Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art facts for kids
Comics professionals Robert Sikoryak, Danny Fingeroth, Arie Kaplan, Jerry Robinson and Eddy Friedfeld at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in 2006
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| Established | October 2001 |
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| Dissolved | July 9, 2012 |
| Location | 594 Broadway, New York City |
| Type | exhibition of narrative art, cartoons, comic books and graphic novels |
The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) was a special place in New York City. It was a non-profit organization dedicated to comic books, comic strips, and other kinds of cartoon art. MoCCA hosted many events, like book launches and educational programs in schools. They also offered classes, workshops, and talks about comics. MoCCA was probably best known for its yearly small-press comic convention, called MoCCA Fest, which first started in 2002.
The Story of MoCCA
MoCCA was started by Lawrence Klein in October 2001. It was located at 594 Broadway in New York City.
On July 9, 2012, MoCCA announced that it had to close its physical museum. This happened because they had trouble raising enough money to keep it open.
However, on August 2, 2012, MoCCA shared some good news. They decided to join forces with the Society of Illustrators. This meant MoCCA's collections and events would move to the Society's building. It was also confirmed that the popular MoCCA Fest would continue to happen every year!
The Awesome MoCCA Festival
The MoCCA Festival (or MoCCA Fest) is an annual event that helps raise money for the museum. Now, it helps the Society of Illustrators. It is New York's biggest showcase for independent comics. Hundreds of artists and publishers gather on the main floor. There are also other rooms for educational talks, slideshows, and interviews.
From 2002 to 2008, the festival was held at the Puck Building. From 2009 to 2014, it moved to the 69th Regiment Armory. In 2015, the event used two locations: the exhibitors were at Center548, and the talks were at the High Line Hotel. Since 2016, the exhibitors have been at Metropolitan West, with programming at Ink48.
From 2002 to 2012, MoCCA gave an award at MoCCA Fest. This award honored artists whose amazing work made comic art even better. It was first called the MoCCA Art Festival Award. In 2009, it was renamed the Klein Award to honor MoCCA's founder, Lawrence Klein. MoCCA Fest also hosted the comics industry's Harvey Awards in 2004 and 2005.
Cool Exhibits at MoCCA
In 2003, MoCCA opened its art gallery with a first exhibit called "Gag Art!". This show focused on funny single-panel cartoons from magazines. Later exhibits explored the connection between New York City and cartoonists. There was also a special show about women comic-book artists. MoCCA also had exhibits looking back at the careers of famous creators like Stan Lee and Will Eisner. Another fun exhibit was "From Richie Rich to Wendy the Good Little Witch: The Art of Harvey Comics".
Their exhibit about Archie Comics was even promoted in an Archie Digest Magazine! The story, called MoCCA Madness, was seven pages long. It was written by Arie Kaplan and drawn by Fernando Ruiz. The story even featured MoCCA's President, Ellen Abramowitz, and then-Director, Karl Erickson.
