Welsh animators at Smithsonian Folklife Festival

I was completely surprised to find a tent labeled 'Animation' at the Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival down on the Mall.



The animators will be there from Wednesday until Sunday of this upcoming week.

The two animators (only one of whom was there when I walked by) both appear to work in stop-motion. Annoyingly, I can't find any information about them on the Folklife website - if anyone runs across it, post it in the comments and I'll update this.

Gerald Conn's workspace, where he appears to have been doing stop-motion animation with paper cutouts.

The other animator explains his work to a young boy.



An animation camera and people viewing a finished work.

June 20: James Warhola at National Portrait Gallery

Science fiction, children's book and occasional Mad comic book artist James Warhola will be at the National Portrait Gallery on June 20th at 12:15 for their Warholapalooza! event. He'll be reading from and signing his children's book about his uncle Andy Warhol, but I imagine he'll be open to questions or signing other material.

Smithsonian exhibit has accompanying webcomic

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History has opened a new exhibit on a skeleton from southern Maryland and put up a webcomic - "The Secret in the Cellar: a written in bone forensic mystery from colonial America."

Printable pdfs of the whole comic and all of the accompanying material are provided as well - a very nice feature.

Jan 27: Material Culture Forum, "Collecting Popular Culture" Smithsonian event

This sounds interesting and on target even if they don't mention comic art. Thanks to Jeff Reznick for the tip. Jeff's venturing into the world of comics scholarship by writing a review of a Peanuts exhibit for the next issue of IJOCA.

Material Culture Forum, "Collecting Popular Culture"

The Smithsonian Forum on Material Culture invites you to attend its 83rd Quarterly Meeting “Collecting Popular Culture,” at the National Portrait Gallery, Donald W. Reynolds Center, 8th and F Street, NW on January 27, 2009.

SCHEDULE

GALLERY TOUR: 3:30-4:15pm, “Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture” lead by Wendy Wick Reaves, Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Portrait Gallery, 2nd floor west, open and free to all

PRESENTATIONS & DISCUSSION: 4:30-6:00pm, McEvoy Auditorium, sub-level 1,

Welcoming Remarks by Martin Sullivan, Director, National Portrait Gallery

Moderated by Wendy Wick Reaves, Curator of Prints and Drawings, National Portrait Gallery

“Imported Textiles, Local Meaning,” Bryna Freyer, Curator, National Museum of African Art

“Ray Guns, Spaceships and Action Figures: Outer Space in Popular Culture,” Margaret Weitekamp, Curator, Division of Space History, National Air and Space Museum

“But Is It History?” Ellen Roney Hughes, Curator, Division of Music, Sports, and Entertainment History, National Museum of American History

WINE RECEPTION & INFORMAL DISCUSSION: 6:15-7:00pm, Multipurpose Rooms, 1st floor, open and free to all

BUFFET DINNER & DISCUSSIONS: 7:15-8:45pm, Kogod Courtyard, open to all by reservation, $30.00 per person

To reserve a place for dinner, please email Stephanie Hornbeck at shornbec.si.edu. To pay for dinner, please send a check made out to “Smithsonian Institution,” for $30.00 per person, to Stephanie Hornbeck, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012 Room 1109, MRC 708, Washington, DC 20013-7012.

For questions about this event, please contact Stephanie Hornbeck at 202-633-4615.

2006 Smithsonian lunchbox exhibit

In 2006 the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History had an exhibit of lunchboxes, many of which featured comic and cartoon characters, outside of its cafeteria. I've loaded the pictures on my Flickr site, but here's a few to whet your appetite.


Tom Corbett, Space Cadet - a tv show, but soon a Dell comic book too.


How many Peanuts lunchboxes have there been?


It looks like late-period Caniff, but Steve Canyon is still cool.


Walter Lantz's Woody Woodpecker is essentially forgotten now, but was big in its day.

More pics at the flickr link above...

Express recommends anime program at Smithsonian

... In the "Anime: Young Artists Residency" program, from Aug. 11 to Aug. 14 in the Sackler Gallery. See "Beyond Pokemon: Anime for Young Artists," by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi, Express.com (August 11 2008).

Historical note: 1966 Cavalcade of American Comics exhibit updated

I was recently talking to Joel Pollack of Big Planet Comics about chalk talks he saw as a child at the Smithsonian. Since I'm an archivist, I corresponded with their archivist to see if the talks had perhaps been filmed.

Smithonian Archives' Assistant Archivist Ellen Alers responded,

"Chalk Talks" (nine in all) were held in the auditorium at the then Museum of History and Technology (what later became the National Museum of American History). These accompanied the exhibition titled, "Cavalcade of American Comics" that was on display at the Museum of History and Technology, May 2 - July 6, 1966. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, Washington Evening Star, and Washington Post newspapers.

Cartoonists who gave these talks included: Chester Gould, Allen Saunders, Alfred Andriola, Walt Kelly, Al Capp, Stan Drake, John Liney, Milton Caniff, and Hal Foster.

There is one box containing material from this exhibition and it is Record Unit 334, box 23. It is stored off-site so you'll need to give at least one week's notice before visiting.

I think I will take her up on that and perhaps do a short article for the International Journal of Comic Art at some point. Did anyone else see this show? If so, please leave a comment.

Joel's friend Charlie Roberts contributed his memories of attending:

Due to my work schedule I could only go to the Capp and Caniff talks. A few anecdotes. Al Capp was going to the car afterwards with Art Buchwald. He was pretty grouchy, and wouldn't sign an autograph but Buchwald said "Aw Al, sign the autograph for the kid" and Capp begrudgingly signed . I thanked Art, and Thank him again today (!) Caniff gave a chalk talk, and couldn't have been nicer on and off the stage. I talked to him afterwards about getting a drawing, and he gave me his address. I wrote him, and he sent me the original art to a Steve Canyon daily strip. My First original, inscribed and dated June 1966 ( yes, I still have it!), which led to a lifelong collecting interest in original art as well as appreciation for Caniff art and the artist himself. Caniff was the ultimate Goodwill Cartoonist Ambassador. I met collector Joe Goggin at the event, and within a year or so found out about Comic Fa! ndom, Pa flea markets (and Ted Hake!), Abe Paskow and others . 40 years ago seems like a long time, but also seems like a twinkle in a collectors eye.

7/2020 update by Stuart McIntire:

These creators made twice-daily appearances (10:30am and 2:30pm) Alfred Andriola on 5/14, Walt Kelly on 5/21, Chester Gould on 5/28, Leonard Starr on 6/4, Al Capp on 6/11, Stan Drake on 6/18, John Liney on 6/25, and Al Smith on 7/2. Other cartoonists who made appearances at the exhibit were Allen Saunders on 5/7, Milton Caniff on 5/19, and Johnny Hart and Brant Parker on 5/26. The designer of the exhibit was John Clendenning. 

I never did go down to see that box of records... Somebody remind me after covid-19, please.