Attention! This was just announced in a press release from the Society of Illustrators office:
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) and the Society of Illustrators have announced plans for MoCCA to transfer its assets to the Society, creating a single cultural institution supporting and celebrating illustration, comics, and animation. This will give MoCCA a long-desired street-level location, in the Society’s building at 128 E. 63rd Street.
MoCCA, which celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year, has long been a haven for comics and cartoonists. MoCCA Trustee Jim Salicrup, Editor-in-Chief at Papercutz, noted, “A cultural institution such as MoCCA, dedicated to all forms of comic and cartoon art, was long overdue in New York City,” adding that New York is the birthplace of American comics, as well as of countless cartoonists. MoCCA fulfilled this mission in a variety of ways, mounting exhibitions honoring legends of the medium, offering master classes, hosting “MoCCA Thursday” events, and holding the annual MoCCA Fest, one of the premier independent comics festivals in the country.
Commenting on the transfer of MoCCA’s assets, including its permanent art collection and the MoCCA Fest name, Society Executive Director Anelle Miller observed, “The Society of Illustrators has a long, proud history of promoting the art and appreciation of all genres of illustration. We are honored to be able to spearhead the expansion and growth of the incredible foundation that MoCCA has created over the past ten years.” Artist and animator Bill Plympton, a member of both institutions, called this new development “a match made in cartoon heaven!”
For over 100 years, the Society has been honored to number among their members cartoon and comic industry icons including Will Eisner, Milton Caniff, Al Capp, Mort Walker, Winsor McCay, Rube Goldberg, Chic Young, Ernie Bushmiller, sports cartoonists Willard Mullin and Bill Gallo, and Al Jaffee, Mort Drucker, and Jack Davis. Many of these artists are also represented in the Society’s Permanent Collection, as well as in their Hall of Fame, along with Arnold Roth, Bill Mauldin, Frank Frazetta, and renowned political cartoonist Thomas Nast.
The Society will continue and expand MoCCA’s mission in a number of ways: staging MoCCA Fest in its current location, dedicating a gallery in the Society building to MoCCA’s Permanent Collection, continuing MoCCA programming, and curating a special exhibition of works from MoCCA’s Permanent Collection in their Hall of Fame Gallery (on display March 5-May 4), which will run in conjunction with a major exhibit, “The Comic Art of Harvey Kurtzman,” curated by graphic designer and comics-anthology editor Monte Beauchamp. There will be extensive arts programming around both of these exhibits, including lectures, workshops, film and music series. Current MoCCA memberships will be honored at the Society of Illustrators.
MoCCA President Ellen Abramowitz added, “The Society of Illustrators is the perfect fit for MoCCA and its members. MoCCA’s fundamental principles will continue to be guided by the steady hand of the Society and its terrific staff. The two organizations are a wonderful match, where attendees, members, and fans will have it all under one roof in New York City. To be welcomed into the home of celebrated artists and publishers by a first-rate organization will serve to ensure that the foundation upon which MoCCA was built will continue to have a bright future.”
About the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art
The museum’s purpose has been the collection, preservation, study, education, and display of comic and cartoon art. Every genre of the art is represented: animation, anime, cartoons, comic books, comic strips, gag cartoons, humorous illustration, illustration, political illustration, editorial cartoons, caricature, graphic novels, sports cartoons, and computer-generated art. It is the mission of the museum to promote the understanding and appreciation of comic and cartoon art as well as to detail and discuss the artistic, cultural, and historical impact of what is the world’s most popular art form.
About the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators, founded in 1901, is the oldest nonprofit organization solely dedicated to the art and appreciation of illustration in America. Prominent Society members have been Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell, among others. The Museum of American Illustration was established by the Society in 1981 and is located in the Society’s vintage 1875 carriage house building in mid-town Manhattan. It is open to the public free of charge on Tuesday, 10 am-8 pm; Wednesday-Friday, 10 am-5 pm; and Saturday, 12-4 pm. To learn more about the Museum and the Society, visit www.societyillustrators.org.
Irene Gallo is the Art Director of Tor Books.
