Ting - Artwork and Programming 2016

The gallery show makes up the focus of the Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival. Most of it is for sale, and it's a great place to pick up original art, like this great piece I got below from local cartoonist Megan Arnold.

I'll Never be a Celebrity Cartoonist, Megan Arnold

There is a pop-up shop that features work by the participating artists as well as from local small publishers and Koyama Press (because Koyama Press is Canadian, has supported the Fest from Year One - and is well, awesome).

Photo by Mr. Tristan Clark, from LondonFuse

The festival also has a rich stream of workshops and programs that are held on-site at The ARTS Project, and are FREE and open to all ages. Here's the programming that was presented this year. Planning is already underway for next year!

2016 TingFest Programming

Kids Reading & Creation Zone - Open to all during the Festival

Drop in during our regular hours with the kids and visit our Reading & Creation space. The space featured a selection of graphic novels to read and enjoy provided by the London Public Library. A colouring station kept the little ones busy with fun, comics-related activities they can create, colour and post on our comic wall.

Opening Reception - FREE. April 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm
About 200 people attended the opening reception of the festival this year to check out the artwork, mix and mingle with some of our Ting artists, and enjoy our signature “Tingley” martini at our cash bar.

Animation Night - FREE. May 6, 7:00pm

Janine White, Vincent Marcone, Sarah Legault, Bob Klanac

An evening of film shorts directed by Sarah Legault and Vincent Marcone. Sarah is an award winning filmmaker whose stop-motion animation Dear Love was awarded Best Animated Short Film at the 2014 Toronto Independent Film Festival. Vincent is a graphic artist, film director, and musician with the band Johnny Hollow. Firefly, a stop-motion animated short explores isolation and unsoundness of mind, and The Lady ParaNorma is a digital animated short about an eccentric lady, narrated by the godfather of goth music, Peter Murphy. The screening was followed by a Q & A with Sarah, Vincent and Janine White, the composer for both films and the lead singer of Johnny Hollow.
Q&A was hosted by music and film journalist Bob Klanac.

This was an amazing night. The guests showed behind the scenes footage and stories including what it was like to work with Peter Murphy. Here's their short film The Lady ParaNorma below, which is also a beautiful book.

Free Comic Book Day – Meet the Artists! Free. May 7, 11:00am to 4:00pm

The City of London shut down the a block of the main street downtown for Free Comic Book Day.

Dundas Street was closed to traffic between Richmond and Clarence for the 15th Annual Free Comic Book Day, and the ARTS Project is in the middle of the comic book action! Many of our Ting artists had their comics, prints and art for sale at the Ting Pop-Up Shop! On hand were be: Megan Arnold, D.S. Barrick, Doug Rogers, Erin Elston, James Kirkpatrick, Sarah Legault, Tim Levins, Vincent Marcone, Scott MacDougall, Maureen Riley, Aidan Urquhart and Mark Victor Young.

Comic Jam and Mixer - Free. Tuesday May 10, 6:00 – 9:00pm
A Comic Jam and Mixer was hosted by Brahm Wiseman of Heroes. An event for all ages, this was a creative event where artists and comic enthusiasts can socialize, have a drink and collaborate on a single comic. Brahm Wiseman is the owner of Heroes, and was the recipient of the 2013 Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Retailer at the Joe Shuster Awards.

4-Colour Inspiration – In Conversation about Comics and Art - Free. May 13, 7:00pm

Josh Lambier, Maureen Riley, James Kirkpatrick, Aidan Urquhart

Comic books used to be considered disposable, low-brow entertainment. Today though, artwork by cartoonists such as Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware and Seth are featured in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney, the MoMA, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Aidan Urquhart, Maureen Riley and James Kirkpatrick discussed how comic books inspire or contribute to their work, and the boundaries (if any) between “fine art” and comics. Moderated by Josh Lambier from Arts & Humanities, Western University.

We were fortunate to have Western University tape the talk in its entirety. You can view it below. You may need to turn up the volume on your speaker as the ARTS Project is a beautiful spot, but does have some creaky floors!




Graphic Novel Book Buzz - Free.  May 14, 1:00 – 2:00pm
Have you read all of Jeff Smith’s Bone series? Wondering what to read next? Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian at London Public Library spoke about some great graphic novel picks for ages 7 to 12. Get the inside scoop on upcoming releases.

KA-POW! Creating Comic Strips - Free. May 14, 2:30 – 3:30pm
Do the kids in your life love comics? Designed for ages 8 and up, KA-POW! Creating Comic Strips is the essential workshop for kids who want to build their own comic strip from the bottom up. Taught by storyboard artist and cartoonist J.R Faulkner (Knight & Dave, Promises Promises) this workshop coverrd the basics of story, characters, and drawing techniques. Faulkner has been an instructor of animation basics at Sheridan College and conducted workshops at the Toronto Public Library the London Public Library.

Small Press Spotlight - Free. May 17, 7:00pm

Sandra DaSalvo, Executive Director of the ARTS Project introduces Moderator Dan Brown, and guests Mark Victor Young,  Scott MacDougall, DS Barrick and Chris Runciman

Do you have a comic or graphic novel you want to publish? An in-depth discussion on publishing took place with Christopher from Runciman Press, Mark Victor Young from Levins and Young and the team from Lucky Unlucky. Hosted by Dan Brown of the London Free Press where he writes frequently about graphic novels, pop culture and local personalities. Q&A followed.

Bryan Lee O’Malley Signing - Free. May 20, 4:00 – 6:00pm

Moderator Brian Garside Interviews Bryan Lee O'Malley

Straight from Los Angeles, former Londoner Bryan Lee O’Malley (cartoonist of Scott Pilgrim, Seconds and Lost at Sea), made a special visit to the ARTS Project to help close out the Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival. The event began with a Q&A moderated by Brian Garside, producer of the podcast Sequential Fiction. Followed by a signing hosted by Brahm Wiseman of Heroes. This was a great cap to the Festival. Bryan was incredibly generous with his time in the Q&A and the book signing afterwards.

The line-up for the book signing went all the way to the door. Bryan stayed until every last book was signed and took selfies with those who wanted one with him.