Art Institute of Chicago to Host Panel at C2E2

THE CHICAGO COMIC & ENTERTAINMENT EXPO (C2E2) AND THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO TO HOST PANEL ON COMIC AND FINE ART

Joint Presentation to be Held at Rubloff Auditorium

Norwalk, CT, March 8, 2012: The worlds of pop culture and fine art come together as the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) and the Art Institute of Chicago announce that they are partnering to present a panel discussion that will feature leading comic experts discussing the history and future of this popular – and populist – art form. The panel will take place on the eve of this year's C2E2 and also presages the Art Institute's major summer exhibition, Roy Lichtenstein: A Retrospective (May 16 – September 3, 2012 in Regenstein Hall), the largest presentation of the full scope and breadth of the work of American Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein since his death in 1997. The panel of experts includes Neal Adams, Ivan Brunetti, Geofrey Darrow, and J.J. Sedelmaier, and will be moderated by Richard Holland, co-founder of Bad at Sports, a weekly podcast about art and culture in Chicago and around the world. Adams, Darrow, and Sedelmaier will also be actively participating in activities and events at C2E2.

Comic Art and Fine Art will be presented April 12, 6:00pm – 7:00 pm in the Rubloff Auditorium at the Art Institute of Chicago and is free with museum admission. Students can show their IDs at the admission counters for free admission to the museum and panel. C2E2 will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building at the McCormick Place Convention Center. For further information about guests and activities at C2E2 as well as purchasing tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com.

"This panel is awesome because, among many things, it demonstrates the pervasiveness and importance of pop culture influences," notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP and Show Manager for C2E2. "I am glad to see comic art celebrated in this important way. In addition, C2E2 is a Chicago event with Chicago appeal and we are eager to build relationships with local institutions, businesses, and establishments. There are few more widely respected and recognized institutions in the country than the Art Institute of Chicago. We are looking forward to working with them to make this panel a huge success."

"We are very excited to be collaborating with C2E2 on this panel," said Gordon Montgomery, Vice President for Marketing and Public Affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago. "For our upcoming exhibition devoted to Roy Lichtenstein, we are working to reach audiences engaged with pop culture to explore the creative potential in the intersection of fine art and comic art. The panel will be a great event and the perfect opportunity to introduce today's comic aficionados to the legacy of the graphic arts in American art history."

ABOUT NEAL ADAMS: Neal has had legendary 'runs' on Batman, X-Men, Green Lantern-Green Arrow and Deadman. Adams rescued Batman from his campy TV show, and transformed him into his present Avenger of the Night. When people say 'modern Batman,' they mean Neal Adams' Batman. His run directly led to the realistic incarnation seen in Batman Returns, and the Dark Knight movies. He godfathered a generation of new talent, brought down the comics code by introducing "relevant comics" and gave America its first black comic book superhero. While fighting for creator's rights, he convinced publishers to return original art to its creators, improved standards of comic book production, forced publishers to pay royalties... and crusaded against work-made-for-hire in the copyright law. In addition, Neal has launched a successful production company - Continuity Studios – which produced the popular Nasonex Bee Campaign and introduced us to the concept of Motion Comics. He designed the popular Terminator, T2 4-D ride, and the Spiderman Rides at Universal Studios.

ABOUT IVAN BRUNETTI: Ivan Brunetti has published several graphic novels and taught courses on editorial illustration and comics at the University of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. His drawings have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, and McSweeney's, among other publications. He is the author of Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice, and he served as editor for Yale University Press's two-volume Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories.

ABOUT GEOFREY DARROW: Geof Darrow is a comic artist known for his work on books such as Hard Boiled and Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot, which was adapted into an animated TV series of the same name. Geof has stated in interviews that he considers Hergé, Jack Kirby, Tezuka Osamu and Jean Giraud (Moebius) as his artistic influences.

ABOUT J.J. SEDELMAIER: J. J. Sedelmaier, president of J. J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc., is responsible for many of the most talked about animated projects of the past 17 years – the launch season of MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head, SNL's Saturday TV Funhouse series (The Ambiguously Gay Duo, The X-Presidents, etc.), the pilot for Cartoon Network/Adult Swim's Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, the Tek Jansen/Alpha Squad Seven series for The Colbert Report, and over 400 TV commercials and design projects. He is a producer, director, designer, and author.

ABOUT REEDPOP: ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration VI, Fantasy Football Fest, and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

ABOUT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: The Art Institute of Chicago is a world-renowned art museum housing one of the largest permanent collections in the United States. An encyclopedic museum, the Art Institute collects, preserves, and displays works in every medium from all cultures and historical periods as well as hosts special exhibitions. With a collection of more than 260,000 art works and artifacts, the museum has particularly strong holdings in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting, early 20th century European painting and sculpture, contemporary art, Japanese prints, and photography. The museum just completed the largest expansion in its 130-year history, the internationally acclaimed Modern Wing designed by Renzo Piano. The Modern Wing features the latest in green museum technology and 264,000 square feet dedicated to modern and contemporary art, photography, architecture and design, and new museum education facilities. In addition to displaying its permanent collection, the Art Institute mounts approximately 40 special exhibitions per year and features lectures, gallery tours, and special performances on a daily basis.