On trial for drawing cartoons

I don’t usually ‘borrow’ or re-post from other sites but I wanted to acknowledge the plight of this young Iranian cartoonist, Atena Farghadani. She’s currently on trial for drawing a cartoon. 

Atena Farghadani

https://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/05/20/verdict-delayed-in-detained-iranian-artist-atena-farghadanis-trial/

The cartoon depicts members of Iranian parliament as various animals (a grand tradition in political cartooning to be sure) voting on a law prohibiting access to contraception and vasectomies.  

By American editorial cartoon standards this wouldn’t be a particularly controversial cartoon. However, Farghadani is being charged with “spreading propaganda against the system; insulting members of parliament through paintings; and insulting the supreme leader.”

If found guilty she could be sentenced to two years or more in prison.

She was first arrested last August and held in solitary confinement in the Evin prison where she was interrogated and beaten. She was released and rearrested after publicly describing her prison time in interviews and on the internet.

This isn’t a singular event—cartoonists are censored, detained, arrested, beaten, tortured and killed around the world for drawing funny pictures (and please note: I’m not talking about terrorist attacks; I’m describing actions that are perpetrated by the cartoonist's own governments).   I monitor this stuff and it happens every month, maybe ever week, in Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, Ecuador, Tunisia, India, Honduras, Syria….

Here’s a couple links for more info:

Comic Book Defense League:

http://cbldf.org/2015/05/iranian-cartoonist-on-trial-mocking-birth-control-bill/

Cartoonist Rights Network International:

http://cartoonistsrights.org/artistactivist-atena-farghadani-on-hunger-strike-in-iranian-prison/


Globally, it’s dangerous work being a cartoonist.

You can check out the story of American cartoonist Art Young's trial for treason in this blog's archive:  Dec.17, 2013 

25th annual Spring Art Show Wrap Up

The 25th annual Spring Art Show has come and gone. It's always a wild and wooly roller coaster ride for Molly and I.  Here are a few shots from the show.

Elan Kamesar

Linocut

Jack Kamesar with steel sculpture

Jan Jahnke with monotype

Chris Ducey with "YRUU?"

Devin Wilson and his video art

Alexandra Adu and collage

Victor Stangenberg and sculpture

Tobias Berardi

Linocut by Fred Berensmeier

Xander Weaver-Scull's innovative approach to stencil prints

Lovely pastel work by Jeanne Carlson

Para O'Siochain with his goats

Ed Healy

"Sleeper" by Sophie Larsen

Elaine Nehm with monotype

Sierra Salin 

Brittany Eaton

Leonard Leinow

Lela Shields

Gaetano DeFelice

Tom Tabakin with encaustic

Song Feng Liu

"Surrender" by Eileen Puppo

"Ravens in the Moonlight" by  Brian Frank Carter

"The Ink Wells at Samuel P.Taylor State Park" by Matt Tasley

Harry Cohen's classic abstract expressionist approach

Donn DeAngelo taking Harry Cohen's picture (Photo by M.Kotski)

Harry Cohen by Donn DeAngelo

Donn DeAngelo

Michel Kotski

Geoff Bernstein

The Valley Room: free standing pieces

Molly's portrait of Richard Shaw

Molly with "Banjo Shaw"

Rouge Dezza and Fearless Leader

The reception warming up

The Thursday Night crew

This is just a small sampling of the artists and their works from the show (There were 90+ artists participating)

Artist portrait shots courtesy of Donn DeAngelo.

Other photos courtesy of Michel Kotski

Photos copyright by respective photographers

25th annual Spring Art Show Hanging

Michel Kotski has done it again. Here's a little video of the hanging crew putting together the 25th annual Spring Art Show at the San Geronimo Valley Community Center.  Thanks again, Michel !

Ron Turner Day

By proclamation of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, May 5th is now “Ron Turner Day” .

Ron with his Sparky award. Photo by Molly

Ron Turner, founder of Last Gasp publishing, was honored this evening at the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum as part of the week long San Francisco Comic Fest.

Ron’s Last Gasp began publishing underground comix in 1970 when he issued the environmental comic book Slow Death Funnies. Over the last 45 (!) years Last Gasp has published Zap Comix, Anarchy, It Ain’t Me Babe, San Francisco Comic Book, Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary, Wimmen’s Comix, Skull Comics, Weirdo, Zippy the Pinhead, Jaxon’s White Comanche series along with comics associated with Robert Crumb, Robert Williams, the Air Pirates and innumerable others.

In attendance were Paul Mavrides, Jay Kinney, Susan Stern, Larry Gonick, Bruce Simon, Ted Richards, Steve Leialoha, Malcolm Whyte, Lee Binswanger, Shag, Mark Bode, Carol Turner, Colin Turner and many, many others.

Even though Ron was one of the museum guest of the evening, the tribute to Ron was kept a secret.
Aside from the proclamation honor, Ron also received the Cartoon Art Museum’s Sparky award. Congratulations Ron Turner.

Timelapse of 25th annual Spring Art Show photo shoot

The photo shoot for the annual Spring Art Show poster (see previous post) is always a chaotic but fun affair. Michel Kotski captured the process in a time lapse film. Michel took over 1200 (!) individual photos for this little clip.  Thanks Michel!

The 25th Annual Spring Art Show

I've been planning this event for months, now it's just a round the corner.

(Photography and poster design by Donn DeAngelo)