One Fine Sunday at the ToonSeum

The ToonSeum presents an exhibition of epic funny page proportions! More than 50 pieces of original comic strip art -- all from the same Sunday in 2010.

The exhibit is a who’s who of the modern American comic strip, featuring the likes of Garfield, Beetle Bailey, Doonsebury and many more.

The ToonSeum’s new Lou Scheimer Gallery is transformed into a ginormous slice of everyone’s favorite section of the newspaper.

Exhibit curator and publisher John Read called upon members of the National Cartoonists Society to loan strips from the same Sunday. That Sunday is April 11, 2010. While that date holds no specific significance, it offers a look at a day in the life of the comic strip, a uniquely American art form.

Many of the strips featured presently run in Pittsburgh-area newspapers. Others are ones that ToonSeum Executive Director Joe Wos says should be featured locally!

“We had over 100 strips to pick from for the display, and some will rotate into the exhibit over the next month or so,” Wos said. “It was a difficult task to narrow it down. We tried to choose ones that the public loved, as well as ones that we felt were underappreciated in Pittsburgh.”

The ToonSeum is hoping the public and area newspapers will take notice of comic strips such as “The Pajama Diaries” and “Zippy the Pinhead.”

The exhibit will open Dec. 9^th and run through the end of January in the ToonSeum’s Lou Scheimer Gallery.

Hall Gallery

Haring inspired animation art

Superheroes at the Andy Warhol Museum? A Keith Haring exhibition at the ToonSeum? Has the museum world gone topsy-turvey?

This summer, the ToonSeum presented its popular exhibit "Superheroes: Icons and Origins" — a showcase of the most iconic superhero characters of all time as drawn by their original masters. This fall, the Andy Warhol Museum offers up "Heroes and Villians: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross."
In what is clearly a Bizarro comic plot twist, the ToonSeum is putting its own spin on Andy Warhol contemporary and collaborator Keith Haring! The ToonSeum is presenting "Animating Haring!" — an exhibit celebrating Haring inspired animation art.

“Pop art has recognized the role of comics and cartoons for decades,” said ToonSeum Executive Director Joe Wos. “The influence of cartoons on Keith Haring’s bold line drawings is undeniable and lends itself well to the art of animation.”

Twenty pieces will be on display on the ToonSeum hall gallery— featuring the playful dancing men, colorful dogs and other iconic symbols used by Haring throughout his career. These original production cels and sketches are from animated segments produced for Sesame Street of America under the guidance and approval of the Keith Haring Foundation.

Haring was born in Kutztown, Pa. The cartoon work of Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney Studios are credited as his earliest inspirations. In 1976, he attended the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh. After dropping out, he remained in Pittsburgh for a few years, then eventually moved to New York. His cartoon-inspired simple bold lines and vibrant colors became his trademark style and garnered international recognition. The ToonSeum is delighted to recognize Haring's roots as a young cartoonist.

The exhibition will run from Oct. 22-Feb. 26 in the ToonSeum Hall Gallery.

Opening January 18th Funky Turns 40

The ToonSeum and the Museum of Uncut Funk present Funky Turns Forty, an exhibit celebrating the legacy of the first wave of positive Black animated characters of the 1970s.
 
Until the Civil Rights movement of the late 1950s and 60s, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens. While prevalent in music and popular culture, Blacks still faced extreme political, economic, and social prejudices. In comics and animation, Blacks were largely ignored or were depicted in broad, derogatory stereotypes. But as laws and attitudes began to shift, the Saturday morning cartoons of the 1970s became a direct conduit of social change, introducing a host of new Black characters. For the first time, audiences were exposed to positive, relatable images of Black life through animated series like Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, The Jackson 5ive, Josie and the Pussycats, I Am The Greatest, The Harlem Globetrotters and Star Trek: The Animated Series.
 
Funky Turns Forty presents a retrospective of original production cels and drawings from this turning point in cartoon history where Black and White animators created positive Black characters and Black-centric stories for all to enjoy.
 
A special exhibit in the Lou Scheimer Gallery at the ToonSeum will focus on the art of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Fat Albert was animated by Filmation and produced by Pittsburgh native and gallery namesake Lou Scheimer.
 
“The ToonSeum is proud to showcase this important period in animation history,” said ToonSeum Executive Director Joe Wos. “This is a unique opportunity to highlight the role that animation has played in promoting diversity, equality, and pathos.”
 
Funky Turns 40 is co-curated by Pamela Thomas of the Museum of Uncut Funk. The exhibition runs January 18th Through March 10th.
 
For more information visit www.toonseum.org
Or call 412-232-0199
 
ToonSeum is located at 945 Liberty Avenue, in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District.
 
Admission:
Adults and Children 13 and older $5
Children 6-12 $1
Children 5 and under are free