Co-creator and Artist of BLACKBIRD Announces Artist Collaboration
Brooklyn, New York – March 1, 2019 – Flame Con, created by the LGBTQ non-profit Geeks OUT, is announcing the debut of an artist mentorship program, created and led by illustrator and comic artist, Jen Bartel. The program will launch at Flame Con where Bartel will mentor and guide two artists through the process of preparing to table at a comic convention.
“When I was invited to Flame Con as a guest this year, I began to think about ways that I could give back to help other artists succeed, and I decided that a community driven show like Flame Con was the perfect convention to launch a mentorship program,” said Bartel, “I’d like to share the knowledge and experience that I’ve gained over the past few years with newcomers—my hope is that it will help foster a culture of sharing information and that the artists I work with will pass on what they learn to others.”
The artists will be selected through an application process, of which only accepted half table lottery submissions will be eligible. Two artists will be selected by Bartel with the help of experienced convention organizer Andrea Demonakos, with the goal of financially supporting and preparing the artists to table at Flame Con. Upon selection, Bartel will work with each artist and guide them in the process of selecting vendors, product development, creating promotional materials, and more.
“We were so excited when Jen approached us with the idea of launching an artist mentorship at Flame Con”, said Nicole Gitau, Geeks OUT President & Special Guests Lead for Flame Con. “Flame Con has always been an event by our community and for our community. Seeing creators come together to celebrate each other’s work and support each other’s careers has been absolutely inspiring over the last four years. Artistic and economic solidarity is vital in this cultural climate and we couldn’t be happier to see relationships like these bloom at the convention. We cannot wait to see the final product of Jen’s mentorship and hope it lives on beyond Flame Con.”
Eligibility is limited to vendors who have been selected for a half table at Flame Con and have an active portfolio to share. Applications for the mentorship are open from March 1, 2019 through March 20, 2019. Acceptances will go out on March 25, 2019 with the mentorship beginning in April. To apply, please visit: www.jenbartel.com/mentorship.
Tickets for Flame Con are available now via Eventbrite, with full weekend and individual day tickets for sale. For more information on Flame Con, please visit www.flamecon.org and for more information on Geeks OUT, please visit www.geeksout.org.
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About Geeks OUT
Geeks OUT is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to rallying, empowering and promoting the queer geek community. Founded in 2010 with the goal of bringing a positive queer presence to local comic conventions, Geeks OUT now hosts events in five major cities, attends conventions across the nation and produces the world’s largest LGBTQ comic convention – Flame Con. Geeks OUT is also the publisher behind Power and the forthcoming Serving Pride: The Queer History Dinner Party Handbook. For more information please visit www.geeksout.org.
Media Contact: Michelle Rose Micor, (312) 618-4792, michelle@geeksout.org
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