Breaking into the digital age with clear eyes and full hearts, Camille Bacon and Daria Simone Harper have unveiled Jupiter Magazine, earmarked not just to publish art criticism but to redefine it. The newly launched online publication champions a space for Black diasporic experiences and perspectives, drawing both from ancestral wisdom and a keen desire to revolutionize a stagnate industry. Thinking outside the conventional confines, the co-founders bring a unique vision lifted by their Black feminist lineage and a clear mission: to empower writers and inspire radical art criticism.

Headquartered between Chicago and New York, Jupiter Magazine is the brainchild of co-editors Bacon, a Chicagoan, and Harper, from New York. Harper, known for her work in the New York art scene, and Bacon, with credits including writing for The New York Times, intend to curate an “ecosystem” of criticism where the magazines' deliberate pacing and structure alter what we've come to expect from art reviews. "All the work we produce is birthed from this lineage," Harper told Chicago Tribune, placing significant emphasis on global freedom struggles and Black liberation.

With an avant-garde approach to the editorial process, the pair value the suggestive power structure, experimenting with form and liberating content from traditional publishing constraints. According to a statement obtained by the Chicago Tribune, Bacon said that for example, the Joshua Segun-Lean essay began as a traditional form and was revised into a poem, showcasing the possibility of content stretching "in the expanse of the imagination of the reader."

Moreover, these co-founders are steering their publication clear from the corporate overreach. Funded independently, Jupiter boasts a model free of adverts, in an effort to maintain autonomy and focus on quality art criticism. "We raised the money and we’re doing all of this independently, which is very important to us," Bacon explained. The publication's first issue, "Worldbending," features prominent writers like Akwaeke Emezi and J Wortham, aligning with their ethos of fostering relationships and space for critics who operate from a position of care.

Reflecting on the publication's inception, Bacon disclosed to ESSENCE the mystical origins behind the name 'Jupiter', associated with abundance and good fortune, fitting for their ambitions. Jupiter Magazine uniquely positions itself in a lineage that includes predecessors like Arts.Black, carving out its own rebellious niche, according to ESSENCE's interview. Harper's ambitions are manifestly global, aiming to intertwine Black liberation with freedom struggles across the world.

With a radical vision in mind, the co-founders of Jupiter Magazine are set on becoming more than just a publication. They envision creating a comprehensive institution that includes a library, bookstore, and workshop spaces, all while being deeply embedded within the community of writers, thinkers, and artists. And while they're propelling the magazine's mission, Harper candidly shared, there's a desire to "renew a collective sense of romance and deep value around what writers do." Jupiter Magazine seems to be not just casting spells with its name but casting a wide net for a new brand of art criticism.