PR: The Comic Arts Festival is only days away!

Local cartoonists appearing include Carolyn Belefski, Donna Lewis and Barbara Dale...

Dan Piraro from Bizarro Quick-Draw Jam Session just released! Get your tickets! Space is limited! Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. The Comic Arts Festival is this Sunday!  May 26th, 2013 Cartoonist Appearances from 10am-5pm. Street Festival begins at Noon!  Hundreds of cartoonists are descending on downtown Pittsburgh as the city plays host to the National Cartoonists Society Conference. It is the first time the prestigious organization has been to Pittsburgh in its almost 70 year history. In conjunction with the conference, The ToonSeum will be hosting the very first Pittsburgh Comic Arts Festival on May 26th from 10am to 5pm. *Street Festival begins at noon.  The festival will feature autograph and sketch sessions with over 60 of the nations top comic artist and cartoonists including such luminaries as: Partrick McDonnell of Mutts, Lynn Johnston of For Better or Worse, Tom Richmond of MAD Magazine, Brian Walker of Beetle Bailey, Dan Piraro of Bizarro and many more. The 900 Block of Liberty Avenue downtown will become a veritable living funny pages block party with visits from Betty Boop, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Dennis the Menace, and the Care Bears. Fun vendors, art activities, chalk artists and caricaturists and will round out the festivities and help to literally draw a crowd! 10:00am-11:00am at Toonseum Jan Eliot- Stone Soup Patrick McDonnell- Mutts Brian Walker- Hi & Lois 11:00am-12:00pm at August Wilson Center Brian Crane- Pickles Greg Evans- Luann Rob Rogers- Pittsburgh Post Gazette John Rose- Barney Google and Snuffy Smith  John Stevens- Caricatoonist Carolyn Belefski- Curls 12:00pm-1:00pm at August Wilson Center Paul Fell- Paul Fell Cartoons Jeff Keane- Family Circus Bunny Hoest- The Lockhorns, Laugh Parade, Howard Huge Bill Morrison- Simpsons Comics Laurie Triefeldt- World of Wonder Sandra Bell-Lundy- Between Friends 1:00pm-2:00pm at August Wilson Center Donna Lewis- Reply All Comic Tom Richmond- Mad Magazine Mark Tatulli- Lio  Jerry Van Amerongen- Ballad Street Greg Walker- Beetle Bailey 1:15pm-2:15pm at Bricolage Women in Cartooning Panel Cathy Guisewite- Cathy  Lynn Johnston- For Better or Worse Terri Libenson- The Pajama Diaries Hilary Price- Rhymes with Orange Jen Sorensen- Slowpoke 2:00pm-3:00pm at August Wilson Center  Jason Chatfield- Ginger Meggs Barbara Dale- Dale Cards Jeff Knurek- Jumble "That Scrambled Word Game" Mo Willems- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus  NEW EVENT! Just Added! 3:15pm-4:15pm at Bricolage Dan Piraro- Bizarro Quick-Draw Jam Session!  3:00pm-4:00m at August Wilson Center Daryll Collins- Scholastic, Highlights and Boys Life Paul Combs- Drawn by Fire John Hambrock- The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee- King Features Bill Holbrook- On the Fast Track  Jim Horwitz- Watson Rick Kirkman- Baby Blues 5:00pm-6:00pm- at August Wilson Center  Andrew Farago- Curator, Cartoon Art Museum Michael Jantze- The Norm Mahendra Shah- "I Said it Too" Rick Stromoski- Soup to Nutz Go to http://pghcomicartsfest.com for more info!  Women in Cartooning Panel As part of the celebration "Rhymes with Orange" cartoonist Hilary Price has brought together a panel of some of the nation's best known women cartoonists including: Cathy Guisewite, Cathy Lynn Johnston, For Better or Worse Terri Libenson, Pajama Diaries and Jen Sorenson, Slowpoke 1:15-2:15pm at Bricolage http://womenincartooning .eventbrite.com VIP Comic Arts Festival Pass With your special VIP pass you are able to attend two private parties with nationally syndicated cartoonists, reserved seating for panels and much, autographed merchandise and much more!  http://comicvip .eventbrite.com Dan Piraro Quick-Draw Jam Session The Toonseum has one more trick up their sleeve with this last minute Quick-Draw Jam Session with none other then Dan Piraro! Piraro is the mastermind behind syndicated comic strip Bizarro. Watch Piraro fight against time as he creates original art right before your very eyes. 3:15pm-4:15pm at Bricolage http://piraroquickdraw .eventbrite.com              With Special Thanks to Jean Shulz 65 Years of Legends Exhibit at the Toonseum The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh's Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art will be exhibiting seven decades' worth of original art  from cartooning's highest honor, The Reuben Award.  This is the first time in the organization's history that original art from these legendary artists has been assembled in one exhibition. Rare works seldom seen by the public from artists such as Gary Larson of Far Side, Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts and many more will be displayed. The exhibit will open at 10am at the Toonseum on May 26th. Admission will is $5.00 for adults. $1.00 for children. Free under 6.  pghcomicartsfest.com  follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend