Whitney Art Works
Portland, Maine
February 2008
PRESS RELEASE
Whitney Art Works Presents The Funnies, an exhibition co-curated by Deborah Whitney, Jeff Badger, and Elianna Mesaikos. The exhibition will be on view from February 4th- February 28th. A reception for the artists will be held on February 6th 5-8pm during the First Friday Art Walk. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6 or by appointment.
"The twenty-five artists in The Funnies may be labeled as illustrators, cartoonists, musicians, inventors, or fine artists, but most of them skate and skirt these imaginary lines with ease, caring much less about these arbitrary distinctions than the writers charged with defining their indefinability. Their work ranges from abstract paintings that reference comics through formal iconography to straight-up gags about rabbits and carrots. They hail from Maine, Alaska and places in between, and their work can be found in contemporary art museums, graphic novels and toy stores.
Comics and fine art have always been frenemies. In spite of (or perhaps because of) nearly fifty years of postmodern attempts to crash, splat and splonk distinctions between hi and lo culture, an undeniable fissure remains between these two forms of communication that share so much. But whether you think comics are high art for low brows, low art for high brows, or somewhere in between, come relive Sunday mornings with The Funnies at Whitney Art Works."
-Jeff Badger 2008
LINKS:
Ben Asselin
Jeff Badger
Nick Colen
Jay Cornell
Pat Corrigan
Amanda Curreri
Haig Demarjian
Sean Foley
Mike Gorman
Sam Henderson
Charlie Hewitt
Graham Kahler
Victor Kerlow
David Kish
Ryan LaMunyon
Amy Morken
Michael Nakoneczny
Deborah Randall
Alex Rheault
Irene Stapleford
Tyler Stiene
Aaron Tompkins
Chad Verrill
Ty Williams
Henry Wolyniec
Whitney Art Works
Review by Ken Greenleaf in the Portland Phoenix
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| Images below are from the "Funny Paper", a newsprint catalog created in conjunction with the exhibition. | |
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 Graham Kahler |
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 Chad Verrill |
 Deb Randall |
 Ty Williams |
