(note: the below is a press release… sounds like fun!)

Brunetti, Hankiewicz, Onsmith, Sally to appear at MCAD Gallery opening

MINNEAPOLIS—Acclaimed comic artists Ivan Brunetti, John Hankiewicz, Onsmith and Zak Sally will deliver a gallery talk at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) for the opening of “Off-Kilter Comics” at MCAD Gallery on Friday, April 4, 2008.

Curated by Onsmith, the MCAD Gallery exhibition “Off-Kilter Comics” runs through April 20 and also features work by Lilli Carré and Dan Zettwoch. These six cartoonists approach comic art in varied ways, including expressive line work, abstracted narratives, geometric drawings, diagrammatic layouts and easily digestible images.

The artists’ discussion begins at 6 p.m. in the gallery, with a public reception to follow until 8 p.m. The exhibition, gallery talk and reception are all free and open to the public. MCAD Gallery is open seven days a week: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

MCAD is located at 2501 Stevens Ave., south of downtown Minneapolis. It is adjacent to The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and The Children’s Theatre Company.

About the Artists

Ivan Brunetti‘s comic book series Schizo and anthologies HAW!, HEE!, and Misery Loves Comedy are published by Fantagraphics Books. Brunetti’s work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Spin, Mother Jones, McSweeney’s, Fast Company, The Baffler, The Chicago Reader, The Comics Journal and In These Times. He is included in Houghton-Mifflin’s Best American Comics 2006 and 2007 and is editor of An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories (Yale University Press, 2006). A second volume is scheduled for Fall 2008. He has also taught classes on editorial illustration and comics at Columbia College Chicago and the University of Chicago.

Lilli Carré was born in Los Angeles and lives in Chicago. She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she studied Experimental Animation and Print. Her first book, Tales of Woodsman Pete, was published by Top Shelf, and she is included in Houghton-Mifflin’s Best American Comics 2006. She also has several short animated films on the festival circuit.

 

John Hankiewicz has a BA in English from Roosevelt University and an MA in English from Ohio University. In 1995 he began self-publishing his Xeric Award-winning series, Tepid. His 2007 collection Asthma is published by Sparkplug Comic Books. His work has appeared in Kramers Ergot, Arthur Magazine and The Chicago Reader. He is also an accomplished printmaker.

 

Onsmith has work published in several anthologies, including Hotwire Comics (Fantagraphics), Flotation Device, SPX 2002, Studygroup 12, Modern Industry, Proper Gander, Graphic Classics, and the anthology series Bomb Time for Bonzo, which he created with Henry Ng and Ben Chandler.

 

Duluth native Zak Sally is creator of Recidivist and Sammy the Mouse and owner/operator of La Mano Press in Minneapolis. Other La Mano artists include John Porcellino, Jason T. Miles, William Schaff and Nate Denver. A longtime contributor to indie comics and ‘zines, Sally also played bass in the band Low.

 

Dan Zettwoch is creator of acclaimed self-published comics such as the Civil War tale Ironclad and the series Redbird. A member of USS Catastrophe with Kevin Huizenga and Ted May, Zettwoch is also an accomplished screenprinter. His work has been featured in Drawn & Quarterly, Kitchen Sink, Impossible, Kramers Ergot and EXPO 2001.

About MCAD

 

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) has been creating art on the cutting edge since 1886. Recognized nationally and internationally for its innovative approaches, MCAD is home to more than 800 students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Fine Arts degrees. The College offers majors in Advertising, Animation, Comic Art, Drawing, Filmmaking, Fine Arts Studio, Furniture Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Painting, Photography, Print Paper Book, Sculpture and Web and Multimedia Environments. The College has earned the highest accreditation possible for an art and design school and has been named a “Best Midwestern College” for four consecutive years by The Princeton Review. MCAD also offers continuing studies courses; certificate programs in Graphic Design and Sustainable Design, as well as a Post-Baccalaureate certificate; online learning; and youth programs, as well as free exhibitions and lectures.

 

www.mcad.edu