Flushing Town Hall is unveiling their Fall exhibit at the end of the month, giving artists and comic book writers the opportunity to display their work with “Comics in the City: Sequential Art is…” beginning on Sept. 25 and running through Oct. 20.
The exhibit, located at 137-35 Northern Blvd., Flushing, will be on display for visitors to admire, depicting “sequential art,” which involves various forms of visual storytelling that use a series of images, called panels or frames, to depict a narrative. The exhibit will feature work by comic book artists, writers and cartoonists from throughout New York City, all showing work that portrays what sequential art means to them.
“Since New York City is where the birth of mainstream comic book creation began, it’s only fitting to exhibit the work of local comic book artists at our historic Hall,” said Melissa Velasquez, Flushing Town Hall’s manager of arts services.
The exhibit was curated by Regine Sawyer, after the historic venue reached out to the veteran comic book writer, essayist, and editor who has worked with the likes of DC comics, Marvel comics, Oni Press, Time Magazine and many more. Sawyer is also the coordinator and founder of the Women in Comics Collective International (WinC), which is an organization that supports women and gender-expansive people of color working in the comic book and multimedia industry.
“I was asked [by Flushing Town Hall] to curate this comic book show, so that was really exciting for me on a personal level, especially being from South Jamaica,” said Sawyer. “I love being able to do things in my home borough.”
When FTH approached her, she chose sequential art because it opens up many opportunities for artists and creators to showcase not just their work, but the process that goes into it.
“I thought that it might be a good idea for artists to show what [sequential art] means to them, and not just artists, but writers as well,” said Sawyer. “I will absolutely take somebody’s framed scripts, because folks don’t know what that process looks like, and so many things are considered sequential, so the purpose is to show here’s what’s behind the curtain, and that’s what’s in store for the art show.”
The venue had an open call at the end of the summer for artists and writers to submit their work from August through early September, choosing an array of pieces for visitors to learn more about. On Thursday, Sept. 25, the exhibit will be open and free to the public to explore. The month-long exhibit gives NYC-based artists and writers the opportunity to display their work, and for visitors of all ages to explore the work and creative process of artists throughout the city.
“I’m delighted to bring this new exhibition to Queens, a borough home to the legendary Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man,” said Sawyer. “I’m excited to showcase the creative works of New Yorkers in the sequential arts genre.”
“Comics in The City: Sequential Art is…” will be open from Sept. 25 through October 20. The event is free for all to attend. To learn more, visit Flushing Town Hall’s website.
