Cartooning...
Tentative
arrangements have been made to host an art exhibit
later this year that will feature the work of
contemporary cartoon artists. Britt Aamodt is a
friend and her book will be released at about the
same time as the exhibit, which is driving this
exhibit. Her book will be available at the Minnesota
Historical Society Press and can be found at this
link.
The intention is to invite several artists, exhibit
some large format cartoons, have a cartooning Q&A
and a book signing in an event spread out over three
venues (Best of Times
Bookstore, The Sheldon
Theatre mezzanine gallery and at our gallery).
You might be asking yourself if cartooning is a
legitimate art medium. It is and I would suggest you
keep the comment to yourself, lest you become the
parodied target of an offended cartoonist.
Therein lies the beauty of cartooning. It can either
lampoon or glamorize their subjects. It can be
humorous or it can be brutally and uncomfortably
frank. It can address real life or it can fabricate
an entirely new universe with it's own laws of
physics. In other words, cartoon art defies
definition.
This exhibit promises to be a lot of fun. I grew up
reading the comics and I still read the comics. I
love the comics.
This is completely consistent with past exhibits,
including the Brown & Bigelow Pin-up exhibit in
2007, the Cream of Wheat original advertising art in
2008 and the original pulp magazine cover art in 2009
(see the illustration trend going here?). Details as
they unfold.