Each year, the Cartoonist Studio Prize will be awarded to work that exemplifies excellence in cartooning. The creators of two exceptional comics for this year will be awarded $1,000 each. The winners will be selected by The Beat and The Schulz Library staff at The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS).
This year, there are thirteen nominees in each the “long-form” category and the “short-form” category.
The nominees for Best Long-Form Comic are:
The much-awaited graphic biography of world-renowned artist Ruth Asawa by Sam Nakahira ‘21 who was bestowed the privilege of documenting and sharing the life of such an amazing human being. RUTH ASAWA: AN ARTIST TAKES SHAPE releases on March 20 by Getty Publications and ABRAMS Kids!
“This graphic biography by Sam Nakahira, developed in consultation with Asawa’s younger daughter, Addie Lanier, chronicles the genesis of Asawa as an artist—from the horror of Pearl Harbor to her transformative education at Black Mountain College to building her life in San Francisco, where she would further develop and refine her groundbreaking sculpture.” —Getty Publications
“Nakahira chronicles the young adult years of acclaimed Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) in this illuminating graphic novel debut.” —Publishers Weekly
Ruth Asawa led a remarkable life as an artist, activist, and teacher. While incarcerated as a child with her family and thousands of other Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Asawa drew for hours and was inspired to become a teacher after she attended informal classes led by Disney animators who were incarcerated with her at the Santa Anita Racetrack. Despite the racist policies at the time, Asawa would later pursue the arts, and develop wire sculptures acclaimed the world over.
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“An incredibly paced horror story that’s equal parts sardonic, gruesome, and tender. A Jeanne Dielman for the Instagram generation.” —Katie Skelly
“Chicago cartoonist and educator Beth Hetland’s graphic novel debut is a brilliant psychological thriller that tears down the wall of a genre — body horror — so often identified with male creators. Heady and visceral, Tender uses horrific tropes to confront women’s societal expectations of self-sacrifice despite those traditional roles often coming at the expense of female sexuality and empowerment.” —Fantagraphics
Congratulations to Beth Hetland ‘11 on the release of her graphic psychological thriller debut, TENDER, by Fantagraphics!
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A FOR EFFORT, the second semi-autobiographical graphic novel by Jarad Greene ‘17.
“A for Effort’s refreshingly witty and honest story is a heartfelt exploration of how it’s not always the outcome but the journey itself that truly matters.” -HarperCollins
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Applications are now open for the 2024 Cornish CCS Residency Fellowship, which will take place October 22- November 22, 2024. The Deadline to apply is April 1, 2024. This month-long residency provides housing, a studio space, access to all CCS facilities, and a living stipend.
The Cornish CCS Residency is designed to create a focused and inspiring environment for cartoonists in order to create exceptional work. Cornish is located 16 miles from The Center for Cartoon Studies (VT) in rural New Hampshire. For a complete description of the fellowship, application requirements, and eligibility, visit: cartoonstudies.org/cornishfellowship
November 18, 11am – 6pm
Fletcher Free Library Burlington, Vermont
The second annual Non-Fiction Comics Festival (NFCF) features panel discussions, workshops, and exhibiting cartoonists creating non-fiction and autobiographical work. From science to politics, history to health care, cartooning has exploded as a legitimate medium for exploring non-fiction topics and the textures of lived experience.
Special Guests include Vermont Cartoonist Laureate Tillie Walden ’16, Keith Knight of the K Chronicles, Janet Biehl, CCS faculty and alum Stephen R. Bissette, James Sturm, Jarad Greene ’17, Jason Lutes, Natalie Norris ’20, Dan Nott ’18, and Robyn Smith ’17, as well as Matt Bors, Rachel Lindsay, and Bill Tulp. Plus a keynote Presentation Hey Kids, Vermonters in the Comics! A Conversation with Stephen R. Bissette and Rick Veitch!
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Tillie Walden ’16, graduate and faculty at The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS), is on the Forbes 30 Under 30 2024 list. “…Vermont appointed Tillie Walden the cartoon laureate, and at 26, she’s the youngest artist to receive the honor. Walden, who has published more than 10 books, often centering queer narratives, is also one of the youngest recipients of an Eisner Award, often referred to as the Oscars of the comics industry.” –Forbes. Click here to read more and see the complete list of young artists and designers reimagining how we see the world.
Three Cartoon Studies fellows have been nominated for the prestigious Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel/Comic of the year! They include:
Robyn Smith ’17 for WASH DAY DIARIES (Robyn Smith/Jamila Rowser). Robyn got her MFA at CCS, was a fellow from 2021-22, and is a member of our faculty.
Tommi Parrish for MEN I TRUST. Tommi was a CCS fellow from 2020-21.
Noah Van Sciver for JOSEPH SMITH AND THE MORMONS. Noah was a CCS fellow from 2015-16.
Shoutout to Jamila Rowser, who wrote WASH DAY DIARIES, she was recently a CCS visiting artist.
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New books alert! The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) founding board member Ana Merino published a collection of comics and scholarly essays with Fantagraphics Books in January. ILLUSTRATING SPAIN IN THE U.S. discusses the often overlooked contributions made by Spanish immigrants throughout U.S. history. An accompanying comics exhibit curated by Merino is on display until 3/6 in Washington, D.C. at the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain.
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CCS NEWS ALERT! Award-winning and renowned writer and creator, Roxane Gay is our featured speaker for the annual Spring Eisner Lecture! And award-winning comics creator and faculty member, Whit Taylor will be moderating! We are beyond thrilled, and we hope that you will join us on Thursday, March 31, at 3 PM EST for the free live stream viewing.
Roxane Gay is a preeminent and prolific writer, editor, publisher, professor, and social commentator. For our comics fans, she wrote the six-part series, WORLD OF WAKANDA by Marvel. A few of her many critically acclaimed books include, BAD FEMINIST, DIFFICULT WOMEN, and HUNGER. Roxane Gay also writes regular opinion pieces for the The New York Times, produces THE AUDACITY newsletter, and is currently working on several television and film projects, with more books forthcoming.
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The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) is thrilled to announce that the Cartoonist Studio Prize is back for its 10th year running! This year we are teaming up again with The Beat to recognize the year’s most exceptional graphic novels and webcomics. The winning creators in both categories- print and webcomics – will each receive $1000 and a Wacom One Creative Pen Display. Details can be found here: cartoonstudies.org/studioprize
This summer, live theatre is back, it’s Black, and it’s going to blow your mind! Hosted on the gorgeously picturesque lawn at King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich, Vermont – JAG Productions will be performing 5 weekends of theatre, from August 13 to September 12.
JAG Productions is one of the nation’s leading incubators of new works by Black playwrights and in its inaugural year won the New England Theatre Conference’s (NETC) Regional Award for Outstanding Achievement in the American Theatre. In 2017, the company launched JAGfest, an annual festival of new works celebrating the talents of African-American playwrights, which has already launched an Off-Broadway production.
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Whit Taylor (Ghost Stories) is joining the faculty at The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) this spring as the facilitator of Visiting Artist Seminar. The course features weekly guests including the most celebrated cartoonists, children’s books authors, designers, writers, and designers. Guests share their creative process and professional pathways. In addition to lecturing at CCS as a previous visiting artist, Whit was also the keynote speaker at the International Comics and Medicine Conference in 2019 (see photo above). A big thanks to R. Sikoryak who facilitated the most recent fall term of Visiting Artist Seminar. His Constitution Illustrated was a top ten The New York Times Best Graphic Novels of 2020.
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What’s the Matter Marlo? by The Center for Cartoon Studies grad Andrew Arnold just released with Roaring Brook Press! The picture book about best friends highlights empathy, as well as anger and sadness, and reminds us these aren’t feelings to run away from, but instead to help each other through. Order a copy of What’s the Matter Marlo? today!
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The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) offers workshops for both beginners to cartooning and advanced, with topics from tools and techniques to writing and drawing for both comics and graphic novels. Our winter 2021 session workshops include Digital Coloring with Ngozi Ukazu, Graphic Memoir with Melanie Gillman, and Introduction to Hand-Drawn Animation with Alec Longstreth. Workshops will run January 11-15, 2021. Click here for more information and to register.
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A free self-directed eCourse to improve your cartooning skills. Online, Start Anytime!
Click here to learn more and make an online donation now.
CCS wants your old comics! These comics and many more were donated to support CCS's BIPOC Cartoonist Fund. If you're interested in making a comic book or cash donation drop us a line.
Cartooning In An Anxious Age (pdf) is a free comic by Cara Bean on the act of drawing, which focuses your attention and intimately connects you with the generative act of creation. It’s an inspiring read.
Created for middle and high school students, Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health is a lively and educational comic book that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health.
Using the power of comics to teach teens about the way our government works This Is What Democracy Looks Like, A Graphic Guide To Governance is a 32-page comic book created by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). This short comic guide helps to bring democracy back to the hands of the people by explaining what democracy actually means and how the whole thing works. This guide will be a great jumping-off point to learn about our government.
Download a free copy of The World is Made of Cheese, The Applied Cartooning Manifesto.
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