Made in New York

The Society of Illustrators is proud to present Made In New York, an exhibit spotlighting six contemporary artists who define the New York comics scene, even as their own work resists easy definition. 

Made in New York sketches the outlines of a living comics scene by highlighting six of the most important comics artists working in the city today. Together, the work of Josh Bayer, E. A. Bethea, Juliette Collet, Austin English, Angela Fanche and John Mejias paints a portrait of a vibrant contemporary milieu while pointing to a future for comics as an art form. This perceptive snapshot of a community is curated by comics specialist Bill Kartalopoulos, programming director for the MoCCA Arts Festival. 

The art of comics is alive and well in New York City. It thrives in the shadow of multinational publishing conglomerates and exists against all odds in a massively gentrified city whose affordability gap only widens. In the pages of zines, online, in a handful of independent bookstores, at artist-run small press festivals, in shared spaces where communities still gather, and at desks and tables where artists quietly labor to express themselves, comics are alive and constantly evolving in New York. 

These six utterly unique artists demonstrate the wild diversity of comics in New York’s independent comics scene. Each has refashioned the comics form to suit their expressive needs. Each shares their unique perspective while showing readers what comics can do. And each in their way contributes to the maintenance of a persistently vital independent comics scene that continues to attract and nurture new artists without significant external support. Indeed, these artists’ works have principally been either self-published or published by small, independent presses without national bookstore distribution. 

Made in New York will show in the Society of Illustrators’ third floor Garden Gallery, and will be up during the MoCCA Arts Festival, the Society’s annual celebration of independent comics. A public opening event will take place at the Society of Illustrators on January 11th, and Made in New York artists will appear at the MoCCA Arts Festival as part of the festival programming.