10/31/13 - BOO! Scary Stuff: Don't Miss Out on 2013 OSU Festival of Cartoon Art!

It only comes around every three years...no. I'm not talking about Halloween (which is rescheduled this year due to impending storms and high wind) - I am talking about the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum's Festival of Cartoon Art.

Add to this that this is also the Grand Opening of the new home for the library and museum in the newly renovated and spacious Sullivant Hall! A once in a lifetime event!

The Festival is a triennial event that has been in existence since at least 1983 and consistently brings together an impressive group of guests from academia, comics, syndicated comic strips and illustration (many of whom are members of the National Cartoonists Association or NCS) together to celebrate, discuss and postulate on the topic of comics and cartoon art and creators. We have Curators Lucy Shelton Caswell and now Jenny Robb (along with numerous hard working library/museum staff) to thank for hosting and organizing these incredible festivals, sure to delight even the most worldly comics and cartoon aficionado.

If you missed the deadline for the main forum registration, don't despair,  you can still join in this year events by attending the academic conference or by getting ala carte tickets (cheap $5) to some of the individual programs!! Here is a complete list of programs and events

• Academic conference Thursday and Friday
• Library Grand Opening: Friday eventing
• Jeff Smith and Paul Pope talk:  Friday evening - ticketed event
• Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez talk : Saturday evening  - ticketed event
• Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum exhibits  - two ongoing shows in the new museum space
• Youth and Teen programs

If you have never heard of this comics and cartoon mecca in Ohio...you have missing out on an incredible treasure - here is an excerpt from their website regarding their history:

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum was established in 1977 in two converted classrooms in the Journalism Building with the founding gift of artwork and papers of alumnus Milton Caniff. Its collections of original art and manuscripts have been built primarily through gifts-in-kind. The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is now the largest and most comprehensive academic research facility documenting printed cartoon art. Administratively it is part... read more. 

Contact info:

The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
Sullivant Hall, 1813 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43210-1393
Telephone: (614) 292-0538
Fax: (614) 292-9101

10/28/09 - OSU Cartoon Library - New Name, Same Great Programming

The largest single collection of comic and cartoon art is housed relatively close to us - just a few hours drive to the north is Columbus and Ohio State University campus. There you will find the newly renamed: Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. A generous donor has insured that they will soon have a facility to more appropriately display their holdings - good news indeed!

Now the world’s largest collection of cartoon art and comics, the Cartoon Library and Museum is currently located in the basement of the Wexner Center for the Arts http://cartoons.osu.edu/. Its new, permanent home in Sullivant Hall will expand its space from its current 6,808 square feet to more than 40,000 gross square feet of space storage and exhibit space allowing more of the collection to be displayed and accessible to the public.

Click here for the complete news release about the name change.

You may want to keep their events URL in your browser favorites - the library hosts many expert lectures and significant art shows throughout the year. They will be hosting the next of their tri-annual Festival of Cartoon Art in a little less than a year - October 15-16, 2010!

Coming up next month is a lecture about Winsor McCay on Tuesday November 3rd at 7PM where John Canemaker, McCay's biographer, presents "The Art and Life of Winsor McCay," a talk on this legendary cartoonist..

04/10/09 - Regional Comic Event - SPACE

Coming up April 18th & 19th in Columbus OH is SPACE - Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo.

The Friday (4/17/09) preceding the Expo the newly renamed OSU - Cartoon Library & Museum will have an open house from 3-5pm.

05/08/08 - May Events at OSU Cartoon Research Library

We are very fortunate to be located so relatively close to a such a great comic and cartooning resource. Just a couple of hours drive north of Lexington is the Columbus OH campus of Ohio State University - this is where the OSU Cartoon Research Library is located. I have posted about this facility and their events in the past - last October they celebrated the centennial of the birth of their benefactor and famous OSU graduate Milton Caniff.

This month they will be hosting several excellent programs with world famous comic creators - I hope many of you will try to attend!

Saturday, May 10th 2pm - Jeff Smith and Scott McCloud in Conversation

Join Bone-creator Jeff Smith and comic book artist and theorist Scott McCloud for a lively conversation about Smith’s career and each artist’s view of the practice and future of comic book art. McCloud is the author of Understanding Comics, Making Comics, and Reinventing Comics and the creator of the comic Zot!

Thursday, May 15th 7pm - Terry Moore

Best known for his epic and unpredictable comic Strangers in Paradise and a key figure in the self-publishing of comics, Terry Moore is one of the most influential artist/writers working today.

Tuesday, May 20th 7pm - Paul Pope

One of the most eclectic talents in comics, Ohio State alumnus Paul Pope works in such diverse genres and styles as superheros, erotica, and manga.

Besides hosting wonderful talks and lectures the Cartoon Research Library presents gallery shows of relevant comic art and holds a large and diverse archive of comics and comic art available for viewing, including some digital albums available online.

10/05/07 - OSU Festival of Cartoon Art Update

Way back in December of 2006 [link] and again in April of 2007 [link], Jonathan updated everyone on the OSU Festival of Cartoon Art. The event is set to take place in a couple weeks (October 26-27th, 2007) in Columbus, Ohio.

If you are planning to attend, there have been some line-up changes. In a recent press release, the OSU Cartoon Libaray announced that Jules Feiffer, Guy Delisle and Mark Siegel have cancelled their appearances. The release goes on to announce that Arnold Roth, David Saylor (creative director for Scholastic) and Paul Pope will be joining the festival.

You can get all the details on the event here.

04/12/07 - Ohio State University Storytelling 2007

You may remember a past post about The Festival of Cartoon Art coming up in October but that is only part of a much bigger event! Here is their description of this year long extravaganza:

To commemorate the centennial of the birth of Milton Caniff, the founding donor of The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library, a year-long celebration is planned. Storytelling 2007: A Celebration of Graphic Narrative will include exhibits, speakers and other special events that explore both the history of graphic storytelling and the work of current practitioners.

Lots of great exhibitions, talks and presentations coming up in Columbus - they have a wonderful facilities and a dedicated staff - so don't miss out!

3/30/07 - Scott McCloud Talk In Columbus

Lesson: Keep the faith even when things aren't going your way!

OK, I have egg on my face. I got kind of bummed out after failing to get a local (Lexington) Scott McCloud talk/seminar set up for this spring (see previous posts) and stopped watching his website (and posting to this blog, and scheduling meetings, etc..). Well, I got bit hard for indulging in my little pity party. Unknown to me until after the fact Mr. McCloud spoke earlier this month at two nearby sites: March 6th in Louisville (UofL) and March 7th in Indianapolis (IUPUI). Did anyone reading this attend either of these? Post a comment with your reactions if you did.

Well anyway, just two days ago I saw that there will be another Scott McCloud talk this time in Columbus OH (about a 3-hour drive) on April 4th. I hope to make the trip (send me an email if anyone wants to carpool) to the Ohio State Cartoon and Research Library (see earlier post about the Festival of Cartoon Art they will be hosting in October).

Don't miss this one as it may be a while till (or if) he gets back to our region!!

12/04/06 - Way Early Notice: OSU Festival of Cartoon Art

The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library will be hosting a major comics event in October 2007. The 2007 Fesitval of Cartoon Art "will celebrate the centennial of the birth of Milton Caniff, whose papers formed the founding collection of The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library." Curator Jenny Robb from the library served as the moderator for the 2006 UK Womens Writers Conference Graphic Novel Quorem back in April.

4/10/06 - WWC and Women Comic Creators

The University of Kentucky is hosting the 27th annual Women Writers Conference here in Lexington from Thursday 4/20 to Sunday 4/23. Last year Pulitzer prize winning editorial cartoonist, Ann Telnaes was a keynote speaker - this year several women involved in comics will talk or be involved in comic related discussions. Some events are free and some you have to pay a registration to attend (see website or call them for more info). Lexington's own Sara Turner of Cricket Press and Make Like a Tree Comics will be in a quorum at

ArtsPlace on Saturday 4/22
3:30 pm
Arts Place—free & open to all
THE GRAPHIC NOVEL QUORUM
Part literary artist and part visual artist, the graphic novelist works with many media to create new worlds, or to tackle the real world. Leading women of the business, Phoebe Gloeckner, Lauren Weinstein, Amy Kim Ganter, and Lexington's own Sara Turner will talk about it all. Moderated by OSU Cartoon Research Library curator Jenny Robb.
Signing will follow



I just discovered Sara as a comic creator right under our noses - hers and Jerzy's MLAT Comics site is very nice with some wonderful tutorials and beautiful examples of their work. Other guests of comic interest are Phoebe Gloeckner, Lauren Weinstein and Amy Kim Ganter - see the presenters link to find out more about these women.

Lauren Weinstein Friday 4/21

10:45 am
Lexington Public Library–for subscribers
MASTER CLASS—Jane Vandenburgh: The Architecture of the Novel, part 1 (reservations needed)
ROUND TABLE—Heather Raffo: Oral History and the Creative Impulse
CURIO—Lauren Weinstein projects and performs her graphic novel work

Make sure and go out to support this wonderful event!