MoCCA starts taking advantage of all the great local talent with a show on R. Kikuo Johnson and Paolo Rivera opening on February 10th.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is launching a new ongoing exhibition series paying tribute to the many talented comic and cartoon artists living in New York City.

MoCCA’s New York Artist Showcase will be an ongoing series at the Museum, spotlighting a different New York comic or cartoon artist (or group of artists) for up to eight weeks at a time.

MoCCA’s New York Artist Showcase series will officially open on February 10 with an exhibition of comicbook artwork by friends and Brooklyn roommates R. Kikuo Johnson and Paolo Rivera. The show will have an opening reception at the museum on Saturday, February 10 at 8pm.

• R. Kikuo Johnson is one of the stars of the independent comics scene. His first graphic novel, Night Fisher, was listed as one of Time magazine’s Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2005, and his illustrations have been featured in the New York Times and The Comics Journal, among many others. http://www.seabread.com

• Paolo Rivera is currently creating gorgeous painted artwork exclusively for Marvel Comics, including the currently running Mythos series, featuring heroes such as Ghost Rider (the latest Marvel character to star in a major motion picture), Spider-Man, and the X-Men. http://www.paolorivera.com/

The artists are both graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design and now share a living space in Brooklyn with two other RISD graduates.

“These two make a perfect launch for the New York Artist Showcase series,” says Showcase Curator Bill Roundy. “Between them they illustrate the diversity of the comics scene – from mainstream superhero work to independent graphic novels, from pen and ink to oil paint.”

Artists featured in the New York Artist Showcase series are selected by a MoCCA committee. For more information on the selection process, please contact the New York Artist Showcase at nyas@moccany.org.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts education organization dedicated to the preservation, study and display of all forms of comic and cartoon art. The museum promotes greater understanding and appreciation of the artistic, cultural and historical significance of comic and cartoon art through a variety of events, exhibitions, and educational programs.

The museum is located at 594 Broadway (between Houston and Prince Streets) in New York City. MoCCA exhibitions are generally open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 12:00-5:00pm. General admission to the museum is $5 but free for MoCCA Members as well as children 12 and under when accompanied by paying adults. For more information about the museum or specific MoCCA events, exhibitions and programs, visit the museum’s Website (www.moccany.org) or the museum’s page on My Space (http://www.myspace.com/moccany).