Past Exhibits

  • Koyama And Friends: Publishing, Patronage, and The New Alternative Press Koyama And Friends: Publishing, Patronage, and The New Alternative Press May 5, 2018 - October 21, 2018

    In 2013, KOYAMA PRESS publisher Annie Koyama began amassing original art to donate to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum that would represent a snapshot of the contemporary alternative comics industry. This exhibit of the Koyama Collection offers an introduction to a diverse network of cartoonists, small-press publishers, and collectives operating today. Artists highlighted include Lisa Hanawalt, Michael DeForge, Julia Wertz, Gabrielle Bell, Noah Van Sciver, and more.

  • Artistically MAD: Seven Decades of Satire Artistically MAD: Seven Decades of Satire May 5, 2018 - October 21, 2018

    Harvey Kurtzman’s brainchild made its debut as a comic book in 1952 before switching to a magazine format in 1955.  Over the ensuing years, MAD has featured artwork by many of the most talented cartoonists in the industry. This comprehensive exhibition will showcase original drawings and paintings by all of the top MAD contributors, including Bill Elder, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Norman Mingo, Al Jaffee, Sergio Aragonés, Don Martin, Mort Drucker and Tom Richmond.

    There will also be displays of vintage MAD magazines and memorabilia branded with the gap-toothed mug of its iconic mascot, Alfred E. Neuman.

  • Cartoon Couture Cartoon Couture November 4, 2017 - April 22, 2018

    Winnie Winkle Fashion Cut-out by Martin Branner. August 4, 1935.

    Satirizing, advertising, and codifying fashion has been a tradition in cartoons and comic art since the forms’ origins. Historically, the comics medium has often ridiculed the clothing trends of the “elite” to entertain all classes of readers. However, the same medium also disseminated knowledge about fashion widely to its audiences, especially when  the rise of mass-produced ready-to-wear clothing coincided with the emergence of the newspaper comic strip in the first decades of the 20th century. 

  • Looking Backward, Looking Forward: U.S. Immigration in Cartoons and Comics Looking Backward, Looking Forward: U.S. Immigration in Cartoons and Comics November 4, 2017 - April 22, 2018

    “Looking Backward” by Joseph Keppler. Puck, January 11, 1893

    Explore the topic of U.S. immigration through the lens of the political cartoons, comic strips, comic books and graphic novels that have contributed to the debate about this important, and often polarizing, issue.  Cartoons and comics can enlighten us, challenge our beliefs and misconceptions, and bring attention to injustices. However, history shows they can also reflect and magnify our fears and prejudices. From Thomas Nast to Gene Luen Yang, this exhibit looks back on 150 years of cartoon and comics responses to major moments in the American immigration narrative. In examining the past, it aims to inform the current debate, as we move forward with a story that is fundamental to the American experiment itself. 

    * Please note that some images may not be appropriate for all audiences.

  • Founding Collections: 1977-1987 Founding Collections: 1977-1987 March 25, 2017 - October 22, 2017

    Celebrating 40 Years at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

    This exhibition celebrates the story of the library’s founding and its first decade of collecting, beginning with works from its original collections, the archives of Milton Caniff, creator of Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon and illustrator Jon Whitcomb. The tale continues with important national figures in the history of American cartoon art such as pioneering licensing agent Toni Mendez, and preeminent cartoonists Will Eisner, Edwina Dumm, and Walt Kelly, whose early donations helped to establish Ohio State University as the premier institutional collector of comics and cartoon art. The exhibit will also feature art and archival materials from OSU alumni, Ohio cartoonists, student cartoonists from The Lantern, and the Archives of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and the National Cartoonists Society.

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