Texas-based artists illustrate talent on campus

Photos and slideshow by Rachael Devinney: The Signal.

HEATHER ALFORD
THE SIGNAL
The first comiCulture symposium at University of Houston-Clear Lake will begin Sept. 21. To complement the event, UHCL is putting on not one, but, two art exhibits through Oct. 17 to show off the local talent at both student and professional levels.

The Art of Sequential Storytelling in the UHCL Art Gallery provides visitors a chance to see up-close the works of many professional comic book artists working in Texas.

Jeff Bowen, coordinator of audience development at the Art Gallery, was onboard for a comic book gallery from the start to complement comiCulture.

“By having the professional artists in the gallery, the exhibition becomes somewhat didactic, giving insight to the technical processes of the comics industry,” Bowen said.

To make the The Art of Sequential Storytelling exhibition possible, Bowen worked closely with Terry Wagner, comiCulture team leader and founder of Mental Diversion Studios, a comic book studio based in Houston. Wagner expressed excitement for curating the exhibit because he enjoys seeing the level of talent the school and local community has to offer.

“What I hope to gain is to see someone here down the road in 15 years be successful in this career,” Wagner said.

Among those being featured is Garrett Gainey, artist for Mental Diversion Studios and fine arts major at UHCL. He is the only student being featured in the professional exhibit.

Gainey said “I am very excited about [the exhibit],” “Just coming to see local people…is cool.”

Gainey believes that the reason comic books are still so popular is due to the proactive stance many in the comic book industry take. By posting a couple of pages or issues online for free, it entices fans to go to stores to buy the printed copy or in some cases, to add to an existing collection.

The chance to do both a professional exhibit and the student exhibit thrilled Bowen.

“I couldn’t ignore the extreme talent of UHCL graphic students,” he said. “By getting both students and the [professionals] involved…there will undoubtedly be opportunity for collaboration, sharing of creative ideas, and a wider reach of audience members.”

Bowen and Stuart Larson, associate professor of graphic design and curator of the student exhibit, wanted to show illustration in its various forms as both an homage to graphic novels and as a way to showcase the diversity and creativity of the students on campus.

However, The Art of Sequential Storytelling is not the only exhibit going on through Oct. 17. While one features only professionals in the comic book industry, the UHCL Student Illustration Exhibition, located on the second floor of the Bayou Building in front of the library, gives visitors a chance to see other works in illustration.

“The comic art form has become an innovative practice of communication,” said Larson in the curator’s statement of the student art exhibit. “The artworks in the UHCL Student Illustration Exhibition are from students who are dedicated to showing the world what comics are capable of.”

Recent graduate Kalan Lyra, Digital Media Studies major, is one participant in the student art exhibit. His art is a work on juxtaposition, he explained.  The pages shown are part of his master’s project in the Digital Media Studies program.

“I haven’t seen [my work] in print yet,” he said.

Lyra was in his last semester when talks of comiCulture first started.  He said he discussed his interest in the event with Larson, who allowed him to submit part of his work and was accepted.

“I’m excited to be a part of it,” Lyra said. “Being part of the creative collective is great.”

The exhibits have been garnering interest in graphic novels and illustrations among visitors. Art enthusiast and accounting major Greg Gigout was happy to learn of the exhibits.

“I believe art is a valuable piece of anyone’s cultural experience,” Gigout said. “Everyone has some type of art they will appreciate, whether that is the highly enjoyable drawings of a comic book, or the set-in-motion pieces that make up an anime.”

Bowen shares that sentiment and believes starting the year off with more contemporary and mainstream art with an involved story will bring in a larger audience for the Art Gallery year-round.

“I am hopeful that by starting off with a graphics exhibition, people will be more comfortable coming into the gallery throughout the year and experience great art in all forms of media,” Bowen said.

Visit comiculture.org for more information on the symposium and uhcl.edu/artgallery for more information about exhibits throughout the year.