Several cartoonists from the world of minicomics and small-press zines have banded together to launch a GoFundMe campaign for the creation of the New York Working Cartoon Library, a new community space for comics creators and readers alike in NYC. Plans for the library consist of books from every corner of comics history (including superheroes and manga), a shared workspace, signings, readings, art shows, and an online archive of of self-published works.
The goal is set at $100,000, which will be refunded if it is not met by May 2027. The GoFundMe explains the money should cover what “we have calculated to be a realistic expectation for the first 18 months of rent (including the cost of build-out, furnishings, & day-to-day operations),” although a location has not been decided yet, with location scouting set to begin this summer. It adds, “We welcome any information you can share regarding spaces that could house this project! Please reach out if you have a lead, or if you would like to contribute in another way.”
As well as the GoFundMe, a benefit reading will be held at Grimm Artisanal Ales in Brooklyn on Monday, May 25, from 6 to 10pm. Cartoonists Phoebe Gloeckner (The Diary of a Teenage Girl), Kim Deitch (The Boulevard of Broken Dreams), Jeffrey Lewis (Fuff), Sam Szabo (Enlightened Transsexual Comix), Lala Albert (Seasonal Shift), Brian Blomerth (Bicycle Day), and Jade Mar (Cowlick) will be there to read and sign their own work, with tickets priced at $23.18 each.
The individuals behind the project are Angela Fanche (Me&Night); Ashton Carless (Cowlick); Austin English (Christina and Charles); Dan Welch (Cashiers Du Cinéma); George Olsen (Clamp Comix); Katie Lane (Single Camera Sitcom); Kevin Fong (Outré); Liza Kotlar (Bernadette); Lydia Mamalis (Jaywalk); Max Burlingame (Leone in: Blood from the Stone); Susan Kaplan (The Pigeon Joke); and Tana Oshima (16 Rubber Ducks).
They write, “Comics are having a powerful artistic moment. There is a wave of artists, young & old, both new to sequential art & deeply familiar with it, innovating without institutional support. Cartoonists are working on their own terms, & the form is richer for it. This momentum has led a group of us in NYC to envision a community resource space in the city, open to the public, for comics readers & artists of all kinds.” They add, “On behalf of everyone in the expanded field of comics, & those who have yet to enter the fold, thank you for your support.”
You can stay tuned to the project’s Instagram page for updates, and keep an eye on their official website here.
