What's on
The theme of this year's Cartoon Festival is
'Art', which will be explored through a series
of exhibitions, workshops, hands-on activities
and 'artists at large'.
Participating cartoonists will be interpreting
this theme in an
exhibition of around 80 cartoons at The Bear Steps
Gallery in Shrewsbury. Most pieces will be for
sale, and will include originals and prints (from
April 1st through to April 26th).
This will be complemented by a separate exhibition
entitled 'Rogues
Gallery' by political cartoonist Dave Brown.
Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery will be hosting
'Art About Face', another selling exhibition,
celebrating the art of caricature and famous faces
from the arts world (from March 20th to April
26th).
'Board with Art', meanwhile, will introduce an
even lighter note to the
Festival weekend's proceedings, and will offer
visitors the chance to
get much more closely involved.
Cartoonists will be working on giant boards within
the town's historic Square to create around 20
pieces of work on the festival theme of Art. The
'instant' exhibition will take shape over Friday
18th and Saturday 19th from 11am to 4pm.
Some of the best cartoonists in the business
will also be 'at large' in
the Square, on both days, drawing caricatures
of visitors - for free.
And in yet another take on the "world's-first",
introduced by the 2007
Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival, members
of the public will be invited to participate in
'Who Do You Think You Are' - utilising the
old-fashioned seaside picture postcard hoarding
which, in Shrewsbury,
involves the sitter placing their face through
a hole in a wooden frame, and the cartoonist then
drawing a caricature body 'to order'!
Organisers are once again planning to add to
the atmosphere of the
weekend by offering 'Have-a-go' workshops for
children and families,
'Cartoon Clinics' for aspiring artists, political
cartooning and stand-up comedy with cartoons.
Shrewsbury has played host to an International
Cartoon Festival since
2004. It has grown to become one of the leading
events of its kind in the world, and is now able
to attract around 40 full-time, professional
cartoonists and caricaturists from the UK and
overseas.
External links
Full
details of the 2008 festival are now available
at www.shrewsburycartoonfestival.com.
For
accommodation and tourist information, see:
www.visitshrewsbury.com.
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Festival
2008 graphic
