Annual Convention

Annual Convention October 5-8

The AAEC and Association of Canadian Cartoonists will be joining with the Cartoon Art Museum in San Franscisco for a 3-day celebration of editorial art and political cartoonists, October 5-8, 2023.

Online registration is now open!


A statement on the Michael Ramirez cartoon in The Washington Post

The AAEC Board of Directors has issued the following statement on the retraction of Michael Ramirez’s cartoon in The Washington Post. “The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) wishes to reiterate its support for cartoonists to express themselves vigorously, without fear of retribution or physical violence. “The AAEC also wishes to note the responsibility of […]

And now, a word from your president, Jack Ohman

Feb 2, 2023 Dear Colleagues: First, thank you for electing me as AAEC president. I feel a bit like Joe Biden: bring in the old guy! As some of you recall, I was president of the AAEC several years ago, and remain committed to making sure that we have a functioning group for years to come, and that all members feel welcome. […]

Preliminary AAEC Convention Schedule is Here

Hello everyone! We hope you’re doing well and staying safe in another nutty summer. The AAEC has been working closely with CXC on this fall’s gathering in Ohio, and we now have a preliminary schedule for our convention. As we hinted at earlier, we’re going with a slow rollout this year as we come out […]

An Open Letter to the Pulitzer Prize Board

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists would like to congratulate illustrator Fahmida Azim and the other contributors to the team that created the illustrated article, “I Escaped a Chinese Internment Camp,” which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in the recently renamed category of Illustrated Reporting and Commentary. We would like to also congratulate the finalists, […]

A Letter from the President

Dear colleagues, I hope this finds you safe, healthy, and sipping a winter warmer before a crackling fire. There are several AAEC matters to discuss, so I’ll get right down to business. First, I wanted to let you know about a decision I have reached after much consideration: I will be stepping down as President […]

Letter from the AAEC President

[2020 is almost in the books and the AAEC Notebook is at the printer. You should get your Year-in-Review as we escape into 2021. Here’s the letter from President Kevin Siers that kicks off the next issue.] While the expression “may you live in interesting times” is characterized as a curse, for cartoonists it has always […]

The AAEC announces its annual awards

This weekend saw the 2020 CXC Festival move ahead — online and virtual as with everything else this year — and the event acted as sort of a de facto gathering for the AAEC, which had to cancel their own convention back in May. AAEC President Kevin Siers made a pre-recorded appearance on Friday evening during […]

Letter from the AAEC President

The votes are in — Congratulations to new AAEC Board members Jen Sorensen (President-elect) and Tim Campbell (Director). Tim has been elected for a 2-year term, and Jen will step up to President in January 2021. Elected to another term and returning to the Board are Mike Thompson (Vice President), Monte Wolverton (Treasurer) and Liza […]

Cartoonist Pat Bagley lambasts Gannett for short-sighted and cruel staff cut 

by Pat Bagley, Immediate Past President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists   Bullet, meet metatarsal.  The Gannett newspaper chain just shot itself in the foot. Steve Benson, a 37-year veteran of The Arizona Republic and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for cartooning, was let go yesterday. He was swept up in a company-wide […]

A letter from the outgoing President

[AAEC President Pat Bagley will be handing over the mantle to Kevin Siers next week. In the meantime, here is his departing letter]   Dear Colleagues, First, the good news. The long-awaited redesign of our new website is nearing launch and should be up sometime in January. (Buy Adam Zyglis a beer next time you […]

A letter from the President

Dear Colleagues, You’ll soon be receiving your ballot for the upcoming slate of officers and directors for the AAEC, with a recommended change of tenure for the AAEC President to two years (this will not apply to my current term which ends December 1). This change to two years will bring the term of the […]

Join us at the AAEC table this weekend at CXC 2018

Join us this weekend at CXC — Cartoon Crossroads Columbus — the cartoon festival in Columbus, Ohio. The AAEC plans to have an exhibitors table at their Marketplace Expo Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29 and 30, to increase awareness of our organization among the many other kinds of cartoonists who will be there. We welcome […]

Join us at the AAEC table at Cartoon Crossroads 2018

We are 10 days out from our gathering in California, but it isn't the only AAEC event happening this month. Immediately following the Sacramento convention (the very next week) is CXC — Cartoon Crossroads Columbus — the cartoon festival in Columbus, Ohio. The AAEC plans to have an exhibitors table at their Marketplace Expo Saturday […]

Last Chance to Reserve Rooms at Convention Rate is Wednesday, August 29!

The 2018 Sacramento AAEC Convention is less than a month away and this is your last chance to reserve rooms at The Citizen Hotel at our convention rate. The good news is that the rate is exceptionally good ($159/night) but the bad news is that they'll only give us that rate for Sept. 20-22. That's […]

Pat Bagley on #FreePress

  In my nearly forty years at The Salt Lake Tribune I've known hundreds of journalists. They are the kind of people who place a found dollar bill on the edge of a cubicle and it will still there three days later. My colleagues are universally honest and conscientious about getting the facts straight. Likewise, […]

Schedule for the 2018 AAEC Convention is here

This year's gathering of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists will take place Sept. 20-23 in Sacramento, CA. Hosts Jack Ohman and Pat Bagley released the convention's schedule today. Highlights include an reception at the California Museum to celebrate the life and work of the late cartoonist Rex Babin, and the return of cartoon deathmatch, […]

And now, AAEC President Pat Bagley

The 2018 AAEC Convention is Fast Approaching! This year’s gathering of the nation’s editorial cartoonists and political junkies in Sacramento — Thursday, September 20th to Saturday 22nd — promises to be a blockbuster. Our featured guest is Atlantic staff writer McKay Coppins, who extensively covered the Trump campaign and was called “a dishonest slob” via Twitter by […]

A statement of solidarity with the Capital Gazette

"We stand with our brothers & sisters at the Capital Gazette. Journalism is the only profession specifically protected in the Constitution, yet our lives are under daily threat these days from those who would silence inconvenient facts & informed opinions." — Pat Bagley, President AAEC

President Pat Bagley previews the AAEC confab

  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 […]

A statement on Musa Kart and the oppression of journalists in Turkey

The oft-repeated statement “an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us” applies to political cartoonists worldwide after Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart was sentenced to prison. Why should Americans care about the fate of a satirist who mocked his president in a country half way around the world? Because it can […]

A new logo for the AAEC!

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists launches a new icon, updating its venerable ink bottle for the digital age    DURHAM, NC — The AAEC has a new look. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, a professional organization that promotes the interests of political cartoonists and comics journalists in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has […]

And now, a message from President Ann Telnaes

  We need to change. For several years now we have complained, bemoaned, and raged over the disappearance of our traditional home, the print newspaper. And the loss of newspapers is not just affecting our profession but is having an impact as well on how we’ve traditionally funded our annual conventions. Fewer and fewer of […]

Letter from the AAEC President – 2016

Dear fellow American cartoonists, satirists, animators and graphic journalists: I’m Bullish on 2016, and you should be too.
Yes, the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo has in some ways altered the lens in which we view our craft. But in response to this and other assaults on the rights of cartoonists around the globe, we have strengthened our resolve as protectors of free speech. We have and must continue to remind the public of our vital importance to democracy and journalism, especially in light of such atrocities. That’s imperative to our mission and to the future survival of our great profession.

A Call to Apple to Support Free Speech from the AAEC

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists calls on Apple to change its policy regarding its apps, and stop rejecting them because they “ridicule public figures” and are deemed objectionable: “A vigorous public discourse, opinion, satire and, yes, ridiculing public figures, are essential to journalism and our Democracy.”

A letter from the president

“Ask not what your AAEC can do for you, ask what you can do for your AAEC.” Some of you may remember the days when AAEC conventions were the place where major daily newspaper editors came to find talent. It seemed at every year’s convention, there was a buzz about at least one big job […]

A letter from the president, Sept. 09

Thank you for making me president during the worst year for American editorial cartooning in history. That was awesome. You’re the best. I love you.
You all owe me drinks.

A letter from the prez

Working as an editorial cartoonist this year—working, that is, if anyone is interested in employing you—is like living inside Casey Kasem’s brain: The hits keep on coming. Whether it’s Robert Ariail or Jim Borgman or John Branch or Gary Brookins or Stuart Carlson or Richard Crowson or Bill Day or Eric Devericks or Brian Duffy […]

OUR MISSION

The mission of the AAEC is to champion and defend editorial cartooning and free speech as essential to liberty in the United States and throughout the world.

The AAEC aims to be an international leader in support of the human, civil, and artistic rights of editorial cartoonists around the world, and to stand with other international groups in support of the profession.



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CARTOONS IN EDUCATION

Cartoons in Education

Every two weeks throughout the year, The Learning Forum and the AAEC offers CARTOONS FOR THE CLASSROOM, a free lesson resource for teachers discussing current events.  Visit NIEonline.com for more lesson plans.