MoCCA Arts Festival 2017 Programming Announced

Press Release:

Programming for the MoCCA Arts Festival 2017 will take place at the beautiful Ink48 Hotel (653 11th Avenue at 48th street), steps away from our primary venue, Metropolitan West at 639 West 46th Street. Organized by Best American Comics Series Editor Bill Kartalopoulos, this year’s programming will feature spotlight sessions from distinguished creators and historians. A full schedule of events will be released in the coming months.

To view past MoCCA Arts Festival lectures please visit our youtube channel, which includes videos from past speakers Rebecca Sugar, Cece Bell, Fiona Staple, Robert Williams, Alison Bechdel, Bill Griffith, Jillian Tamaki, and many more!

For directions please visit our Directions and Ticketing page.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1 PROGRAMMING

12:30PM / Garamond Room
Reading Without Walls: Diversity in Comics
Gene Luen Yang is the National Book Award-nominated author of graphic novels including American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints. When he was named the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he chose as his theme “Reading Without Walls” to promote diversity in reading. Gene will be joined by a panel including Damian Duffy (Kindred, Black Comix), Hazel Newlevant (Chainmail Bikini), and Whit Taylor (The Nib) in a conversation about issues of diversity in comics. Moderated by Jonathan W. Gray (John Jay College- CUNY).

12:30PM / Helvetica Room
Drew Friedman: Heroes of the Comics
In Heroes of the Comics and his new follow-up volume More Heroes of the Comics, illustrator and cartoonist Drew Friedman has produced a series of affectionate, beautifully rendered portraits of important figures from the history of American comic books, accompanied by short informative biographies. Friedman will discuss selected figures from his two books with Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth, special guest Al Jaffee, who is featured in the first volume, and Karen Green, ‎Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library, who provides the second volume’s introduction.

BREAK

2:00PM / Garamond Room
Blutch in Conversation with David Mazzucchelli
Internationally renowned artist Blutch joins us from France to celebrate the publication of his graphic novel Peplum in an English-language edition by New York Review Comics. His work marries the lush grace of an informed observational artist with a playful and sophisticated approach to form that marks him as a devoted maker of comics. In this special event, he will appear in conversation with his friend and colleague David Mazzucchelli (City of Glass, Asterios Polyp) for a conversation moderated by Bill Kartalopoulos.

2:00PM / Helvetica Room
Covering Trump: Steve Brodner Edel Rodriguez in Conversation
Illustrators Steve Brodner and Edel Rodriguez have produced some of the most striking and memorable artwork of this past year’s U.S. Presidential election. Brodner’s work has appeared widely in multiple venues, including the covers of the Village Voice and The Nation. Rodriguez’s “Meltdown” and “Total Meltdown” covers for Time captured key moments in the Presidential campaign, and his stark covers for Germany’s Der Spiegel have been among the most widely seen political images since the election. Legendary art director Steven Heller will speak with these two artists about their careers, their election coverage, and the function of art in politically fraught times.

BREAK

3:30PM / Garamond Room
Fit to Print: French Artists in The New York Times
Art director Alexandra Zsigmond searches widely for artists to commission as illustrators for The New York Times. Over the past several years, she has worked with many artists who graduated from the Haute école des arts du Rhin (HEAR), an art school in Strasbourg, France. Zsigmond’s work with more than a dozen of these artists is currently the subject of the exhibit Fit to Print, hanging at the Society of Illustrators and The New York Times Building. At MoCCA, she will speak with artists including Lucie Larousse, Mayumi Otero, Eugène Riousse, Simon Roussin, and Raphael Urwiller to discuss their unique work, the influence of Strasbourg, and how they collaborate to produce work for the Times.

3:30PM / Helvetica Room
Cliff Chiang Q+A
Comics artist and illustrator Cliff Chiang made his mark working on numerous titles published by DC Comics, including Human Target and Beware the Creeper. He achieved greater prominence with the serial Doctor 13: Architecture and Morality and a long run on Wonder Woman, both written by Brian Azzarello. He currently draws Paper Girls, written by Brian K. Vaughan and published by Image Comics. He will discuss his work and his career with writer and former President and Publisher of DC Comics Paul Levitz.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2 PROGRAMMING

12:30PM / Garamond Room
David Lloyd in the Spotlight
British comics artist David Lloyd began his career working for Marvel’s UK division and then gained international fame with his collaboration with Alan Moore, V for Vendetta. A perennial classic of ultimately hopeful dystopian fiction in the comics form, V for Vendetta has not only spawned a successful film adaptation but continues to provide resonant iconography for protest movements including the Anonymous collective. Beyond V, Lloyd’s body of work includes the graphic novel Kickback and the online comics project Aces High. Lloyd will discuss his work and his career with comics scholar Kent Worcester in this rare conversation.

12:30PM / Helvetica Room
Teaching Comics Internationally
For much of their history, comics have been a self-taught discipline. Now students are learning how to make comics in a variety of academic environments, from dedicated schools to majors to minors to electives. This panel will bring together a group of international comics educators to discuss the programs they teach in and the different ways in which they approach teaching comics. Bill Kartalopoulos will lead a conversation with Jessica Abel (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, US), Guillaume Dégé (Haute école des arts du Rhin, France), Ben Katchor (Parsons The New School for Design, US), and Merav Solomon (Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel).

BREAK

2:00PM / Garamond Room
Rutu Modan and David Polonsky in Conversation
Israeli artists Rutu Modan and David Polonsky are both known for the excellence of their artwork and for their provocative approach to blending historical and current events into their imaginative works. Modan is best known in North America for her graphic novels Exit Wounds and The Property and for her short story collection Jamilti. Polonsky is best known in North America as the art director for the animated film Waltz With Bashir, directed by Ari Folman. He is also the illustrator of the graphic novel based upon the film. Modan and Polonsky will discuss their work with comics scholar and writer Tahneer Oksman (How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses?).

2:00PM / Helvetica Room
RESIST!
In the weeks between the 2016 Presidential election and the 2017 inauguration, Françoise Mouly and Nadja Spiegelman edited RESIST!, a newsprint anthology of comics and cartoons, mostly by women. 58,000 copies of the newspaper were distributed for free by a grassroots network of volunteers during the Women’s Marches in Washington and across the country. RESIST! used online networks to solicit contributions and in the process became a new kind of hybrid platform: both an ongoing online forum for urgent expression by diverse voices and a print publication that has its roots in the Sixties underground press. In this special session, Mouly and Spiegelman will discuss the development — and the future — of RESIST! 

BREAK

3:30PM / Garamond Room
Anthologies as Art: Kramers Ergot and Lagon
The great anthologies of comics history — Zap, Weirdo, RAW, and others — have both made an assertion of comics’ aesthetic ambition at a certain time and place while functioning as a personal expression by each series’ editors. Sammy Harkham is the editor of Kramers Ergot, the anthology which, since 2003, has generated excitement with each volume as a strong statement about contemporary art comics in North America. Alexis Beauclair is the co-editor of Lagon, which debuted in 2014 as a risographed encapsulation of French avant-garde comics, and has metamorphosed with each volume leading to the latest, Gouffre. They will discuss their work as artists and editors with Bill Kartalopoulos.

3:30PM / Helvetica Room
Becky Cloonan Q+A
A graduate of SVA, artist and writer Becky Cloonan first made her mark with her collaborations with Brian Wood, Channel Zero: Jennie One and Demo. Her first graphic novel, East Coast Rising, was published in 2006. Her self-published works include Wolves, Demeter and The Mire, which earned her an Eisner Award for Best Single Issue. In 2012 she became the first woman to draw a main Batman title. Following Batman, she did the art for The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and later created Gotham Academy for DC Comics. She is currently writing the sci-fi horror Southern Cross for Image Comics, and The Punisher for Marvel. She will discuss her career and her work with SVA MFA in Visual Narrative Chair and illustrator Nathan Fox.

Becky Cloonan Provides Official Art for 2017 MoCCA Arts Festival

Press Release: 

The Society of Illustrators is honored to have cartoonist and illustrator Becky Cloonan as this year’s artist for the fifteenth annual MoCCA Arts Festival.

This beautiful image will appear on signage and merchandise at the MoCCA Arts Festival, to be held on April 1st and 2nd, 2017 at the spacious and modern Metropolitan West located at 639 West 46th Street in Manhattan.

At only 36, New York’s School of Visual Arts alum Becky Cloonan has already paved the way for women in comics. Her breakout hit Demo (2004), a collaboration with Brian Wood, received numerous accolades and recognitions. Her first solo project, East Coast Rising, released by Tokyopop in 2006, earned her a third Eisner nomination for Best New Series. In 2012 she became the first woman to draw a main Batman title. Following Batman, she did the art for the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and later created cover art and stories for Gotham Academy for DC Comics. Currently she writes The Punisher for Marvel Comics.

About the Society of Illustrators
Founded in 1901, the Society of Illustrators and its Museum of Illustration together comprise the oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of illustration in America. The mission of SI/MI is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration and its history and evolving nature through exhibitions and educational programs.

The MoCCA Arts Festival is a 2-day multimedia event, Manhattan’s largest independent comics, cartoon and animation festival, drawing over 7,000 attendees each year. With 400 exhibiting artists displaying their work, award-winning honorees speaking about their careers and artistic processes and other featured artists conducting workshops, lectures and film screenings, our Festival mission accelerates the advancement of the Society’s broader mission to serve as Manhattan’s singular cultural institution promoting all genres of illustration through exhibitions, programs and art education. The MoCCA Arts Festival will take place April 1 – 2nd from 11:00AM – 6:00PM at Metropolitan West located on West 46th Street between 10th and 11th Avenue. Programming featuring panels by top artists and speakers focusing on current issues and trends will take place at Ink48 (653 11th Ave), a boutique hotel located on the corner of 10th Avenue and West 48th Street.

UK – Becky Cloonan Signing

Writer/artist Becky Cloonan (Gotham Academy, Southern Cross) appears at Gosh! Comics on Monday, April 25, 2016 at 6:00 PM!

Becky Cloonan has a prolific career as a writer and artist, including her self-published short stories The Mire, Demeter, and Wolves, collected (now o/p but soon to be re-collected) as By Chance or Providence. She earned the distinction of becoming the first woman to draw Batman on the main title since the series debuted in 1939, and has also worked as artist on series such as Conan, Harley Quinn, Northlanders, Buffy, American Virgin, The Fabulous Lives of the Killjoys, American Virgin, and Demo!

RSVP on Facebook!

Gosh Comics
1 Berwick St, SoHo, London W1F0DR
United Kingdom

ON – Southern Cross #1 Signing

Becky Cloonan (Gotham Academy) and Andy Belanger (Kill Shakespeare) appear at The Silver Snail on Saturday March 21st at 8:00 PM to sign the first issue of SOUTHERN CROSS from Image Comics!

RSVP on Facebook!

The Silver Snail
329 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1R7
416-593-0889

QC – Southern Cross Launch Party

Creators Becky Cloonan, Andy Belanger, and Serge Lapointe appear at Le Bar Ritz PDB on Wednesday March 11, 2015 at 7:00 pm for the launch of SOUTHERN CROSS! They will be on hand signing copies (available for sale on site) as well as a Q&A session.

As well as a Dj set from SABRINA SABOTAGE

FREE ENTRANCE.

Bar Le “Ritz” PDB
179 Rue Jean Talon O, Montreal, QC H2R 2X2
(514) 570-7585

TX – Gotham Academy Signing

Comic creator Becky Cloonan appears at Austin Books & Comics for signing on Saturday, January 10th from 3:00-7:00 PM! Fans asked to limit themselves to five items brought from home. The store will have graphic novels and issues available to purchase for Becky to sign including Gotham Academy, Demo, Killjoys, Conan, and more.

Becky will also appear the night before for a ladies only event at the shop. Details at the link…

RSVP on Facebook!

Austin Books & Comics
5002 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78751
(512) 454-4197

UK – Gotham Academy Signing

Writer/artist Becky Cloonan appears at Orbital Comics for a very special signing of GOTHAM ACADEMY on Wednesday, December 10th from 5:00 – 7:00 PM! Becky will be signing KILLJOYS, DEMO, CONAN, and her many other comics.

RSVP on Facebook!

Orbital Comics
8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA, United Kingdom
020 7240 0591

Gotham Academy Launch Tour

Comic creators Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl hit the road to sign the first issue of their new series GOTHAM ACADEMY #1!

Thursday October 2nd at 7:00 PM

Bar Le Ritz PDB
179 Rue Jean-Talon-Ouest Montréal, QC H2R 2Y9, Canada

RSVP on Facebook!

Friday October 3rd from 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Comic Book Shoppe
1400 Clyde Ave Ottawa, ON K2G3J2
Phone +1 613-228-8386

Saturday October 4th from 12:00 – 2:00 PM

Little Island Comics
742 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2R6
Phone: 416-901-7489

RSVP on Facebook!

 

Monday October 6th at 6:00 PM

Cloud City Comics – Shoppingtown Mall
Syracuse, New York 13214
(315) 449-0003

 

Tuesday October 7th from 5:00 – 8:00 PM

Escape Pod Comics
302 Main St, Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 923-1044

RSVP on Facebook!

CA – Killjoys Signing

Writer Gerard Way and artist Becky Cloonan appear at Meltdown Comics on Saturday July 19, 2014 at 2:00 pm to sign The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys!  Come say hello, give high-fives get stuff signed and stick around for all the talent that will be present!

Meltdown Comics
7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 851-7223

IE – By Chance or Providence Signing

Artist and writer Becky Cloonan appears at The Big Bang on Wednesday May 28rd from 5:00 till 7:00 pm. She’ll be signing her books BY CHANCE OR PROVIDENCE and TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS and we’ll have exclusive prints AND a bookplate! Plus a Q&A will follow moderated by artist Declan Shalvey AND an afterparty at the Thomas House where we will be serenaded by Becky’s favourite heavy metal jams!

RSVP on Facebook!

The Big Bang.
Pembroke District, Dundrum, Dublin Dublin 16

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