COMIX OK looked at the thriving artistic culture of comics in Oklahoma. The comics genre is wide ranging and hard to precisely define, encompassing comic books, zines, graphic novels and related forms of sequential art, as well as the universes created by comic artists of superheroes, fantasy, mythology and science fiction. The exhibition featured well-established Oklahoma comic artists -- including Arigon Starr, Melanie Gillman, Jerry Bennett, Dorshak Bloch, Johnnie Diacon and Natasha Alterici -- and more than a dozen artists chosen from an open call: Kent Clark, Tony Thunder, Steve Hill, Laura Alexandra, Jeremy Dwan Nelson, Kyle Van Osdol, Brent Learned, Shyanne Tilley, Mandy Steward, Garrett Young, John Eric Osborn, Cassandra Peters, Tyler Kelting, Danny Rose III and collaborators Samantha Kickingbird and Justin Stier.

This is awesome!

This exhibit was accompanied by ContempCon, a FREE two-day comic convention April 21-22, 2018. The con featured workshops, drop-in studios for kids and adults, panel discussions, 45+ artist, publisher and vendor booths, storytimes, board games, a movie screening and other activities for families, artists and fans of the genre.

Highlights included:

• Three Drop-In Studios for artists of all ages: Drawing Comics; Costumes, Capes and Cosplay; and Folded Books and Zines
• Colored Pencils 101 workshop with Featured Artist Melanie Gillman
• Q&A with Featured Artist Jerry Bennett
• Screening of The Posthuman Project, followed by a Q&A with its creators
• Live demos
• How to Cosplay session and Cosplay Fashion Show, run by DC/Marvel League
• Loot & XP table top game room
• Metropolitan Library presents a family storytime, Comics Aren’t Just for Superheroes, and Booktalking Graphic Novels: Looking Past Capes and Tights, an adult discussion
• Two-hour Teen Zines workshop with artist Laura McPheeters
• Panels on LGBTQ+ and Native American comics