I want to let you know where we are with the 2018 convention.
The AAEC is currently in the midst of planning our 2018 convention, which is scheduled for September 20–23 in Sacramento. We have contracted with The Citizen Hotel, famous for having prints of political cartoons decorating every room, for a block of rooms to accommodate our members.
(Register here today: https://www.aaeccartoonists.org/)
This year will have something of an international flavor as colleagues from Canada and New Zealand will be in attendance We are also extending an invitation to the Korean Association of Editorial Cartoonists to send a delegation as well. Each will have an opportunity to lead a session or panel about the challenges and opportunities they face in The Age of Trump (I'm sure the Canadians will have a LOT to say).
While the topic of embattled newspapers and shrinking print products is a perennial topic—one that will be certainly be addressed—we are also planning sessions and panels that take up the subject of Trump’s assault on the First Amendment and press freedoms. Specifically, there will be a panel discussion about the pressures from publishers and editors to not publish cartoons critical of the man in the White House. A presentation on being a cartoonist/investigative journalist is in the works as is a look at long form cartooning and storytelling. Brian Fies, who lost his life’s work in the Napa fires, will present on picking up the pieces and resuming one’s career after a natural disaster.
We will bring together a panel of women cartoonists to speak to the Harvey Weinstein moment in a session we’ll call “Me Toon”. They will speak to their own experiences of sexism in the workplace and to the changes that need to be made to insure a healthy environment going forward.
There will also be an art show to remember the work of Rex Babin, the great cartoonist for The Sacramento Bee, who died in 2012 at the age of 49, cutting short a brilliant career. A painful loss to all of us.
Along with the usual activities—welcoming reception, informal discussions of the craft over beers, a final night gala—I expect the 2018 Sacramento Convention to be a truly great event.
Be best!
Pat Bagley
President AAEC
