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Last summer, the Musuem of Comics and Cartoon Art in NYC lost their physical space and transferred their assets to the Society of Illustrators. Although the SoI is a well-regarded institution, there was a lot of private concern over the MoCCA fest and how it would proceed. Details of the first SOI run show have just been released, and it sounds like things are coming together pretty well, under SOI’s Anelle Miller with a steering committee including industry-aware folks including Karen Green, Paul Levitz, Charles Brownstein, Tucker Stone and the Secret Acres duo of Leon Avelino and Barry Matthews. Several new programs are planned, including a program book, awards, art exhibits and a cafe.

MoCCA 2013 takes place April 6-7 at the Lexington Armory. PR below.

The Society of Illustrators is proud to increase the visibility of comics as a major component of its storied institutional mission by hosting the MoCCA Arts Festival on the weekend of April 6 – 7, 2013 at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. Beginning in 2013, the MoCCA Arts Festival will be one of the Society’s signature public programs, with the mission of honoring the artists who are advancing the landscape of comics and illustration via a world-class festival emphasizing their achievements.

Anelle Miller, Executive Director of the Society of Illustrators, says, “It is a great privilege to welcome the incredibly dynamic creative community that exhibits at the MoCCA Arts Festival to the Society’s rich heritage. For more than a century, our mission has been to promote the art of illustration, and to appreciate its history and evolving nature through exhibitions, lectures and education. We are elated to host the MoCCA Arts Festival as a key component of that mission, and to honor its artists with the high caliber of exhibitions and recognition that are the Society’s trademark.”

In addition to continuing the Festival’s tradition of hosting an exhibit hall spotlighting comics’ leading edge creators, the MoCCA Arts Festival will now include a variety of new programs directly benefiting the artist and audience communities attending the shows, including:

• Juried awards recognizing the best work at the Festival with medal winners being honored with an exhibit at the Society’s headquarters, and finalists’ work archived in Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library;
• A lavishly produced, large format souvenir journal that showcases the work of exhibiting artists;
• Discount entries for exhibiting artists in the Society’s Annual competition;
• Curated programming emphasizing the artistic achievements of the Festival’s creative community;
• An exhibition gallery of original comic and cartoon art curated by the Society’s professional staff;
• An onsite café featuring a full bar and menu as well as a lounge for networking.

The 2013 MoCCA Arts Festival is hosted by the Society of Illustrators, under the guidance of a Steering Committee that includes: Anelle Miller, Kate Feirtag, and Katie Blocher from the Society, as well as Leon Avelino (Secret Acres), Charles Brownstein (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund), Karen Green (Columbia University), William Hatzichristos (CollectorZoo), Paul Levitz (Writer/ Educator), Barry Matthews (Secret Acres), and Tucker Stone (Bergen Street Comics).

In the weeks to come, the Society will release more details about the 2013 Festival, including naming guests of honor, featured guests, the Festival jury, and much more.

4 COMMENTS

  1. Aside from Spectrum, no one really does juried shows or annuals for comics.

    Or even a biennial.

    It would be nice if the preceding week featured numerous events at the SoI clubhouse, to supplement the two programming tracks at the Armory.

  2. Hi Torsten,

    Thank you for your comment! The Society has an annual competition, now in its 55th year, featuring the best work of the year. There is a category for comics and this year we are happy to announce that MoCCA Fest exhibitors will receive a discount on their entrees. Accepted pieces will be published in the Annual book and included in the exhibit at the Society as well as the travel show.

    We will also have some great exhibits and events preceding MoCCA Fest which we will be announcing in the coming weeks!

  3. I sent a proposal for an exhibit at the museum 2 weeks ago and never received any response……Most disappointing.

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