The collections of the Library of Congress are vast and varied. And, what better way to get to know them but through our many wonderful curators. In this edition of “Curator’s Picks,” Sara Duke, curator of popular and applied graphic art in the Library’s Prints and Photographs Division, and reference librarian Megan Halsband of the Library’s Serial and Government Publications Division, note some of their favorite items in the Library’s Small Press Expo Collection.
“Le Sketch #9”
Le Sketch is a free mini-comic series with each issue devoted to a selection of sketches from a single contemporary cartoonist or illustrator. “Mini-comics are a wonderful example of just one of the formats artists are using to publish their comics. They are often self-published, have very limited print runs, are informally distributed— often for free—and therefore not regularly collected by libraries,” said Halsband.
2011 SPX Festival tote bag
“SPX President Warren Bernard told us that original drawings by Jim Woodring such as this one on a tote bag, are rare because he has not given away or sold many,” said Duke.
“Papercutter”
“Tugboat Press has donated a complete set of “papercutter” to the SPX Collection,” said Halsband. “This comic book anthology, which features young and emerging comic book artists, has been the recipient of numerous Ignatz awards since its debut in 2006.”
Matt Bors
Matt Bors won the 2012 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning. “Unlike the previous generation of cartoonists, Bors utilizes the Internet to reach his audience yet continues to work in traditional pen-and- ink media,” said Duke.
“(Th)ink”
Keith Knight produces three cartoons each week: The Knight Life, The K Chronicles and (Th)ink. “This cartoon from (Th)ink reflects on the life of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells have been used for decades of scientific research,” said Duke.
About SPX
Founded in 1994, the Small Press Expo (SPX) is an annual festival in Bethesda, Md., for alterna- tive comic creators. SPX hosts the annual Ignatz Awards, which recognize outstanding achieve- ment in comics, cartooning and graphic novels.
Through an agreement reached with SPX in 2011, the Library can acquire independent com- ics and cartoon-art forms not received through copyright deposit.
MORE INFORMATION
Prints and Photographs Division Reading Room
Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room
These items are also spotlighted in the November-December 2012 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine, now available for download here. You can also view the archives of the Library’s former publication from 1993 to 2011.