Presented in conjunction with Wonder: A Conversation with Wimmin [1], this free public event features pioneers of the comics industry including Wimmen’s Comix creator and contributor Trina Robbins, Lee Marrs, one of the "founding "Mommies" of the Wimmen's Comix collective, and author of The Further Fattening Adventures of Pudge, Girl Blimp, and Mary Wings creator of Come Out Comix, the first lesbian underground comic in a conversation on publishing, feminism, and comics. Moderated by Nicole Georges, author of Calling Dr. Laura, with special guest Nina Taylor Kester of the Cartoon Art Museum [2].

Wonder: A Conversation with Wimmin, is guest curated by Craig Campbell and will be on display in Root Division's gallery from June 7 - 24th, 2017. Celebrating women’s effort in the underground comic movement, this exhibition features original contributing artists to Wimmin’s Comix, (1972 to 1992) alongside contemporary female artists whose work aesthetically and conceptually reflects the unabashed styles of Wimmin’s Comix.

Less than a year after the summer of love, comics found a voice in the Bay Area that reflected a new generation of social unrest and sharply contrasted mainstream comic publishers like DC and Marvel. These comics became a voice for the voiceless, providing an accessible and affordable platform for artists and readers to engage with contemporary issues. In 1970, Trina Robbins captured a voice representing the realities of being a woman in America, by spearheading It Ain’t Me, Babe, the first all-female comics anthology. Using advertising aesthetics and comic book tropes to parody the absurd American ideals and fantasies projected onto women, Robbins would continue to create visibility and social commentary with what would become the prolific twenty year series, Wimmen’s Comix (later renamed Wimmin’s Comix).

The influence of Wimmin’s Comix extends beyond medium, beyond industry and beyond gender, contributing an aesthetic language that continues to permeate contemporary comics, fine art, and visual culture. As the voices of women continue to rise in the face of increased political pressure, this timely exhibition celebrates female artists and the power of independent publishing to raise important social issues.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Alexis Amann
Craig Calderwood
Robin Birdd
Kat Geng
Veronica Graham
Yuki Maruyama
Lee Marrs
Sofia Niazi
Allie Phillips
Kate Rhoades
Trina Robbins
Thorina Rose
Mary Wings