Lister founded and edited the journal CRITERIA, a Quarterly Review of the Arts, in 1974 in Vancouver. It was initially published under the auspices of the Vancouver Art Gallery, where she produced a weekly television show on the gallery's events and exhibitions, but by 1977 had dis-affiliated. Volumes 1-4 were published until Fall 1978, Volume 4, Number 2. CRITERIA published art projects and writings by
Lawrence Weiner,
John Baldessari,
Robin Blaser, and Ardele Lister; and interviews with
Judy Chicago,
Martha Wilson, and
Dennis Wheeler. In 1977, while working for the Associated of Independent Video and Film Makers, facilitating an innovative project funded by the
National Endowment for the Arts entitled "Short Film Showcase," Ardele Lister created and edited "The Independent," the first magazine devoted to the needs of independent video and film makers. The magazine is still published by the Foundation for Independent Video and Film, in New York, today as a blog. ==Academic career==