Ink & Snow: CARTOON NORTH II: Sequential Art of Interior Alaska (next week!)

Fairbanks Arts Association and Curator Jamie Smith present

Cartoon North 2016: Sequential Art of the Interior

The Bear Gallery, 3rd Floor Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts,

Pioneer Park (2300 Airport Rd.) 907 456-6485

Event Schedule

Friday, June 3rd 4-8pm: First Friday Opening Reception
Individual artist tables will have creator works for sale!

Saturday, June 4th 1-3pm: Intro to Comics + Cartoons

A look at some historical, classic and contemporary cartoons, with demonstrations in process and techniques by curator Jamie Smith, creator of the Nuggets feature in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Monday, June 6th, 7-8pm in the Blue Room: Juror's Lecture

An overview of some of the comics and cartooning events in the community, highlighting some of the creator’s works on display for the exhibition.

Sat, June 11th, 1-3pm: Intro to the Graphic Novel
With Greg Hill, former director of the Noel Wien library, and other special guests culled from the exhibitors. A great sampling of books of interest to educators, parents, literacy advocates and enthusiasts. Bring a book to share!

Saturday, June 18th 1-3pm: Open Cartoon Jam

Join some of the folks from the show for some fun, fast-paced group exercises in generating ideas for cartoons and comic strips. Pen and paper provided!

Saturday, June 25th 1-3pm: Minicomics

A hands-on workshop about “a common inexpensive way for those who want to make their own comics on a very small budget, with mostly informal means of distribution.” Explore alternative ways of producing these photocopied DIY comics!

Over the years I’ve been incredibly fortunate to host and participate in many cartoon and comics art-related events, like presentations, workshops, and residencies throughout our community. Along with having my own feature run in the local paper for decades, and teaching comics courses at the college level, it’s given me the unique opportunity to be exposed to countless aspiring and accomplished talents.

From single-panel gags and syndicated strips to webcomics, alternative to mainstream comic books, storyboards and character design to graphic novels and humorous illustration, the medium of sequential art is not only incredibly popular but has gained in critical recognition. Comics are now accepted as a legitimate and uniquely engaging interdisciplinary educational tool for both literacy and the visual arts, and are a growing presence in classrooms, galleries and bookstores. Contemporary comic art offers so many different styles and subject matter with tremendous, inclusive appeal to all ages and interests, attracting wide interest from diverse audiences.

Back in 2007 I juried the first Cartoon North invitational at The Annex Gallery: statewide in scale and covering historical pieces, it was an outstanding experience that was very well received. This show by contrast is narrower in scope, but comparatively deeper in content, and primarily showcases the outstanding work of alumni from my classes along with fellow professional practitioners of the craft in the Interior.

Thank you for taking the time to look at and read the pieces on display. Please feel free to avail yourself of the additional resources listed on the handout with contact information for many of the exhibitors. And remember to visit and support your local library and independent bookshops to check out even more comics!