The exhibition is the largest gathering of EC original art in an accredited museum and is on view from May 14 to July 10, 2016
EUGENE, Ore. -- (April 19, 2016) – – A full series of programs complements the upcoming exhibition “Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics,” on view from May 14 to July 10, 2016 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, on the University of Oregon campus. The exhibition opens on Friday, May 13, with a public reception from 6 to 10 p.m. (Galleries close at 9 p.m., DJ Andy Austin performs unitl 10 p.m.) Additional events include curator talks, a “drink and draw,” lectures, and panel discussions addressing a variety of topics influenced by the exhibition. All events are open to the public and free.
Curated by Ben Saunders Professor of English, and director of the UO Comics Studies minor, the exhibition celebrates the achievements of the most artistically and politically daring American comic-book company of the twentieth century: Bill Gaines “Entertaining Comics,” better known by its fans as EC.
On Saturday, May 14, at 1 p.m. EC collectors Glenn Bray, Grant Geissman, Roger Hill, and Rob Reiner will participate in a roundtable discussion moderated by Saunders in PLC 180, on the University of Oregon campus, across from the museum. On Wednesday, May 25, at 5:30 p.m. Qiana Whitted, Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, University of South Carolina, will lecture on “Race, Shame and Social Justice in EC.”
Artist Matt Brundage will lead a “drink and draw” comic-book workshop, using Copic markers, on Wednesday, June 1, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The program is sponsored by Imagination International, Inc.
On Wednesday, June 8, at 5:30 p.m., the JSMA will host “A Conversation with Gary Groth.” Groth is the publisher of Fantagraphics, one of the most respected comics publishers in the world, and is currently reprinting EC comics in hardcover archival collections organized by artist. Saunders will interview him about the reprint project and why EC is still relevant.
Later that week, on June 11, at 2 p.m., Saunders will lead a “Curator’s Tour” of the exhibition.
Christopher Pizzino, Assistant Professor of English, University of Georgia, Athens, will present his lecture “Foul Play: Murder and Delinquency in the Comics Debates of the 1950s” on Wednesday, June 22, at 12 p.m.
The programming concludes with comics historian Mark Arnold, who will speak on the legacy of Harvey Kurtzman and “Mad Magazine” on Wednesday, June 29, at 12 p.m.
The full schedule of programs can be found at http://jsma.uoregon.edu/ECevents
“Aliens, Monsters, and Madmen: The Art of EC Comics” is sponsored by the Coeta and Donald Barker Changing Exhibitions Endowment, The Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, the Office of Academic Affairs, Oregon Humanities Center’s Endowment for Public Outreach in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, Philip and Sandra Piele, UO Comics and Cartoon Studies Minor, UO College Scholars Program, and JSMA members.
About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas and Europe as well as changing special exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of seven museums in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Contact:
JSMA: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu
Links: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu
