Small Press Spotlight on Rina Ayuyang

Cartoon Art Museum Exhibition: March 14 – June 14, 2009



Beginning on March 14, 2009, the Cartoon Art Museum's ongoing Small Press Spotlight will feature the art of Rina Ayuyang.

Rina Ayuyang first became interested in cartooning while growing up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she spent mornings watching Merrie Melodies cartoons, afternoons reading the newspaper funnies and Mad magazine, and evenings scrutinizing illustrations in various children's books right before she'd fall asleep.

After focusing many years on painting and conceptual art in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, she reunited with her first love--comics--in 2001, and began self-publishing Namby Pamby, a semi-autobiographical series which focused on the humorous side of the ordinary, everyday moments of one's life.

This Small Press Spotlight exhibit showcases original art for Ayuyang's soon-to-be released graphic novel which will include new stories and old favorites from the Namby Pamby mini-comic series. The book will be co-published by Sparkplug Comic Books and Tugboat Press in Fall 2009.

Also included in this exhibit are samples of her sketchbook strips which she posts daily on her web blog, Doodle Bug Central. She recently self-published a minicomic entitled doodle daze that collected favorite strips and illustrations from the web blog in a pocket-sized print format which was nominated for the 2008 Maisie Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration.

More of Rina's comics work can be found in various comic anthologies, notably SPX 2005, True Porn 2, Friends of Lulu's Girls Guide to Guys Stuff, Stripburger, Unicorn Mountain, and the upcoming Snow Stories.

Besides drawing comics, she has co-founded an online magazine called Creative Skin (creativeskin.net) which has showcased the work of writers, photographers and cartoonists from around the globe. She currently co-hosts The Comix Claptrap, a comics podcast with fellow Bay Area cartoonist Thien Pham in which they interview influential cartoonists and discuss various issues concerning the comics and small press community.

Rina currently resides in Oakland, California, with her husband and cat. You can view more of her work at her website and blog, rinaayuyang.com.

The Cartoon Art Museum is proud to announce that Gene Colan is the recipient of the 2008 Sparky Award, which was presented to him during the museum's "Salute to Gene Colan" on Thursday, December 4.

The Sparky Award is named in honor of Charles "Sparky" Schulz, the creator of Peanuts. Schulz was nicknamed "Sparky" after the horse Sparkplug featured in the comic strip Barney Google. The Cartoon Art Museum would not exist without benefactors like Sparky and Jeannie Schulz.

The award celebrates the significant contributions of cartoon artists who embody the talent, innovation and humanity of Schulz.  Video footage of the entire "Salute to Gene Colan" (including a special video tribute by Stan Lee) will be posted in the near future; photos from the event are posted below:

Gene Colan receives the Sparky Award from CAM curator Andrew Farago:




Colan gives the award the once-over:



Colan is interviewed by author Glen David Gold, who was the lead curator on the Cartoon Art Museum's current exhibition, "Colan:  Visions of a Man without Fear."



CAM founder Malcolm Whyte surprises Gene Colan by announcing him as the winner of the 2008 Sparky Award:

Totoro Forest Project Reception

Cartoon Art Museum Event (Free and open to the public):  Tuesday, December 16, 2008, 7-9pm

Cartoon Art Museum Exhibition:  September 20, 2008 – February 8, 2009

 

The Cartoon Art Museum proudly presents original works of art from The Totoro Forest Project Charity Auction, a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition featuring paintings, illustrations and sculptures from nearly 200 critically acclaimed animators, fine artists, cartoonists and illustrators.  All of the artwork featured in the exhibition was inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s iconic animated feature film My Neighbor Tororo.  The artwork was auctioned at a fund raising event at Pixar Animation Studios on September 6, 2008, and raised over $200,000 for the Totoro no Furusato National Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of Japan's Sayama Forest.

The first installment of the Totoro Forest Project exhibition runs through January 18, 2009.  The second installment runs from Saturday, December 6, 2008 through February 8, 2009, and visitors will be able to see the entire selection of artwork from December 6, 2008 through January 18, 2009.

The opening reception for the Totoro Forest Project will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2008, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.  This reception is free and open to the public.  Special guests include the Totoro Forest Project executive committee:  Pixar Animation Studios artists Dice Tsutsumi, Enrico Casarosa and Ronnie Del Carmen, plus Yukino Pang of San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.  Several artists whose work is included in the exhibition, including many artists from Pixar Animation Studios, will also be in attendance.

Copies of the limited edition Totoro Forest Project auction catalog will be on sale the night of the event.  Supplies will be limited to one purchase per customer, and are expected to sell out quickly.

Green tea for the reception will be provided courtesy of Samovar Tea Lounge http://www.samovartea.com/.

About The Totoro no Furusato National Fund:

Sayama Forest is one of the most remarkable urban forests in Japan, located just outside of Tokyo.  This forest is said to be the inspiration for legendary animated film My Neighbor Totoro.  With Japan's rapid urban development in the 1970s and 1980s, the forest has been diminished to a small fraction of its former self.  In 1990, Miyazaki helped set up a national trust, Totoro no Furusato National Fund, to preserve the park and promote awareness of environmental issues.

The Foundation has successfully raised more than 3 million dollars and has over 1500 members.  The fund's primary purpose is to purchase forest land from the city, and its members have been involved with various nature preservation volunteer activities.  While successful on many levels, the foundation's efforts continue to face many challenges and obstacles, including rising land values and real estate development.

For more information on this cause and how you can help, please visit http://www.totoroforestproject.org/

September Cartoonist-in-Residence
Alexis Fajardo

Cartoon Art Museum Event: Saturday, September 13, 2008, 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Free and Open to the public



The Cartoon Art museum hosts Alexis Fajardo, artist and creator of the graphic novel Kid Beowulf on Saturday, September 13th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm, as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum visitors will be offered the chance to watch Fajardo at work and chat with him about cartooning.

Inspired by the epic poem Beowulf, Kid Beowulf follows the journey of 12-year-old twin brothers Beowulf and Grendel as they travel to distant lands and meet fellow epic heroes therein. The first book in the series. Kid Beowulf and the Blood-Bound Oath debuted this summer and is published by Bowler Hat Comics.

Alexis E. Fajardo is a lifelong student of the Classics; whether Daffy Duck or Damocles, it is the alchemy of these passions that has helped him to create Kid Beowulf. A self-taught cartoonist, Alexis resides in the San Francisco Bay Area where he has taught cartooning at the Cartoon Art Museum, The Charles M. Schulz Museum, and for the San Francisco Arts Education Project. Currently Alexis works for “Peanuts” at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates in Santa Rosa, CA.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Cartoon Art Museum regularly hosts professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum patrons see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists--but were afraid to ask. Past featured Cartoonists-in-Residence include Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), Keith Knight (K Chronicles, (th)ink), Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Grady Klein (The Lost Colony), among many others.

Legendary animator Bill Melendez passed away on Tuesday, September 2, 2008, at the age of 91. For more information on Mr. Melendez, please visit Mark Evanier's blog, which includes links to other remembrances of Melendez, his life, and his work. The Cartoon Art Museum extends its deepest condolences to Melendez's family, friends, and fans.

Bill Melendez received the Cartoon Art Museum's Sparky Award in 2002. The award celebrates the significant contributions of cartoon artists who reside in the western United States and who embody the talent, innovation and humanity of Charles M. Schulz, for whom the award is named.

Mr. Melendez began his career in animation at the Disney studio in 1938. He worked as an animator on such classics as Fantasia, Pinocchio, Bambi, and Dumbo. After leaving Disney, he animated Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig for Leon Schlesinger Cartoons, which later became Warner Brothers Cartoons. Next, Mr. Melendez worked for the UPA studio on its groundbreaking and highly stylized shorts including Madeline and Gerald McBoing-Boing.

After a 10-year stint directing industrial films and award-winning television commercials, Mr. Melendez founded his own production company, Bill Melendez Productions, in 1964. That same year, he produced his first television special—A Charlie Brown Christmas. The show was an instant critical and popular success, winning both an Emmy Award and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for Outstanding Children/Young People’s program.

Mr. Melendez went on to produce more than 75 Charlie Brown specials and four feature-length movies as well as animating specials featuring Jim Davis’ Garfield, Babar the Elephant, and Cathy Guisewite’s Cathy. The eight Emmys and numerous other awards he has received attest to the significant contribution Melendez has made to the field of animation.

From Richie Rich to Wendy the Witch: The Art of Harvey Comics Opening Reception

Cartoon Art Museum Event: Friday, August 1, 7:00-9:00pm
Free and open to the public

Please join the Cartoon Art Museum for a reception celebrating our latest exhibition, From Richie Rich to Wendy the Witch: The Art of Harvey Comics on Friday, August 1, 2008, from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Special guests include Harvey historians Mark Arnold and Dave Holt. Mr. Arnold will be signing copies of his book, The Best of The Harveyville Fun Times, and astounding visitors with his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Harvey.

This reception is free and open to the public.

About the exhibition:

The Cartoon Art Museum proudly presents a visual history of one of the most popular comic book publishers of all time: Harvey Comics. From Richie Rich to Wendy the Witch: The Art of Harvey Comics celebrates the art and characters created and/or popularized by Harvey including Casper, The Friendly Ghost; Wendy, The Good Little Witch; Richie Rich, The Poor Little Rich Boy; Hot Stuff, The Little Devil; Sad Sack; Joe Palooka; Little Dot; Little Audrey; Little Lotta, and many more.

Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love

Cartoon Art Museum Exhibition runs February 9 - June 8, 2008




The Cartoon Art Museum's latest exhibition showcases work by ten of the funniest cartoonists in America, eight of whom regularly publish in The New Yorker, along with two Pulitzer Prize winning editorial artists. Opening February 9, 2008, Sex and Sensibility comments on the many humorous aspects of sex, love and everything else that's amusing about relationships today. The exhibition features 50 cartoons from Liza Donnelly's upcoming book Sex and Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Love in 200 Cartoons. The book will be published in April 2008 by Twelve Books, an imprint of Grand Central Books.

Beyond the laughs, the creators of this collection of cartoons and essays offer a perceptive portrait of how gender roles and attitudes are changing with the times, whether the subject is sex through texting, lesbian erotica, the new rules of dating, sexual politics, or procreation (for example, Barbara Smaller's cartoon: "I plan on having a baby one day but I'm waiting for the right technology to come along") .

This exhibition runs through June 8, 2008, and features cartoons by Roz Chast, Liza Donnelly, Carolita Johnson, Marisa Acocella Marchetto, Victoria Roberts, Barbara Smaller, Julia Suits, Ann Telnaes, Kim Warp, and Signe Wilkinson.

Information regarding author appearances and booksignings will be announced shortly.

An Evening with Dennis Rosa,
Director of the original Broadway production of Dracula

Cartoon Art Museum Event: Thursday, January 31, 2008 from 7pm to 9pm

$5 General Public, Free for Cartoon Art Museum Members





Please join the Cartoon Art Museum for the final event coinciding with our exhibition Edward Gorey's Dracula on Thursday, January 31st at 7pm. Our special guest for this presentation is Dennis Rosa, the original Director of the 1970s Nantucket, Broadway and London production of Dracula, featuring Frank Langella and Sir Lawrence Olivier. Rosa will discuss the stage production and provide insight into Gorey's work.

General admission to this event is $5, and the event is free to Cartoon Art Museum members.

About the exhibition:

The Cartoon Art Museum presents Edward Gorey’s Dracula, August 11, 2007 - February 3, 2008, an exhibition of the master illustrator and artist's original set and costume designs, rare production photographs and memorabilia from the Tony Award-winning Broadway production. Museum visitors will have a unique behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, from Gorey’s initial notes and sketches through his completed concept artwork.

About Edward Gorey

A truly prodigious and original artist, Edward St. John Gorey (1925-2000), gave to the world over one hundred works, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Doubtful Guest and The Wuggly Ump; prize-winning set and costume designs for innumerable theater productions from Cape Cod to Broadway; a remarkable number of illustrations in publications such as The New Yorker and The New York Times, and in books by a wide array of authors from Charles Dickens to Edward Lear, Samuel Beckett, John Updike, Virginia Woolf, H.G. Wells, Florence Heide and many others. His well known animated credits for the PBS Mystery! series have introduced him to millions of television viewers. Gorey's masterful pen and ink illustrations and his ironic, offbeat humor have brought him critical acclaim and an avid following throughout the world.

Edward Gorey’s Dracula comes to the Cartoon Art Museum courtesy of the Edward Gorey House in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts and The Edward Gorey Charitable Trust. For further information, please call (508) 362-3909 or visit edwardgoreyhouse.org.

Cartooning Basics for Grown-Ups

with Brian Kolm,
Cartoonist, Teacher and Graphic Designer
Saturday, February 9, 2008

1:00-3:30pm

Cost per individual class: $40; $30 for CAM members


Due to popular demand, the Cartoon Art Museum is offering another installment in its ongoing series of workshops for aspiring comic artists, writers and fans of all ages. Each class is taught by a professional cartoonist focusing on an area of his or her expertise, ranging from character creation and story development to writing and drawing comic books and strips.

Brian Kolm, creator of the comic book series Beyond the Great Chimney, will be teaching the next workshop, "I Can't Draw!" Cartooning Basics for Grown-Ups.

It’s never too late to learn how to draw. “I Can’t Draw” is a cartooning class aimed at adults who would like to learn more about Cartooning but feel they can’t even draw a straight line. Join Cartoonist Brian Kolm in a fun two-and-a-half hour class on the basics of cartooning. Kolm's class covers all the FUN-damentals of drawing cartoon characters, including shape and structure, poses and attitude.

Brian Kolm is a cartoonist and graphic designer who has been teaching at the Cartoon Art Museum since 2002. He has also taught classes at ZEUM and the Charles Schulz Museum and Research Center, and has worked as a private cartooning instructor since 2004. His comics and illustration can be seen at his blog at atomicbearpress.com.

Class size is limited, and each class is filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Basic drawing materials will be provided, but students are encouraged to purchase sketchbooks and their own drawing implements. For more information about the workshop, please contact Andrew Farago at (415) CAR-TOON, ext. 314, or via e-mail at gallery@cartoonart.org.

Small Press Spotlight
featuring Joey Sayers

January 26 - May 4, 2008




Starting on January 26, 2008, the Cartoon Art Museum's ongoing Small Press Spotlight will feature the art of Joey Sayers.

Joey Sayers is a cartoonist living in Oakland, California. She has been drawing comics since she was very young. Her first strip, P.O.W. (Play on Words), drawn at age 7 was considered hilarious by herself and her co-author/father.

Joey's weekly comic strip, Thingpart, runs in a handful of alternative newsweeklies around the country as well as the music website Daytrotter. Her other strip, The Machine That Travels Through Time is a regular feature in MAD Magazine. She's self-published more than twenty-five mini-comics, including three anthologies.

Joey has successfully battled appendicitis.

Her first book, Teen Power, was published in May 2007 by Little Otsu publishing. The book collects the two previously self-published mini-comics Passing Periods and Absolute Power. Passing Periods was also excerpted in the 2005 Best American Nonrequired Reading anthology published by Houghton Mifflin, in which editor Dave Eggers refers to her comics as "one of the funniest things we'd ever seen." Her comic Your New Religion was listed as "Notable Nonrequired Reading" in 2007's Best American Nonrequired Reading.

Joey Sayers played the clarinet in the symphonic band all through secondary school. She quit when it became mandatory to play in the marching band as she thought it unfair to support the well-funded football team while simultaneously selling candy bars to finance the band.

Joey's second book, Le Ciel, will be published in Switzerland by Castagnieee in May and collects the first three issues of her comic The Sky translated into French.

About the Small Press Spotlight:

San Francisco has been a hotbed of innovative, groundbreaking comic art since the late 1800s with the advent of the modern comic strip. In the1960s, the Bay Area gained further notoriety when the underground comix movement launched from San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. Today, some of the biggest names in alternative and small-press comics hail from the Bay Area, and the Cartoon Art Museum's Small Press Spotlight focuses on the works of these talented individuals.

January Cartoonist-in-Residence:
Shaenon K. Garrity, creator of Narbonic

Saturday, January 19th, 2008 from 1pm to 3pm

Free and open to the public



The Cartoon Art Museum hosts cartoonist Shaenon K. Garrity, creator of Narbonic, on Saturday, January 19th from 1pm to 3pm as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum visitors will be offered the chance to watch Garrity at work and chat with her about cartooning.

Shaenon K. Garrity is involved in many different aspects of cartooning, although she is probably best known for her involvement in webcomics. Her online comic strip Narbonic ran from July 2000 through December 2006, earning her many awards and accolades, including a 2001 Friends of Lulu Award nomination for Best New Talent, the 2004 Websnark Shortbread Award and the 2005 Webcartoonists' Choice Award for Best Writer. Garrity is currently re-running Narbonic with "Director's Commentary" at her website, www.narbonic.com.

Her additional online comics credits include Smithson, a college superhero/slice-of-life comic illustrated by Brian Moore; Trunktown, a feature that Garrity co-wrote with celebrated indie cartoonist Tom Hart; and Li'l Mell, a Narbonic spinoff illustrated by various artists. Garrity also serves as the editor of leading online comics anthology ModernTales.com.

Since 2003, Garrity has served as a manga editor for Viz Media, one of America's leading publishers of Japanese comics, and has worked on over a dozen top-selling titles. She has written manga articles and reviews for publications including Manga: The Complete Guide, Otaku USA, Shojo Beat, Shonen Jump and Nickelodeon Magazine. Garrity writes a bi-weekly column, "All the Comics in the World," for www.comixology.com, and she is a regular contributor to the onling comics magazine Sequential Tart. Her popular weekly manga blog"Overlooked Manga Festival" can be seen at shaenon.livejournal.com.

Garrity's additional comics writing credits include Marvel Comics Holiday stories featuring Spider-Man, The X-Men and The Fantastic Four. She is the co-curator of the current Cartoon Art Museum exhibition The Art and Flair of Mary Blair, and is a longtime museum volunteer and contributor.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Cartoon Art Museum regularly hosts professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum patrons see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists--but were afraid to ask. Past featured Cartoonists-in-Residence include Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), Keith Knight (K Chronicles, (th)ink), Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Grady Klein (The Lost Colony) among many others.

Cartoonist in Residence: Justin Hall
Saturday, December 8th, 2007 from 1pm to 3pm

Free and open to the public



The Cartoon Art Museum hosts experimental artist Justin Hall as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Visit the museum between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, December 8, 2007 to meet Justin and talk with him about his artwork.

San Francisco-based Justin Hall is the creator of True Travel Tales, Hard To Swallow and the Xeric Award-winning A Sacred Text. His work has also appeared in various anthologies and publications such as the Houghton Miflin Best American Comics 2006 and the S.F. Bay Guardian. Hall's comics and fine art have been shown in galleries and museums in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and he served as curator for the Cartoon Art Museum exhibition No Straight Lines, the world's first museum show devoted to queer cartoonists. Examples of his work can be seen at his website http://www.allthumbspress.com.


This event is free and open to the public.

About the Cartoonist-in-Residence Program:

The Cartoon Art Museum regularly hosts professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum patrons see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists--but were afraid to ask. Past featured Cartoonists-in-Residence include Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), Keith Knight (K Chronicles, (th)ink), Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Grady Klein (The Lost Colony) among many others.

Manga Conquers America: The Whole Story

A Presentation by Jason Thompson

A Talk with the Author of Manga: The Complete Guide
and WIRED Magazine's How Manga Conquered America

Thursday, December 6, 2007 7:00pm to 9:00pm

7:00 pm Presentation by Jason Thompson
8:15 pm Book-signing
Both Events Free and Open to the Public



For some people, the manga boom in American bookstores may seem like it came out of nowhere—but actually, manga has been in the U.S. long enough for the first generation of fans to be grandparents. In the November 2007 issue of WIRED magazine, manga critic Jason Thompson took us back to 1963, when Astro Boy first appeared on U.S. television, and 1987, when the first manga made it to U.S. comic stores, to 2002, when the boom really took off. But did you know about the very first manga-influenced comics in America were published all the way back in the 1970s? Do you know the tragic tale of Raijin Comics, America's first attempt at a weekly manga magazine? Or the unsung dreamers who produced the first translated manga? And you haven't lived until you've experienced the Sailor Moon-meets-hip-hop stylings of MixxZine!

The Cartoon Art Museum proudly presents an evening with Jason Thompson, manga editor and author. In October, Del Rey released Thompson's Manga: The Complete Guide, an encyclopedia of 1200+ Japanese comics available in English, most of them reviewed by Thompson himself. Thompson will present an all-new, illustrated presentation on the history of manga in America, with material never before seen in English, followed by a Q&A about the manga market in America, how manga is licensed and edited, and his own experiences in the industry. Thompson will be signing Manga: The Complete Guide. Other Manga: The Complete Guide contributors will also be present. Whether you're a manga newbie or a diehard fujoshi or otaku, it'll be a manga-studded evening which will expand your mind like you've been punched by Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star!

About Jason Thompson

Jason Thompson has over ten years' experience as a manga editor, producing the English editions of titles such as The Drifting Classroom, Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Z, Hana-Kimi, One Piece, Shaman King, YuYu Hakusho and Uzumaki. As the first editor of VIZ Media's SHONEN JUMP magazine, he helped launch Japan's #1 bestselling manga magazine in America. His writings on manga appear regularly in Otaku USA magazine, and have also appeared in The Comics Journal, PULP and Animerica. His webcomic The Stiff is available at http://www.girlamatic.com.

The Art and Flair of Mary Blair

Opening Reception: Tuesday, December 4, 2007
7:00-9:00pm

Free and open to the public



Join the Cartoon Art Museum for a reception celebrating The Art and Flair of Mary Blair on Tuesday, December 4, 2007, from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Special guests will include Kevin Blair, son of artist Mary Blair, and Blair aficionado Pete Docter, Director of Pixar Studios' Monsters, Inc.

This event is free and open to the public.

To preview additional images from this exhibition, please visit exhibition curator Andrew Farago's blog.

About the exhibition:

The Cartoon Art Museum is proud to present The Art and Flair of Mary Blair, a retrospective exhibition of the work of famed animation designer Mary Blair (1911-1978). One of the first women to work as a concept artist for Disney, Blair was responsible for the look of some of the key Disney films of the 1940s and 1950s including Cinderella and Peter Pan. Her colorful, charming geometric designs, synonymous with 1950s style, appeared in advertisements and children’s books. Perhaps her most famous creation, however, is the Disneyland attraction “It’s A Small World,” which Blair originally designed for the 1964 World’s Fair. She was posthumously recognized as a Disney Legend in 1991 and was honored with a Winsor McCay animation award in 1996.

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition includes more than 50 pieces of original artwork, with an array of Blair’s groundbreaking concept art for classic Disney feature films including Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Peter Pan, Disney shorts such as The Little House, Johnny Appleseed, and Susie, The Little Blue Coupe, and Disney theme parks and attractions, including “It’s A Small World.”

The Art and Flair of Mary Blair showcases the full scope of Blair’s career as an artist and illustrator, including early watercolor paintings, commercial illustrations for such clients as Hanes, Pall Mall, and Baker’s Chocolate, a selection of Blair’s fine art, unpublished family photographs, and children’s book illustrations, including pages from the classic Little Golden Book I Can Fly.

November Cartoonist-in-Residence
Keith Knight

Saturday, November 17th, 2007 from 1:00 to 3:00pm
Free and open to the public




The Cartoon Art Museum hosts 2007 Harvey Award-winning cartoonist Keith Knight, creator of the self-syndicated comics The K Chronicles and (th)ink, seen locally in the S.F. Chronicle's 96 Hours, on Saturday, November 17th from 1pm to 3pm as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum visitors will be offered the chance to watch Knight at work and chat with him about cartooning.

Knight will be selling and autographing copies of the 2008 Little Vics/Mega-mix Cartoon Calendar and the latest (th)ink collection, "Are We Feeling Safer Yet?" as well as other merchandise, including book collections of The K Chronicles, canvas tote bags and calendars.

About the Author

Keith Knight is an award-winning cartoonist whose two self-syndicated comic strips, the K Chronicles and (th)ink, can be found in over 35 alternative weekly, college, and daily newspapers and websites nationwide. He’s also a frequent contributor to Mad Magazine and ESPN the Magazine. For more information about the artist, please visit his website at http://www.kchronicles.com, or send an email to keef@kchronicles.com. Review copies of Knight's books are available to the media upon request.



This event is free and open to the public.

About the Cartoonist-in-Residence Program:

The Cartoon Art Museum regularly hosts professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum patrons see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists--but were afraid to ask. Past featured Cartoonists-in-Residence include Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Grady Klein (The Lost Colony) among many others.

Cartoonist in Residence: Isis Rodriguez
Saturday, November 10th, 2007 from 1pm to 3pm

Free and open to the public



The Cartoon Art Museum hosts experimental artist Isis Rodriguez as part of its ongoing Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Visit the museum between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, November 10, 2007 to meet Isis and talk with her about her artwork.

Isis Rodriguez is an experimental cartoon artist known for using a variety of artistic media and formats, including murals, paintings, silk screens, graffiti, flyers and posters. She is a second-generation Mid-Western Latina who grew up in Topeka, Kansas. After receiving her BFA in Painting in 1988, she moved to San Francisco. Isis worked on murals for the Clarion Alley Mural Project in San Francisco from 1993 to 2002 and as a result, she emerged as one of the artists from an ad hoc artistic movement known as "The Mission School.” She is the creator of the “glyphtoon," a cartoon that is fused with letters, numbers, and objects.

Since then she has had numerous art exhibits both nationally and internationally, from Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco to the Museum Timoteo Navarro in Tucumán, Argentina. Her artwork has been critiqued and published in several books and magazines. Isis is currently working on a new series of cartoons for a solo show at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara entitled “Cartoons from the Indigenous I.”

This event is free and open to the public.

About the Cartoonist-in-Residence Program:

The Cartoon Art Museum regularly hosts professional cartoonist in its galleries as part of its Cartoonist-in-Residence program. Museum patrons see cartoonists at work on their latest projects and learn everything you ever wanted to know about cartoonists--but were afraid to ask. Past featured Cartoonists-in-Residence include Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee), Keith Knight (K Chronicles, (th)ink), Paige Braddock (Jane's World), Michael Jantze (The Norm) and Grady Klein (The Lost Colony) among many others.

I Am Ten: Small Destructions World Premiere

Thursday, November 15, 2007
5:00-8:00pm

Free and Open to the Public


The Cartoon Art Museum is proud to present the premiere of Small Destructions, a short film by Lark Pien, on Thursday, November 15, 2007. This film details the creation of this unique installation piece, which consists of 24 sets of four-canvas compositions, painted one per day from September through October 2007. Through the use of time-lapse videography, viewers will witness Pien in action as an artist while her monster protagonists wreak havoc on an unsuspecting populace.

Please visit Lark Pien's blog for further details on the exhibition.

About the exhibition:

The Cartoon Art Museum is proud to present I Am Ten, the first in a series of spotlight exhibitions featuring the best and the brightest in the San Francisco Bay Area's cartooning scene.

I Am Ten examines the comics of Lark Pien, whose works range from intimately scaled handmade books to standalone stories in mainstream publications. 2007 marks Pien's tenth year in her exploration of the comics form. Through steady methodical experimentation, Pien's style continues to distill itself, resonating with each story in attempt to produce a fine-tuned clarity. She hopes that this clarity may serve as a bridge from her private and personal world to that of the familiar, the vernacular and the universal.

Special to the I Am Ten exhibition is an ongoing installation piece by Pien. She will be painting her story Small Destructions on canvas throughout the month of September, with the work in progress on display for public viewing throughout.

About the artist:

Lark Pien graduated from California Polytechnic University in 1995 with a bachelors degree in architecture. Though she had an interest in comics at an early age, Pien did not make her first comic until 1997. She continued to work in the architectural industry while drawing comics, allotting more time to her artistic interests each year. In 2004, she received the Kim Yale Best New Talent Award from Friends of Lulu. In 2006, Pien officially adopted art as her full time career. She now enjoys her days (and nights) drawing illustrations, oil painting, and creating comics.

Pien's handprinted minicomics include Mr. Boombha, Stories from the Ward, and the Long Tail Kitty series. She is the colorist for National Book Award Finalist and Printz Award Winner American Born Chinese, by Gene Yang. She spends half her time working in Oakland, and the other half working in San Francisco. Any halves remaining are devoted to her friends, family, food and travel.

The Bay Area Spotlight is part of the Small Press Spotlight program funded by The Fleishhacker Foundation and The Zellerbach Family Foundation.

Big thanks to Michael Jantze for a bang-up design job on the invitation!