Stories Matter II (It’s Lit) was a success! We talked about as much as we could in the time that we had. Obviously there’s just so much ground to cover when it comes to multiculturalism, even in a narrowed field like illustration. It’s our hope that these discussions continue in all sections of the industry, from academia to art direction. Big thanks to all the attendees, and everyone who was tuning in online, for being a part of the conversation. Also, huge thanks for submitting questions; I think there were great points hit in every single one. If you want to continue the dialog here, or with any of the panelists (in this panel or in the earlier one) I highly recommend that you reach out (this was a topic we covered!) When the Society gets the audio online, I’ll post a link in case you missed the stream. Thanks to the Society of Illustrators, organizers Jensine Eckwall and Jonathan Bartlett, moderator Richie Pope, and panelists Cathy G Johnson, Alexandra Zsigmond, Odera Igbokwe, Yao Xiao, Ron Wimberly, and Shannon Wright. Photos via SOI, and Marc Scheff.

#society of illustrators #soi #soi128 #multiculturalism #diversity #diversity in art #illustration #stories matter #pedantry #john lee #johnleedraws

johnleedraws reblogged

Stories Matter at SOI

On Saturday February 27th the Society of Illustrators will host the second installment of it’s Stories Matters panel. SVA MFAI will have a strong representation with recent alum Jonathan Bartlett serving as moderator and current student John Lee among the illustrators selected as panelists.

John will join, Richie Pope, Shannon Wright, Yao Xiao, Odera Odera Ronald Wimberly, Alexandra Zsigmond, and Cathy G. Johnson to discuss illustration and contemporary culture. Topics will range from the accessibility of the craft to what it means to release an image into the world.

Jonathan shared a few examples of where the discussion might go:

What can we do now? Let’s brainstorm some actions we can take, each from our own unique perspectives, as a way to avoid the pitfalls of the single story
Navigating the desire for a meritocracy along with the desire for inclusiveity. Do we tend to overlook problems in our industry, and mistake an exception for the rule?
Perspectives from marginalized artists on integrating their backgrounds (or not) into their work.
Discuss creating “generic” characters that can be projected upon in editorial assignments- what our assumptions are, how we can change them, bringing depth to characters.

Tickets as well as a live stream of the event can be found at the SOI website.

We sat down with John to get a his perspective on both the panel and how issues of inclusivity and diversity in illustration has informed his own work. All images are excerpts from John’s MFA thesis.

How did you get involved with the Stories Matter panel at the SOI? I got involved through the panel through Jonathan Bartlett, an alumni from SVA MFAI, and friends on the first iteration of the panel. I’ve also been increasingly vocal about topics surrounding multiculturalism, specifically race and the Asian American experience, and it’s become an important facet of my practice. While the panel will highlight some of these issues as they pertain to illustration, these conversations are happening everyday throughout the industry and beyond, and I’ve been able to listen, learn, and tap into that discourse. There is community in illustration, and I’m lucky that I’ve been able to contribute to it in my own way.

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#society of illustrators #stories matter #illustration #soi #nyc #diversity #representation #identity politics #art #diversity in art #asian american #john lee #johnleedraws #sva #svamfaillustration

johnleedraws

Big news! On February 27th, I’m honored to be a part of the Stories Matter (part 2!) panel at the Society of Illustrators. The Stories Matter series is the brainchild of Jensine Eckwall and Jonathan Bartlett, who envisioned the forum as a way to discuss the role of illustration in a larger cultural context, tackling ideas such as representation, inclusion/exclusion within spaces in the industry, and the dangers of the singular story. The first panel (which you can listen to here) was a huge success-- it was standing room only, and had hundreds following the stream. Richie Pope will be moderating the panel this time around, and I’ll be joined by these amazing people: Yao Xiao (who did the above comic), Alexandra Zsigmond, Cathy G Johnson, Odera Igbokwe, Ron Wimberly, and Shannon Wright. It is not lost on me that the Society, which, as an institution, largely functioned as a “good ole boy’s club” for much of its early existence, is now hosting diverse groups of current creators and curators to come and talk about their experiences. As our industry changes, and as the demographics of its practitioners change as well, we need spaces like this from which to say: we’re out here, and our stories matter. Again, the panel will be Saturday, February 27th at 1PM EST at the Society of Illustrators in New York. It will be live streamed, and you’ll be able to submit questions via the SOI twitter. Show up, speak out.

#illustration #society of illustrators #stories matter #representation #art #johnleedraws #john lee #new york