MICHIGAN COMICS EXHIBITION

Hey kids. I'm back. Hope you've been reading Dead Duck online, and if so, I hope it's whetting your appetite for the upcoming graphic novel.
Switching gears a bit, I'm here to give you some info about the MICHIGAN COMICS EXHIBITION. It's a gallery show that will feature Michigan cartoonists (myself included) and will culminate with a panel discussion on March 31st, which I'll also be participating in. Below is the official press release. Please read it and take note of all pertinent information:
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PRESS RELEASE FOR MICHIGAN COMICS: MIRTH, MOCKERY AND MAYHEM
March 31-June 5, University Gallery
Opening Reception: Tuesday, March 31, 5-7 pm
Panel Discussion: March 31, 7-8:30 pm, Student Center Ballroom B
Michigan artists and writers have created a significant body of cartoons and comics that is distinctive for its quality, inventiveness and variety, yet as a group they have received little attention before this exhibition. “Michigan Comics: Mirth, Mockery and Mayhem,” opening on March 31, 2009, in University Gallery on the campus of Eastern Michigan University, provides an excellent introduction to the works of about forty contemporary cartoon and comics creators who have their roots in Michigan. The exhibition, comprised of original art for editorial cartoons, gag panels, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels and other works on paper, focuses on artworks by native Michiganders and artists who have worked or continue to work in this state.
The fourth show devoted to original cartoon and comic art at Eastern Michigan University since 2001, the exhibition is curated by Richard Rubenfeld, Professor of Art at Eastern, and Dave Coverly, creator and artist of the syndicated panel, Speed Bump. Responding to the quality and diversity of Michigan cartoons and comics, they invited artists who come from and reside in many different areas in Michigan. Building upon the considerable accomplishments of early luminaries in the field, including Winsor McCay and John “Ding” Darling, and the unwavering popularity of works by such Michiganders as Cathy Guisewite (Cathy) and Richard Guindon (The Carp Chronicles), today’s creators are able to explore a broader range of themes and styles and can choose to work in media and formats that were unavailable until the late twentieth century.
Among the highlights of the exhibition are editorial cartoons by Mike Thompson (Detroit Free Press) and Larry Wright (Detroit News), and gag panels by Patrick Hardin, Tom Prisk and Harley Schwadron. Veteran comic strip creators, Jerry Dumas (Sam and Silo) and Jef Mallett (Frazz) are represented in the show as are comic book artists, Vince Locke, Bill Messner-Loebs and Mike Vosburg. Graphic novels are represented by artworks by Jeffrey Brown, Jay Fosgitt, Phoebe Gloeckner, and Paul Sizer, as well as by EMU alumni, Jane Irwin (Clockwork Game) , David Petersen (Mouse Guard) and Jesse Rubenfeld (Into the Dust). Classic underground comic book covers by Carl Lundgren, enchanting book illustrations by Laurie Keller, and painted murals of the Marvel and DC superheroes by Greg Hildebrandt are certain to generate discussion among visitors to the show.
In conjunction with the exhibition, a panel discussion of cartoon and comic professionals is scheduled for the evening of March 31st in Student Center Ballroom B. Moderated by Richard Rubenfeld, the panel includes his co-curator, Dave Coverly, as well as comic book artist, Katie Cook, and graphic novelists, Jay Fosgitt, Jane Irwin, and Paul Sizer. The exhibition and panel discussion are free and open to the public.
For additional information, please call Larry Newhouse, Gallery Director, at (734) 487-0465 or write him at larry.newhouse@emich.edu, or phone Richard Rubenfeld at (734) 487-1268 or contact him at richard.rubenfeld@emich.edu.
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If anyone has any questions beyond what's been printed here, they can e-mail me at fourpanelhero@hotmail.com or call me at (734) 369-8576. Thus far, I have no clue about parking or anything like that. But I'll find out and will relay it to any interested parties. It would mean loads to me to have any friends and fans in attendance who can possibly make it. So there you have it. Hope to hear from you in the coming month, and I look forward to see you at the gallery show on March 31st!

--Jay