About The Exhibition

Exhibit Summary
&@$#! An Exhibition of Comic Artists opening will be held at Gallery5 on Friday, September 7th 2012 from 7-10PM through Saturday, September 29th 2012. Gallery5 will also be hosting a 24 Hour Comic Day the following day starting at 9AM. 24 Hour Comic Day is a challenge for artists to complete write and illustrate a 24 page comic in 24 hours.

The exhibit will include comic artists who braved the world of self-publishing as well as those who have work published by Marvel, Disney, DC, Dark Horse, Image, First Second, AdHouse Books, among several other notable publishers. The event makes an effort to expose its audience to the raw talent of both national and local artists through original comic pencil and ink drawings as well as art prints. As far as we are aware of, this is the first of it’s kind in the Greater Richmond Area – as well as the first time a 24 Hour Comic Day has been hosted in an official Richmond venue.

The opening reception will feature vending booths by Velocity Comics and AdHouse Books, live musical performances and a large exhibition of original concept works and fine art by featured artists (listed below).

Exhibition Statement

In an environment that is permeated with ads and posters for cinematic adaptations of comics, an equal amount of representation for the comic’s originators are rarely seen. The aim of &@$#! is to introduce the craft of the comic creator through the display of original pencil & ink drawings and their “fine art” paintings & illustrations. Audience members ranging from fans of comics to visual & performing arts supporters will be amazed and delighted to erode preconceived notions of what it means to be a comic artist. Their content is not solely driven by spandex wearing heroes and heroines, but to tell a story like the storytellers before them that both delight and educate.

24 Hour Comic Day RVA
The exhibit is happening in conjunction a 24 Hour Comic Day to happen September 8th at 9am. 24 Hour Comic Day is an internationally recognized annual event where artists are challenged to write and illustrate a 24 page comic in 24 hours. It began in 2004 and “By 2007, the celebration had grown to events in 18 countries, involving over 1,200 artists and an estimated 20,000+ pages of comics.” Gallery5 will be hosting the very first RVA 24 Hour Comic Day in conjunction with “&@$#!: An Exhibition of Comic Artists.” This will be an opportunity for locals and city visitors to introduce themselves to the processes of various comic artists.
More info can be found on the official 24 Comic Day website.

This exhibit and 24 Hour Comic Day will be held at Gallery5
200 W Marshall St
Richmond, VA 23222
Gallery5arts.org

Confirmed Out of Town Guest Artists
Reilly Brown
Fred Chao
Toby Cypress
Farel Dalrymple
Logan Faerber
Dustin Harbin
John Jennings
Andrew McLean
Paul Maybury
Tom Manning
Greg Ruth
Ben Towle
Alex Ziritt

Confirmed Locals
Jim Callahan
Jared Cullum
Matt Deans
Mark Delboy
Meg Gandy
Rawn Gandy
Mark Luetke
Julia Scott
Rob Ullman
Spencer Hansen
Anne-Marie Wonder
Oura Sananikone

About Gallery5
Gallery5 is an award-winning art gallery and performing art center in Richmond, Virginia. Gallery5 has become a premier arts venue for local and regional audiences and showcases cutting-edge contemporary arts in an all-inclusive environment. Gallery5’s exhibitions are designed to further innovation in our region and encourage dialogue among artists and audiences. Gallery5’s exhibitions range from themed solo or group shows, international notables, local favorites and emerging unknowns whose works deserve more public exposure.