The MoCCA Arts Festival, or MoCCA Fest, is an

independent comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which i ...

showcase that typically includes artist booths, slide shows, and educational panels. It was created by the

Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) is a not-for-profit arts organization and former museum in New York City devoted to comic books, comic strips and other forms of cartoon art. MoCCA sponsored events ranging from book openings to educati ...

in 2002 by bringing together over 2,000 artists, publishers, editors and enthusiasts. It was named "Best Small-Press Comics Nexus Anywhere" by ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

''. Since 2013, the MoCCA Fest is produced by the Society of Illustrators, following their acquisition of the Museum the previous year.

History

The MoCCA Festival was held at

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

's historic

Puck Building __FORCETOC__ The Puck Building is a historic building located in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It occupies the block bounded by Lafayette, Houston, Mulberry and Jersey Streets. An example of the German Rundbogenstil style o ...

from 2002 to 2008. The MoCCA Festival hosted the comics industry's 2004 and 2005 Harvey Awards. From 2009 to 2014, MoCCA Fest took place at the 69th Regiment Armory. The Society of Illustrators took over management of MoCCA Fest beginning with the 2013 show. In 2015, the event was split between two locations, with the exhibitors in Center548, and the programming at the

High Line Hotel High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

. Plans to convert Center548 to a residential property forced the Society to find new venues, and beginning in 2016

Metropolitan West Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

hosted the exhibitors, with programming taking place at Ink48. The 2020 Festival was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The 2021 Festival was held as an online only event with six days of virtual events. In 2022, the Society of Illustrators announced plans to hold the event in-person at a new venue,

Metropolitan Pavilion The Metropolitan Pavilion is an exhibition venue located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1992, the venue offers four loft event spaces in one location. The Metropolitan Pavilion is situated next door to the o ...

in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood.

Dates and locations

* June 23, 2002 (

) * June 22, 2003 (Puck Building) — guests include Jessica Abel,

Signe Baumane Signe Baumane (born 7 August 1964) is a Latvian animator, fine artist, illustrator and writer, currently living and working in New York City. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, she was a 2005 Fellow in Film of ...

, Amanda Conner, Howard Cruse, Evan Dorkin,

Phoebe Gloeckner Phoebe Louise Adams Gloeckner (born December 22, 1960), is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, and novelist. Early life Gloeckner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a librarian and her father, David Gloeckner, was ...

Klaus Janson Klaus Janson (born January 23, 1952) is a German-born American comics artist, working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies. While he is best known as an inker, Janson has frequently worked as a penc ...

, Denis Kitchen, James Kochalka, Peter Kuper, Jason Little, Patrick McDonnell, Mike Mignola, Bill Plympton, Ted Rall, Jeff Smith, Art Spiegelman, and Craig Thompson * June 26–27, 2004 (Puck Building) — event expands to two days * June 11–12, 2005 (Puck Building) * June 10–11, 2006 (Puck Building) * June 23–24, 2007 (Puck Building) * June 7–8, 2008 (Puck Building) * June 6–7, 2009 ( 69th Regiment Armory) * April 10–11, 2010 (69th Regiment Armory) * April 9–10, 2011 (69th Regiment Armory) * April 28–29, 2012 (69th Regiment Armory) — guest of honor:

P. Craig Russell Philip Craig Russell (born October 30, 1951) is an American comics artist, writer, and illustrator. His work has won multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards. Russell was the first mainstream comic book creator to come out as openly gay. Biography ...

* April 6–7, 2013 (69th Regiment Armory) — first under the administration of the Society of Illustrators * April 5–6, 2014 (69th Regiment Armory) * April 11–12, 2015 ( Center548 xhibitors

rogramming — guests of honor:

Aline Kominsky-Crumb Aline Kominsky-Crumb (née Goldsmith; August 1, 1948 – November 29, 2022) was an American underground comics artist. Kominsky-Crumb's work, which is almost exclusively autobiographical, is known for its unvarnished, confessional nature. In 201 ...

, Scott McCloud,

Raina Telgemeier Raina Diane Telgemeier (/'ɹeɪna 'tɛlgə'maɪəɹ/, born May 26, 1977) is an American cartoonist. Her works include the autobiography, autobiographical webcomic ''Smile (comic book), Smile'', which was published as a full-color graphic novel i ...

J. H. Williams III James H. Williams III (born 1965), usually credited as J. H. Williams III, is an American comics artist and penciller. He is known for his work on titles such as ''Chase (comics), Chase'', ''Promethea'', ''Desolation Jones,'' ''Batwoman'', and ' ...

Spurgeon, Tom
"MoCCA Announces Move Into Center548; Initial Guests,"
''The Comics Reporter'' (September 24, 2014)."MoCCA Arts Festival partners with the historic High Line Hotel to host weekend programming!,"
MoCCA Fest official Tumblr site (Jan. 22, 2015). * April 2–3, 2016 (

xhibitors Ink48 rogramming — guests of honor:

Cece Bell Cecelia Carolina Bell (born December 26, 1970) is an American freelance author and illustrator born in Richmond, Virginia. She attended the Paier College of Art as an art major and went on to get a graduate degree in illustration and design at ...

, R.O. Blechman,

Sonny Liew Sonny Liew (born 26 September 1974) is a Malaysia-born comic artist/illustrator based in Singapore. He is best known for ''The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye'' (2015), the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction. Ea ...

Rebecca Sugar Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator and screenwriter. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series ''Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series for ...

. * April 1–2, 2017 (Metropolitan West xhibitors Ink48 rogramming — guests of honor:

Blutch Blutch, pen name of Christian Hincker (born 27 December 1967 in Strasbourg) is a French comic book author. He is considered one of the main authors of French comics since the early 1990s. Biography After studying at the École supérieure des ...

Cliff Chiang Cliff Chiang is an American comic book artist. Formerly an assistant editor at DC Comics, he is now an illustrator, known for his work on ''Human Target'', '' Beware the Creeper'' and ''Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre'', '' Green Arrow/ Black Canar ...

Becky Cloonan Becky Cloonan (born 23 June) is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main '' Batman'' title for DC Comics.Beck, Laura (February 8, 2013)"Meet the F ...

, Drew Friedman, David Lloyd,

Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: ''Yáng Jǐnlún''; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions a ...

. * April 7–8, 2018 (Metropolitan West xhibitors Ink48 rogramming * April 6–7, 2019 (Metropolitan West xhibitors Ink48 rogramming * April 4–5, 2020 (Metropolitan West xhibitors Ink48 rogramming — CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC * April 2–3, 2022 (Metropolitan Pavilion)

Awards

MoCCA Festival Award/Klein Award (2002 - 2012)

Presented to an artist whose outstanding work elevated the comic art form. In 2009, the MoCCA Festival Award was renamed the

Klein Award The MoCCA Arts Festival, or MoCCA Fest, is an independent comics showcase that typically includes artist booths, slide shows, and educational panels. It was created by the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in 2002 by bringing together over 2,000 ar ...

in honor of MoCCA founder Lawrence Klein. * 2002: Jules Feiffer * 2003: Art Spiegelman * 2004:

Roz Chast Rosalind Chast (born November 26, 1954) is an American cartoonist and a staff cartoonist for ''The New Yorker''. Since 1978, she has published more than 800 cartoons in ''The New Yorker''. She also publishes cartoons in ''Scientific American'' and ...

* 2005:

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and recognition for Supe ...

* 2006: Gahan Wilson * 2007:

Alison Bechdel Alison Bechdel ( ; born September 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist. Originally known for the long-running comic strip ''Dykes to Watch Out For'', she came to critical and commercial success in 2006 with her graphic memoir ''Fun Home'', which ...

* 2008: Bill Plympton * 2009: Jerry Robinson * 2010: David Mazzucchelli * 2011:

Al Jaffee Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921) is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine '' Mad'', including his trademark feature, the ''Mad'' Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine ...

* 2012:

Gary Panter Gary Panter (born December 1, 1950) is an American cartoonist, illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician. Panter's work is representative of the post-Underground comix, underground, new wave comics movement that began with the end of ...

MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence (2013 - present)

Under the administration of The Society of Illustrators, the Klein Award was replaced in 2013 with the MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence, intended to recognize the most outstanding work on view at the festival. Artists winning this award are acknowledged with an Award of Excellence and have their work exhibited at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art at the Society of Illustrators. All materials chosen in the jury's initial survey will be acquired by Columbia University's Rare Book and Manuscript Library for a newly established MoCCA Arts Festival collection, to be expanded annually.

2013 recipients

* Gregory Benton (''B+F'') * Kim Ku (''Ghost Hotel'') * Jane Mai (''Sunday in the Park with Boys'') * Nicholas T. Offerman (Nick Offerman) for the comic ''Revenant'' *

Kenan Rubenstein Kenan (also spelled Qenan, Kaynan or Cainan) (; ar, كِنَاْنْ, Keynān; grc-x-biblical, Καϊνάμ, Kaïnám) is an Antediluvian patriarch first mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. In scriptures According to Gen ...

(''Last Train to Old Town'') * Andrea Tsurumi (''Andrew Jackson Throws a Punch'') * Honorable Mention:

Simon Arizpe Simon Arizpe is an illustrator and Paper engineering, paper engineer. Life Simon Arizpe is a graduate of the Pratt Institute and resides in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Career Simon Arizpe served as the senior Paper engineering, paper ...

(''OHaBEAR'') The winning artists' work was exhibited in the second floor MoCCA gallery at the Society of Illustrators May 21-July 6, 2013. Judges for the 2013 MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence included

Karen Berger Karen Berger (; born February 26, 1958) is an American comic book editor. She is best known for her role in helping create DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in 1993 and serving as the line's Executive Editor until 2013. She currently oversees Berger B ...

, Gary Groth,

Nora Krug Nora Krug (born 1977) is a German–American author and illustrator. Her graphic novel ''Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home'' won the 2018 National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography, 2019 Schubart-Literaturpreis, and 2019 ...

, David Mazzucchelli, and

Paul Pope Paul Pope (born September 25, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American alternative cartoonist. Pope's work combines the precision and romance of European comics artists with the energy and page design of the manga tradition. Pope's tw ...

2014 recipients

* Alexandra Beguez (''Narwhal'') *

Luke Healy People *Luke (given name), a masculine given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke (surname) (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luke. Also known as ...

(''Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales'') * Greg Kletsel (''Exercise the Demon'') *

David Plunkert David Plunkert is an American illustrator and graphic designer based in Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known for his editorial illustrations and theater posters. His illustrations are highly conceptual, in two styles, Dada influenced collage an ...

(''Heroical'') *

Jess Ruliffson Jess is a unisex given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Jessica (name), Jessica, Jesse (given name), Jesse, Jessie (given name), Jessie, etc., and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Jess Atkinson (born 1961), American football play ...

(''Invisible Wounds'') The winning artists' work was exhibited in the second floor MoCCA gallery at the Society of Illustrators April 29-May 17, 2014. Judges for the 2014 MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence included Gregory Benton (2013 recipient), Tracy Hurren,

Chip Kidd Charles Kidd (born 1964) is an American graphic designer known for book covers. Early childhood Born in Shillington in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Kidd grew up being fascinated and heavily inspired by American popular culture. Comic books w ...

Chris Pitzer Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

, and

James Sturm James Sturm (born 1965) is an American cartoonist and co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Sturm is also the founder of the National Association of Comics Art Educators (NACAE), an organization committed t ...

2015 recipients

* Tyler Boss (''Swimmers'') *

Keren Katz Keren may refer to: Places Inhabited places * Keren, Eritrea, a city in Eritrea, formerly called Cheren * Keren Subregion, Anseba region, Eritrea Other places * House of Keren, a historical house in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia * Keren, a cr ...

(''Humdrum No.1/ 2015'') * Greg Kletsel (''Conceptual Bar Mitzvah Video'') *

Kris Mukai The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

(''Commuter'') *

Daniel Zender Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

(''Nope'') The winning artists' work was exhibited in the second floor MoCCA gallery at the Society of Illustrators July 27-August 15, 2015. Judges for the 2015 MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence included Charles Burns,

Annie Koyama Koyama Press is a comics publishing company founded in 2007 by Annie Koyama and based in Canada. Since its establishment in 2007, Koyama Press has sought to promote and provide support to an array of emerging and established artists. These artist ...

(2014 recipient), Andrea Tsurumi (2013 recipient) and Alexandra Zsigmond.

2016 recipients

* Glynnis Fawkes (''Alle Ego'') * Pat Dorian (''Lon Chaney Talks Part 2'') * Shreyas R. Krishnan (''Becoming Rosie'') *

Kate Lacour Kate name may refer to: People and fictional characters * Kate (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Gyula Káté (born 1982), Hungarian amateur boxer * Lauren Kate (born 1981), American autho ...

(''Vivisectionary II'') *

R. Sikoryak Robert Sikoryak (born 1964) is an American artist whose work is usually signed R. Sikoryak. He specializes in making comic adaptations of literature classics. Under the series title ''Masterpiece Comics'', these include ''Crime and Punishment'' re ...

(''iTunes Terms and Conditions'') The winning artists' work was exhibited in the second floor MoCCA gallery at the Society of Illustrators May 3-June 4, 2016. Judges for the 2016 MoCCA Arts Festival Awards of Excellence included Calista Brill,

, Charles Kochman, Mark Newgarden, and Lauren Weinstein.

References

External links

* * {{Comic festivals and alternative comics conventions Comics conventions in the United States Festivals in New York City Festivals established in 2002 2002 establishments in New York City Conventions in New York City