BLAB!: A Retrospective

August 1, 2008 – November 1, 2008

Hyle Family Gallery and Marion Pelton Gallery

This exhibition features an eclectic gathering of stylistically varied work by alternative comics artists, illustrators, graphic designers, printmakers, and painters from BLAB!, the annual anthology of visual art produced by Chicago-based graphic designer and art director Monte Beauchamp.

BLAB! began in 1986 as a self-published fanzine (fan-produced magazine) devoted to MADmagazine and other EC Comics publications. Today it is a significant outlet for a wide variety of contemporary artists. BLAB!’s influence has cut a broad swath across contemporary visual culture. It has helped launch many artists’ careers. It has introduced American audiences to important contemporary European graphic and comics artists. And, it has contributed meaningfully to the blurring of boundaries between alternative graphics and mainstream illustration. All of the work in this exhibition has been featured in BLAB!.

Artists include: Michael Bartalos, Gary Baseman, Richard Beards, Monte Beauchamp, Tim Biskup, Stéphane Blanquet, Calef Brown, Greg Clarke, Christian and Rob Clayton, Sue Coe, Don Colley, Brian Cronin, Nicolas Debon, Douglas Fraser, Charles Paul Freund, Drew Friedman, Geoffrey Grahn, Steven Guarnaccia, Ryan Heshka, Peter Hoey, Tom Huck, Teresa James, Jeffrey Kamberos, Nora Krug, Peter Kuper, Mark Landman, Laura Levine, MATS!? [Mats Stromberg], Walter Minus, Christian Northeast, John Pound, Archer Prewitt, Chris Pyle, Helge Reumann, Xavier Robel, Manuel “Spain” Rodriguez, Jonathon Rosen, Marc Rosenthal, Sergio Ruzzier, David Sandlin, Bob Staake, Fred Stonehouse, Mark Todd, Chris Ware, and Esther Pearl Watson.

Exhibition Catalogue

128 pages; 84 color illus.; graphic design by Monte Beauchamp; essays by David A. Beronä, Mark Frauenfelder, and Bill North; in-depth interview with Monte Beauchamp by Matt Dukes Jordan.
ISBN-13: 978-1-890751-15-9; $20.

To purchase by credit card, call 785-532-7718. Send check or money order for $20.00 plus shipping ($4.00 for first copy, $1.00 for each additional copy) payable to Beach Museum of Art at:

Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art
Kansas State University
701 Beach Lane
Manhattan, KS 66506

Links

Installation views
As seen on boingboing.net
Review on comicsreporter.com
blab-world.com