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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Bill North, 785-532-7718, bnorth@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/bma/

Friday, July 25, 2008

COMIC ART AND ILLUSTRATION COME TO K-STATE'S BEACH MUSEUM OF ART AUG. 1

MANHATTAN -- The work of alternative comics artists and contemporary illustrators takes over the walls of Kansas State University's Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art when "BLAB! A Retrospective" opens Friday, Aug. 1.

The exhibition, on view through Nov. 2, includes more than 100 works by 46 artists. "BLAB!" is an annual anthology of visual art produced by Chicago graphic designer and art director Monte Beauchamp.

"BLAB!" began in 1986 as a self-published fanzine devoted to EC Comics, the publisher of Mad magazine, "Tales from the Crypt" and other comic books. "BLAB!" has since then evolved into a highly regarded venue for contemporary graphic artists, according to Bill North, senior curator at the Beach Museum.

"Between the covers of 'BLAB!' one will find an eclectic gathering of stylistically varied work by alternative comics artists, illustrators, graphic designers, printmakers and painters," North said.

The Beach Museum's exhibition focuses on "BLAB!" issues from 1995 to the present.

"Its influence has cut a broad swath across contemporary visual culture," North said. "'BLAB!' has helped launch many artists' careers."

Among the artists in the retrospective are Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Calef Brown, Sue Coe, Don Colley, Drew Friedman, Steven Guarnaccia, Peter Hoey, Tom Huck, Peter Kuper, Laura Levine, Manuel "Spain" Rodriguez, Jonathan Rosen, Bob Staake, Chris Ware and Esther Pearl Watson.

All of the work was created exclusively for "BLAB!"

"I want only new work created from scratch. It enables me to visually orchestrate the issue," said Beauchamp, who is fond of referring to the anthology as a "jam," an improvisational visual conversation between him, the artists and their work.

For more information, contact Martha Scott at the Beach Museum of Art at 785-532-7718 or drop by the museum on the southeast corner of the K-State campus at 14th Street and Anderson Avenue. Free visitor parking is available next to the building. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The museum is closed Mondays.