ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø

As part of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø’s sponsorship of Broken Pencil's , students of the Independent Illustration program, led by Program Co-ordinator JoAnn Purcell and professor Martha Newbigging ran an all-day live comics jam at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on Saturday, OctoberÌý29.

A comics jam is a formÌýof collaborative graphic storytelling.ÌýAfter reading comics in-progress participantsÌýcontinue the story by adding theirÌýown panel to the artwork. No one knows how theÌýstories will end until the last panel is complete.Ìý

Visitors to Canzine Toronto 2016, Canada’s largest festival of zines and underground culture, were invited to the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø art room to participate in the comics jam. Each large format, one-page comic was gradually completed collaboratively through the contributions of visitors. The final comics can be viewedÌýon the Ìýor onÌý.Ìý

With over 200 tables showcasing artist’s books and zines at Canzine Toronto 2016, it was also a great opportunity to add to the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍøÌý, administered and housed in the ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø@York library. Zines are non-profit, self-published, independent works motivated by self-expression. The history of zines is rooted in alternative culture and readers will often find articles and illustrations that give a voice to topics out of the mainstream.