Artists, Comics, Culture Panel Discussion

Four intriguing artists featured in the Splat Boom Pow! exhibition gather for this wide-ranging discussion of their work and the themes of the show, immediately before the opening celebration. Panelists
Kerry James Marshall
Julie Mehretu
Mel Ramos
Roger Shimomura

Moderator
Valerie Cassel Oliver

Four artists from Splat Boom Pow! share their insights in this lively panel discussion. Mel Ramos was one of the first American artists to adapt comic book imagery, with paintings that featured such action heroes as Captain Midnight and Batman. Kerry James Marshall has used the comic strip format to comment on urban housing and to create superheroes out of West African myths. Ethiopian-born Julie Mehretu draws on the graphic vocabulary of maps, diagrams, and comics to illustrate forces that forge personal and communal identity. Roger Shimomura's paintings critique ethnic stereotypes rampant in 1940s animation. Valerie Cassel Oliver (formerly Valerie Cassel) is an associate curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and curator of the exhibition.

After the panel discussion, join our special guests and Wexner Center members for a festive opening celebration from 7 until 11 pm.