About this project
Greetings All:
Alex Simmons here. I’m the founder of the Kids Comic Con, an all age event bringing the arts, literacy, science, and fun to kids, teens, parents, and educators through the world of comics and graphic novels.
This all started out in 2007 when my team and I produced this one-day extravaganza on the campus of Bronx Community College, in New York City. We brought professional writers, illustrators, editors and publishers together to create an a wild and exciting environment where kids were encouraged to meet comics professionals, ask questions, take free drawing workshops, participate in panels, games, and more.
Admission to our event is FREE for ages 17 and under, plus they receive a bag of free books and other goodies. (Tkts are $5 for those over 17.). And we manage all of this mainly through the kindness of our volunteers and supporters.
Inspired by our success with KCC, I co-created the COLOR OF COMICS Exhibit. The COC exhibitions seeks to throw a spotlight on the diversity of characters of color in comic art so that young people will see themselves represented in this art form, and educators will find a new source of images and cultural contexts for classroom discussions.
Over the past four years we've produced four main events in New York City, and created a road show version which has appeared in upstate New York, and Miami, Florida.
Our success has proven that a stimulated imagination leads to curiosity, exploration, and discovery. And discovery inspires goals and direction, something young people need to help them envision and plan for their future.
As I said before, much of what we do is through volunteers and donations of books and art supplies. But we want to do more and recently we were offered a special opportunity.
We’ve been invited to bring our KCC Expo to Senegal, Africa, in December 2010. Our first fundraising efforts did not reach its goal, but this is to important a program to let it die on the vine, so we’ve pared our program down (less teaching artists, books, equipment). Still we'll be taking them:
• The Color of Comics exhibition (over 75 illustrations)
• Professional development workshops for educators
• Creating comics workshops for over 1500 young people
• A panel on comic art, kids, and education on a global scale
Now we need your help to meet these goals. So, please pledge what you can as soon as you can. This would be a phenomenal meeting of the minds both artistically and educationally.
And if being part of this is not enough reason to elicit your pledge, we’re offering some truly super cool goodies and give-aways!
So, please click, pledge, then call a friend. I truly want to be able to email you all about how well the program was received -- complete with photos and thank yous.
Sincerely,
Alex Simmons,
Founder
Kids Comic Con &
The Color of Comics Exhibit
www.KidsComicCon.com
www.ColorOfComics.Wordpress.com
FAQ
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55
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$5,331
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on October 26, 2010.
Pledge $1 or more Pledge $1 or more
KCC ENEWS UPDATE. You'll receive periodic inside insight on our adventures leading up to, during, and after the event.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
KCC ENEWS UPDATE plus a very sincere Thank You Letter from me, and my teammates
Pledge $10 or more Pledge $10 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE plus a FREE AUTOGRAPHED COMIC BOOK, or POSTER!
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE plus for you trend setters ... AN OFFICIAL KCC/COC: AFRICA T-Shirt!!!
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
ALL OF THE ABOVE plus AN ORIGINAL PENCIL SKETCH FROM A PROFESSIONAL COMIC ARTIST. (Don't eat pizza while admiring.)
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
KCC E-NEWS UPDATE, a Thank You Letter, plus (hear the trumpets?) ... YOUR NAME IN THE CREDITS THAT WILL TOUR WITH THE EXHIBIT!
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
KCC ENEWS UPDATE, a Thank You Letter signed by us and AN OFFICIALS OF THE SCHOOL IN AFRICA, the official KCC/COC: AFRICA T-Shirt, plus a PAGE OF ORIGINAL COMIC ART (B&W INK)! (I know it just keeps getting better!)
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
KCC ENEWS UPDATE, a Thank You Letter, Official KCC/COC: AFRICA T-Shirt, plus YOUR LIKENESS (OR A LOVED ONE) DRAWN AS A SUPERHERO, OR A PIECE OF FULL COLOR COMIC ART. We'll even post the likeness on our web site.
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
KCC E-NEWS UPDATE, a Thank You Letter, Official KCC/COC: AFRICA T-Shirt, plus ... okay, grab your check books ... a HOW TO CREATE COMICS WORKSHOP taught by a comic artist (with art supplies and instruction handouts) AT A LIBRARY OR SCHOOL, IN YOUR NAME (or in your community where possible). Cue the mayor and the marching band!!!
Project By
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Over the past 25 years Alex Simmons has written (and in some cases also created) a number of juvenile mysteries under a variety of pseudonyms for many well-known publishers. He has also penned two educational documentaries and several stage plays. One of his plays, "Sherlock Holmes & the Hands of Othello," received critical praise and was published in "Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama," published by Signet/Mentor Books.
Simmons has written three movie novelizations for Disney and three biographies for Steck-Vaughn, including one on Denzel Washington.
Simmons travels the country as a guest speaker and teaching artist, demonstrating how to use comics, theater, and journalism to stimulates kids' interests in their academic studies. He has developed and conducted creative writing workshops (prose, comics, journalism, and playwriting), as well as consulted on a number of creative arts programs and curricula for children and teens.
As a voiceover talent, Simmons has orated on a wide range of projects from O'Henry Bars, to podcasting information for financial institutions.
Currently, Simmons is the founder of the annual Kids Comic Con, and the founder/curator of the Color of Comics Exhibition. He serves as an advisor for the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, the Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art, and is an arts-in-education consultant.
