Society of Illustrators’ show slated for Ball Hall

For 28 years, the Society of Illustrators has sent 40 works from its vaunted annual competition on tour to college and university campuses. ETSU's Mary B. Martin School of the Arts brought the exhibition to East Tennessee its first season, and this year, MBM SOTA and the Department of Art & Design are once again supporting this rare collection of illustrative art.

The work is on display Jan. 30 through Feb. 17 in ETSU's Slocumb Galleries, in Ball Hall on the university campus. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours during receptions.

Illustrator Charles Vess of Abingdon, Va., will give a lecture Thursday, Feb. 16, at 5:30 p.m. in Ball Hall Auditorium with a gallery talk and reception to follow in the galleries. All events are free and open to the public.

The 40 works in the Illustrators 53 exhibit are a representative sample of the best in the six categories of the annual exhibition: sequential, editorial, book, advertising, institutional and uncommissioned. All the works were featured in the juried Illustrators 53 Annual Exhibition at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators in 2010, says the Society of Illustrators website.

The profession of illustration has changed significantly since 1901, the year the Society of Illustrators was founded, says Anita DeAngelis, director of Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and ETSU Art & Design faculty member. "The Annual Exhibit, Illustrators 53 enables us to see recent works by some of the most significant artists working in the field," she says. "The opportunity to view the original work, rather than what may be found published in print or through electronic media is very exciting for the viewing audience."

Some rising stars and some familiar names in the art world, the artists featured in this touring exhibition are: Scott Bakal, Anna and Elana Balbusso, Jonathan Bartlett, Sam Bosma, Steve Brodner, Calef Brown, Marc Burckhardt, Chris Buzelli, Josh Cochran, Raul Colón, John Cuneo, André da Loba, Johnny Dombrowski, Bil Donovan, Gérard DuBois, Leo Espinosa, Peter Good, Alessandro Gottardo, Steven Guarnaccia, Tomer Hanuka, John Hendrix, Jody Hewgill, Sterling Hundley, Tara Jacoby, Travis Lampe, Nimit Malavia, Chris Silas Neal, Kadir Nelson, Victo Ngai, Tim O'Brien, Philippe Petit-Roulet, Red Nose Studio, Edel Rodriguez, Matt Rota, Koren Shadmi, Yuko Shimizu, Brian Stauffer, Gary Taxali, Sachin Teng, Jack Unruh and Sam Weber.

Vess' illustrations have been featured in National Lampoon, numerous DC and Marvel comics, including Spider-Man, Swamp Thing and Sandman, and the illustrated novel Stardust. His art also has been exhibited across the nation, and in Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Italy, including two recent exhibitions in New York City: Modern Fairy Tales with Michael Kaluta at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, and Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators. He has been recognized with the following awards: the Ink Pot, three World Fantasies, the Mythopoeic, two Spectrum Annuals, two Chesleys, Locus (Best Artist), and two Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.