St. Jude Cartoonists Event

Later this month the National Cartoonists Society will be having their annual Reuben Awards Weekend in Memphis, and there will be a very special event taking place on Thursday the 26th. The NCS Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will be hosting a fundraiser and auction that evening to benefit St. Jude and the incredible work they do, which will feature over 20 big name cartoonists (and me). I did the art for the above promotional poster. Here’s some of the details from the NCS website:

As we head into Memphis this Memorial Day Weekend to attend the 70th annual NCS Reuben Awards, members of the National Cartoonists Society will be taking the opportunity to lend our time and talents in support of an exceptionally worthy cause.

On Thursday, May 26th, as part of our “Cartooning for Kids” project, 6o NCS members will spend the day at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital drawing for the patients and their families and handing out goodie bags crammed with t-shirts, sketchbooks, crayons, toys, comics and books. The artists will then attend a special dinner on Beale St. where they will do more art to be sold later to benefit St. Jude.

Later that same evening, some of those artists – including a number of cartoonists whose comics run daily in the Memphis Commercial Appeal, as well leading artists in the fields of animation, magazine illustration and editorial cartooning – will appear at a gala fundraiser. Its a chance for the public to join the cartoonists for dinner, enjoy festive food and spirits, get personalized sketches and caricatures and bid on some unique original art. The cartoonists will also participate in an improv show that promises to be one of the highlights of the evening.

Scheduled to appear are:

Jeff Keane – Family Circus
Patrick McDonnell – Mutts
Lynn Johnston – For Better Or For Worse
Jerry Scott – Zits, Baby Blues
Rick Kirkman – Baby Blues
Mike Peters – Mother Goose & Grimm
Stephan Pastis – Pearls Before Swine
David Silverman – The Simpsons
Bill Morrison – The Simpsons and Disney artist
Steve McGarry – Minions
Tom Richmond – Mad Magazine
Robb Armstrong – Jumpstart
Hillary Price – Rhymes with Orange
Greg Walker – Beetle Bailey
Greg Evans – Luann
Mike Luckovich — Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist
Rick Stromoski – Soup to Nutz
Maria Scrivan – Half Full
Luke McGarry – Sad Chewie
Lincoln Pierce – Big Nate
Greg Cravens – The Buckets
Michael Ramirez – Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist
Jason Chatfield – Ginger Meggs
Ed Steckley – Humorous illustrator

More details here.

VIP Tickets for the gala guarantee you will be seated at a table hosted by one of these fantastic cartoonists (or me). More importantly, you will get to meet The Lovely Anna. There will be a show, general zaniness, and a lot of cartoons flying. What a great cause and a rare opportunity to experience a little of what the Reubens are all about. The auction will feature a number of special original art, including the inks of the above poster.

There will also be an online auction starting on May 19th featuring Memphis themed cartoons by NCS members, proceeds to benefit St. Jude. I’ll post links to that when it goes live. I did a ink and wash illustration of the Million Dollar Quartet for it, which you’ll just have to wait to see until the auction goes live.

Get on your horse and get to Memphis on May 26th, help support St. Jude and meet a lot of famous cartoonists (and me).