UPDATE: SPOTLIGHT CONFERENCE EVENTS ANNOUNCED! CCS Feature Event on Thursday, August 16, 7pm Pencil Me In: The Process & Practice of Graphic Medicine at The Center for Cartoon Studies. by faculty Steve Bissette Location: Briggs Opera House, 5 S Main St, White River Junction As an instructor at The Center for Cartoon Studies since its founding in 2005, long-time cartoonist/writer/editor/publisher Stephen R. Bissette has been privileged to witness (and, at times, participate in) the creative process of various cartoonists as they created work that focused on their own personal health issues and histories. Bissette offers an illustrated overview of the path, perils, and potential inherent in the creation of such intensely intimate and introspective works.
CCS Feature Event on Friday, August 17, Doors Open at 7:30pm Carousel Comics with Cara Bean Suzy Becker MK Czerwiec Glynnis Fawkes Ellen Forney Jennifer Hayden Mita Mahato Marissa Moss James Sturm with Dave Lloyd Whitney Taylor Kriota Willberg Ian WilliamsHost: R. Sikoryak Location: Engine Room, 188 S Main Street, White River Junction
This working group will investigate principles of visual storytelling within the graphic medicine community. Can we effectively evaluate and honor the comics of the patient, cartoonist, caregiver, and scientist, using the same aesthetic criteria? Investigation of these issues is important in training artists, writers, healthcare professionals, educators, and others interested in creating or using graphic medicine in a variety of contexts. We’ll look at examples of graphic medicine narratives from a variety of sources. All attendees are invited to discuss aesthetic language and models of creative evaluation supportive of the needs of different creators.
Some questions for discussion include:
• Are there aesthetic values unique to this niche of graphic narrative making? • How much technical skill is necessary to create impactful narratives in this medium?
• How do we create dialogue regarding the technique and aesthetics of effective graphic narratives without dismissing the value of what might be called “naïve” rendering and writing styles?
• Should creators be informed of inaccurate data or biased language if they haven’t asked for such feedback?
