Of course, we have OSU, and we have the Wexner Center. We got the Columbus College of Art and Design. James Thurber is from Columbus, Ohio, so his house is there and it has a little art center. We just went around- we got the art museum involved, we got the library. Let's model this over Lucca'- or in Toronto, there's a show called TCAF a Toronto Art Festival. So that's what what we said, 'You know, let's do this. And in Europe, they are different in that they're not held in like a big convention center or hotels, they're held in the entire cit,y so the city becomes like a character. Well, about nine years ago, Lucy was about to retire, and she said, 'We're gonna retire the festival unless you and your wife, Vijaya have an idea.' And we thought about it and, you know, the last 30 years of Vijaya and I have been guests at shows all over the world. I knew Lucy and I knew the Cartoon Library, so I was kind of on the in. I was a student cartoonist at the time, so it was really exciting for me. ![]() But it had a really collegial and academic feel to it. It was very academic, it was only open to like 300 members in public, but the best cartoonists would come- everybody from Bill Watterson to Will Eisner to Art Spiegelman.ĬXC 2022 Poster Art and Logo by Robyn Smith, Design by Geoff RakerĮverybody who did a comic strip- Mort Walker, you know the Beetle Bailey guy. Every three years, starting in the '80s, she would have a cartoon festival. It started because of my mentor, Lucy Shelton Caswell, she was the founding curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon library museum at Ohio State University. Jeff Smith: This is our eighth year, and it's going to be held October 6th through the 9th. Popverse: Jeff, can you tell us a bit about about Cartoon Crossroads Columbus? In this interview, Smith chats about how the festival was founded, what makes it special, and what attendees can look forward to this year. Cartoon Crossroads Columbus is one of the few comics shows in the United States that is fully focused on comics, and it is completely free to the public. What some fans may not know is that Smith has also helped found a comics festival that takes place each year in Columbus, Ohio. Smith has not only had a long career but also a wildly impactful one, especially in the world of self-publishing and independent comics. We also stopped by the gift shop which is huge and full of fun.For most comics fans, Jeff Smith is a familiar name as the creator of the classic comic Bone, Rasl, and more recently Tüki. We stayed for lunch at the Schokko Café which was yummy and we ate on the outdoor patio courtyard. We loved the Big Idea Gallery and the Wonder Room areas that had so many hands on, fun activities. I really liked the fact that they had things for the kids to do including the JP Morgan Chase Center for Creativity a large area where kids can let their inner artist loose. The museum was modern and well laid out, very conducive to leisurely walking and appreciating each display. The exhibit included a great breakfast, crafts for the children, themed games and scavenger hunts, very well run and would recommend these family events in the future. I happened to go with my son this trip as we visited a special exhibit called the Force of Fandom, a Star Wars themed art display that was fun and interactive. Our family really enjoyed our day at the museum and recommend taking in beautiful, thought provoking and inspiring artistic expression on display.
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