800+ insulator-related publications was on view in the Providence Public Library’s Special Collections Reading Room. Additionally, The Yankee Pole Cat Insulator Club loaned the club’s photo archive so visitors could explore decades of community history.
About Reinsulator:
Reinsulator is an amateur archive of vintage publications related to the hobby of insulator collection. The collection contains titles like Crown Jewels, Drip Points, and Cross Arms, plus a number of one-off DIY zines, guide, and books. These texts are a rich repository of histories, jokes, photos, price lists, ads, event announcements, and more which, in total, document the rise of a really awesome, friendly, and research-driven folk collector community.
Select Covers from the Archive
Some Photos from Our Pop-Up Reading Room
Saturday April 20, 2024 at the Providence Public Library
A bit more on the project can also be found on Casual Archivist
Proud member of the National Insulator Association and Yankee Pole Cat Insulator Club.
This project supported in part by a grant from RI Humanities.
Images used in the poster above from Rainbow Riders’ Trading Post, Vol. 1, No. 6, 1992
