Akin DIY Comics School meeting on November 4 at Akin St Clair

The Akin Collective D.I.Y. Comics School is a group that meets the first Monday of every month with the goal of working together to provide our own continuing comics education. Meetings take place in the Akin St. Clair Studio at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Open to everyone and anyone interested in creating comics!

This is a member-led initiative that will develop and change over time with participation from everyone. Anyone interested in comic making is welcome to join for one or all of our monthly meetings. Some materials are provided but feel free to bring a sketchbook or papers, pencils, pens or markers, and any comics or comic projects you wish to show and share with the group. The Akin St Clair Studio Comic and Zine Library is also available during meetings to inspire you!

If you are interested in continuing your education and development as a cartoonist and in helping others do the same, please come out and join us Monday, November 4th, from 7:30pm to 9:30i sh at the Akin St. Clair Studio in the “Don’s Meats” building at 1747 St. Clair Avenue West. Entrance to the studio is off of the parking lot, and located near the back of the building on the west side. It’s a giant door, and it will be open at the start of the meeting, but then closed, so if you come late, knock loud!

Questions or suggestions? email diycmx@gmail.com

You can join the Akin DIY Comics School Community on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/diycmx/

Accessibility:
This building is partially accessible. The space is ground- level throughout. There are two entrances to the space, we encourage guests to use the side-door entrance. There is one step at the front door entrance and no steps at the side door entrance. There is one all gender bathroom. There is one step to get to the bathroom. There is no alternative bathroom or alternative route to the bathroom. The bathroom door is 30 inches wide. There are no grab bars in the washroom and the toilets are not raised. Akin St. Clair Studios regrets any barrier to access.

Getting here by TTC:
Akin St Clair Studios is accessible on the 512 St. Clair Streetcar Line and by bus, take either Bus 168 from Dundas West Station, or Bus 127 Spadina Station to Keele and St. Clair.

Parking:
There is residential parking on Hounslow Heath Road and other residential streets in the area.

THIS IS SERIOUS: Canadian Indie Comics

THIS IS SERIOUS: Canadian Indie Comics
at the Art Gallery of Hamilton
Opening June 21, 2019

THIS IS SERIOUS: Canadian Indie Comics presents a survey of contemporary Canadian artists working in the expansive genre of cartooning and indie comics. On the international stage, the comic arts are highly regarded, but in Canada, it is arguable that cartoonists don't receive the same level of art world recognition. Despite this, Canadians make considerable contributions to the greater field of international comics, and Toronto, Montreal, and Hamilton are all significant centres of comic art production.

In response to this void in the Canadian museum context, THIS IS SERIOUS takes the energy of underground artistic production and indie publishing as its impetus to make visible the breadth of activity by a diverse range of artists working in this genre, throughout Canada. Co-curated by award-winning graphic novelist Joe Ollmann and Alana Traficante, the exhibition is national in scope and features the work of 47 artists. THIS IS SERIOUS presents the recent arc of production that has helped shaped the current state of graphic storytelling, here and now on home soil.

Julie Doucet (Canadian b. 1965), Dirty Plotte (detail), ink on illustration board. Courtesy of the artist and Drawn and Quarterly.

Artists include: Sami Alwani, Ho Che Anderson, Kate Beaton, Marc Bell, Blaine, Simon Bossé, David Boswell, Chester Brown, Nina Bunjevac, Jessica Campbell, Geneviève Castrée, Marta Chudolinska, David Collier, Katherine Collins, Michael DeForge, Julie Delporte, Aminder Dhaliwal, Julie Doucet, Pascal Girard, Gord Hill, Jesse Jacobs, Patrick Kyle, Ginette Lapalme, Ness Lee, Hartley Lin, Graeme MacKay, Billy Mavreas, Carel Moiseiwitsch, Sylvia Nickerson, Obom, Simon Orpana, Meredith Park, Cole Pauls, Michel Rabagliati, Rebecca Rosen, Gord Pullar, Seth, Walter Scott, James Simpkins, Fiona Smyth, Jillian Tamaki, Maurice Vellekoop, Kat Verhoeven, Eric Kostiuk Williams, Connor Willumsen, Jenn Woodall, Doug Wright

Co-curated by Joe Ollmann and Alana Traficante
#AGHComics

2019 Summer Opening
Join us for the Summer Opening Thursday, June 20 at 6:00 pm celebrating the launch of THIS IS SERIOUS: Canadian Indie Comics along with This is Moving: Illustration on Screenand My Back Pages: The Art of Zines and Indie Publishing. The evening will feature a drum, dance, and storytelling performance led by Rod Nettagog, followed by a free outdoor screening of the celebrated Canadian film The Road Forward as part of National Indigenous History Month and Hamilton Arts Week!

Akin Comic Day!

Akin Comic Day is a one-day celebration of comic books, comic making and comic artists! Drop in anytime and stay for a few minutes or the whole day. There will be many exciting ways for everyone to explore and enjoy comic books and comic making whether you are a life-long comic fan or completely new to the medium.
 

Featuring comics, art, experiences and more by Akin artists:

Althea Balmes - www.altheabalmes.com

Kate Drwecka - www.katedee.com

Christopher Green - www.mumblethief.tumblr.com

Carmina Miana - www.carminamiana.com

Loretta Miauw - www.instagram.com/loretta.miauw

Jen Pilles - www.jenpilles.com

Sarvenaz Rayati - www.sarvenaz-rayati.com

Yamandu Sztainbok - www.instagram.com/y.smerdis
 

Including:

• Comic Corner: A fun selection of hands-on activities to enjoy all day! All materials provided. Collaborate on group comic projects and individual explorations of comic art and visual storytelling. Suitable for all ages and experience levels.
   
• Comic Reading Zone: Relax and enjoy browsing a curated selection of some of the most interesting and renowned comics out there.
   
• Comic Art Exhibition: Comic art by Akin Collective studio artists on display.
   
• Artist Events: Live drawing, comic readings, book signings and more. Akin Collective comic artists will be on-site during the event. More details to me announced soon - stay tuned! 
   
• Comic Book Sale: Browse the sale table for some comic book treasures to take home with you!
   
• Official launch of the Akin Comic and Zine Library: a new permanent collection at Akin St Clair.

• Official launch of the Akin Comics Club: The Akin Comics Club is a new meet-up group for Toronto artists interested in comic-making and visual storytelling to stay connected and collaborate together on events, workshops and activities in Toronto.
  
  Akin Comic Day and the Akin Comic Club are brand-new initiatives brought to you by Akin Projects. 

Visit www.akin.art/comics for more information

Akin Lansdowne artist Althea Balmes featured by CBC Arts

Akin Lansdowne artist Althea Balmes was recently profiled by CBC Arts in a short video about her comic making initiative for Asian youth, Cup Doodle Project! 

“A comic book can be about anything — and yet, there are so many stories that never get told. It’s a fact that bothered Toronto artist and educator Althea Balmes. Where was the diversity? “When I first started doing comics, I wasn’t seeing a lot of Asian voices,” Balmes, who’s the illustrator and co-creator of Kwentong Bayan, tells CBC Arts. That’s why she decided to create a space where artists could come together and make comics about their own experiences. The result is the Comic-Making Workshop + Residency, a place that encourages young Asian artists to express themselves and develop their own artistic voices.”

— April Aliermo for CBC Arts

Interested in the Cup Doodle Project? Want to collaborate or get involved? Email cupdoodleproject@gmail.com

TCAF 2017 - The Toronto Comics Arts Festival - May 13 & 14

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is taking place in On May 13 & 14 with corresponding events happening throughout May. The main event is a two-day exhibition and vendor fair featuring hundreds of comics creators from around the world and will be held at the Toronto Reference Library with readings, signings, panels, workshops, gallery shows, installations and more taking place in the surrounding Bloor/Yonge neighbourhood.

The first Toronto Comic Arts Festival was held in 2003. The Toronto Comic Arts Festival exists to promote the breadth and diversity of comics, and what is considered comics, as legitimate medium of literary and artistic worth. They seek to promote the creators of these works in their broad and diverse voices, for the betterment of the medium of comics and to reach as wide an audience as possible for them.

Main Exhibition: Saturday May 13 and Sunday May 14 at Toronto Reference Library

Some of the Other Events and Exhibitions (Full listing on the TCAF website):
Professional Development for Librarians and Educators: Friday May 12
TCAF Kick-Off: Celebrate 25 Years of Image Comics: Friday, May 12, Doors at 6pm
TCAF KIDS DAY: May 13, 10am-5pm @ St. Paul’s On Bloor
French Comics Framed Exhibition: May 2 -31 @ Toronto Reference Library
My Brother’s Husband – Artwork by Gengoroh Tagame: May 9-30 @ Toronto Reference Library
Guy Delisle: An Exhibition: May 2-31 @ Toronto Reference Library

All TCAF events are FREE and suitable for all ages.