
CCAD at CXC 2022

Since 2015, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus has drawn in artists, writers, academics, and comics fans from around the world for a multi-day showcase and celebration of the form. Columbus College of Art & Design has been there since the start, serving an integral role in the event’s planning and execution, hosting keynote presentations from some of the industry’s most respected creators, and introducing emerging artists and writers to a larger audience.
This year is no different. As she has since the festival’s beginnings, CCAD Comics & Narrative Practice Chair Laurenn McCubbin helped organize CXC 2022, which aims to provide an international showcase for cartoon art in Columbus, a city that has become increasingly important in the world of comics and cartooning.
Attendees to CXC 2022 will experience CCAD’s impressive role in comics
This year, that includes CCAD playing host to Saturday’s keynote conversation, Cartoon Crossroads Columbus Queer Banned Book Roundtable, featuring Maia Kobabe, Trung Le Nguyen, and MariNaomi in a conversation moderated by comics scholar Rachel Miller, PhD. The panel discussion kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, in CCAD’s Canzani Auditorium with a reception following.
In addition, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, Animation Adjunct Faculty Vincent Alexander (Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts, 2018 ) will introduce a program of influential “rubber hose” cartoon shorts from the 1930s. The program will be held 7:30–9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5, at the Gateway Film Center.
CCAD will also have a significant presence at the 2022 CXC Expo, happening at the Columbus Metropolitan Library – Main Library branch 11 a.m.–5 p.m Saturday, Oct. 8, and 1–5 p.m Sunday, Oct. 9. CCAD will have four group tables at the expo, says McCubbin: an alumni table, a faculty table, a table for CCAD’s Comics Collective (COCO), and one for CCAD publication Spitball, which will be unveiling three new books—Spitball issues No. 6, 7, and 8.
And that’s not all. Several members of the CCAD community will have individual tables at the expo. Current students Jade Lejeck (Comics & Narrative Practice, 2023) and Norah Clous (Comics & Narrative Practice, 2025) will be tabling at CXC, as will Ben Towle, an assistant professor in the Comics and Illustration programs, and Game Art & Design Assistant Professor Kyle Latino. CCAD alumni with individual tables at the 2022 CXC Expo include:
- Victoria Douglas (Comics & Narrative Practice, 2020)
- Han Hampy (Comics & Narrative Practice, 2022)
- Gabby Metzler (Fine Arts, 2017), winner of the 2020 CXC Emerging Artist Award
- Alissa Sallah (Illustration, 2016)
- Max Schaller (Comics & Narrative Practice, 2022)
- Mel Sealy (Illustration, 2016)
- Nick Stellanova (Comics & Narrative Practice, 2020)
- Tom Williams (Illustration, 1997)
Learn more about the Comics & Narrative Practice, Illustration, Animation, Fine Arts, and Game Art & Design undergraduate programs at CCAD as well as the Amelita Mirolo Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts. Apply here.