Andrew
Marr Joins Shrewsbury Festival
Patrons
Political
journalist
and
presenter
Andrew
Marr
is
Shrewsbury
Cartoon
Festival’s
newest
patron.
Mr.
Marr,
a
cartoon
enthusiast,
accepted
the
invitation
to
become
a
patron
after
meeting
cartoonists
from
the
organising
group
at
a
cartoon
-drawing
event
in
London.
"It is a good and noble cause and I am very happy to be associated with it!" he said.
Mr. Marr joins fellow patrons and cartoon fans Libby Purves, writer and broadcaster, and Professor Colin Pillinger of Beagle 2 fame. Ms. Purves and Professor Pillinger have both attended and participated in the Festival. The late Alan Coren was also a patron.
Shrewsbury International Cartoon Festival is organised by Destination Shrewsbury with Shrewsbury Civic Society and the Professional Cartoonists Organisation.
Shrewsbury Leads the Way in Cartoon Art
Now in its fifth year, Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival has presented over 30 cartoon exhibitions a number exceeded only by the Cartoon Museum in London.
And The Cartoon Museum is itself represented in this year's exhibitions at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery. High Art and Low Life is a specially selected display of cartoons from the museum's historic collections and includes Hogarth, Gillray and Heath Robinson pieces alongside contemporary cartoonists such as Steve Bell.
Steve Bell will be appearing at the Festival in person to give an illustrated talk at The Old Market Hall on Saturday 18th April. All tickets are £4 from the Music Hall Box Office on 01743 281281.
More political cartooning is on show at Bear Steps Gallery where Dave Brown, cartoonist for The Independent has his one man show Rogue's Gallery. This collection of forty cartoons reinterprets well known paintings and takes a cutting view of politics from 2004 to 2008.
Personalities from the world of the arts feature in the Festivals first caricature exhibition. 'Art About Face' shows the hugely varied styles of caricature art and includes well-known faces from art, music, performance and film as you've never seen them before.
More varied styles and humour are exhibited in 'But Is It Art' at Bear Steps Gallery and at Cath Tate Cards. Over 80 gag cartoons by UK artists interpret the Festival theme of Art. This is a selling exhibition and a great opportunity to start or add to a collection of cartoon art.
All the exhibitions run until 26th April.
Cartoons cross the Atlantic for Shrewsbury Festival
Organisers of Shrewsbury’s International Cartoon Festival took delivery this week of a collection of original cartoons from the USA which will be exhibited at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery.
The exhibition of American humour and art opens on 20th March. The pieces have been collected together by Adrian Sinnott a US cartoonist who has attended the last two Shrewsbury Festivals. The work includes comic strips and illustrations from Archie and Mad comics as well as gag cartoons and caricatures.
Organisers are delighted to have the support of exhibition sponsor, Shropshire based marketing consultancy Maine Marketing. Director Christian Channer was introduced to the Cartoon Festival when he had his caricature drawn by one of the Festival artists at a Shropshire Chamber Business evening.
He said… “I have always enjoyed cartoons and as a child would pore over old copies of Punch and the New Yorker. It is a festival that brings a smile to the face and we need more of that! It also sums up what Maine Marketing is about - clear,concise communication. A really good cartoon sums up a point in a few brush strokes, makes you laugh and maybe makes you think as well. Cartoons and marketing are both, in their different ways, creative process.”
Also on exhibition at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery representing the international element of the Festival will be cartoons from Belgium, and a special exhibition of caricatures on the theme of personalities from the Arts from UK and overseas artists. All the exhibitions open on 20th March in advance of the Festival weekend which is 18th – 20th April.
Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival is organised by Destination Shrewsbury with Shrewsbury Civic Society and the Professional Cartoonists Organisation.
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