Poe Park

The Daily Plant : Thursday, February 7, 2013

Comic Book Art Exhibition On Display At Poe Park Visitor Center

courtesy of the artist

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is pleased to announce Living in Sequence, an exhibition of comic book artwork on view at the Poe Park Visitor Center in the Bronx. The exhibition was organized by the Bronx Heroes and will be on view through March 9, 2013.

This vibrant collection of Bronx artists pays homage to the strong ties between Poe Park and the history of comics. In 1939, Batman’s creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger conceived of the Caped Crusader while sitting in the Bronx’s Poe Park, which houses Edgar Allen Poe’s white single-frame cottage. Artist Jerry Robinson soon joined the team, renting an apartment near Kane’s Grand Concourse home. The collaboration produced additional familiar characters like Robin and the Joker. In time, Poe’s stories would provide key storylines for some of Batman’s adventures and in 2003 the superhero and Poe teamed up to solve mysteries in the comic miniseries Batman: Nevermore.

Living in Sequence features golden age and contemporary comic book artists from the Bronx—demonstrating that comic illustration is thriving in the borough. The artists in this exhibition include Shawn Atkinson, Chris Duckett, Trevor Von Eeden, Will Eisner, Ray Felix, Corey F. Godwell, Dmitry Gubin, Hal Foster, N. Steve Harris, Irwin Hasen, Jack Kirby, Carl Kent, Alitha E. Martinez, Regine Sawyer, Jerry Robinson, Vanessa Verduga and Roberto Williams.

Additional programming will accompany the exhibition that is free and open to the public.
• Visit the Center on Saturday, February 16, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. for Bronx Heroes Jr., a student workshop that introduces kids to Bronx Heroes Jr., an activity book in collaboration with Bronx Community Board 7. This workshop will include games, a live reading of the book, and coloring activities.
• Saturday, February 23, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Bronx teens can participate in a drawing workshop. They will learn to draw from a live model sporting a variety of superhero costumes. Teens will get a hands-on lesson on the human anatomy, learn how to sketch dynamic clothing and draw in proportion.
• On Friday, March 8, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. join Regine Sawyer at the Living In Sequence Women in Comics Panel as she interviews Alitha E. Martinez, Vanessa Verduga and Shawna Mills on comics, the industry, animation, film and being female entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry. At the conclusion of the panel, director and actress Vanessa Verduga will show episodes one and two of Justice Woman, a comedy-drama series that pays homage to the campy superheroes of yesteryear.
• If you miss Friday’s lecture, visit the Center on Saturday, March 9, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., for the second installment of the Living In Sequence Women in Comics Panel. Join Regine Sawyer as she interviews female entrepreneurs Jamila Rowser, Tara Nakashima Donahue and Rana Emerson on comics, animation, film and being in the entertainment industry.

Bronx Heroes provides the Bronx community with opportunities to meet emerging and professional artists and offers information about potential career opportunities that exist in the comic book and publishing industry. They foster new generations of readers through artist and writer workshops, and further the understanding and appreciation of graphic novels and comic book art.

Nestled between the Grand Concourse and Kingsbridge Road, Poe Park offers an oasis in the most densely-populated region of the Bronx. The park houses a small playground, a historic bandstand, and most notably the last home of one of the nation’s most important literary figures—poet and author Edgar Allan Poe. The cottage was recently restored in 2011 by the Bronx County Historical Society and the Historic House Trust. The latest addition to this historic park is the Poe Park Visitor Center, a 5,400-square-foot structure that includes a gathering space for community uses, display areas, and public bathrooms. The striking one-story building, designed by Toshiko Mori, inaugurated Mayor Bloomberg’s Design and Construction Excellence Initiative and is the recipient of a Public Design Commission Special Recognition Award.

The Poe Park Visitor Center hosts public programs supportive of Parks’ mission, with particular emphasis on the arts. Types of activities that are encouraged include artist workshops, readings, film screenings, temporary exhibits, lectures and community planning.

The Poe Park Visitor Center is located at 2640 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. An artist reception will take place on Saturday, February 9 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.