Decker Library hosts exhibitions that typically rotate on a monthly basis. Decker staff curate exhibitions of items in our special collections and archives as well as items available for circulation.
MICA students, staff, and faculty can submit a proposal to curate library displays and exhibits. Use this form to submit a proposal. Questions? Contact Access Services at circ@mica.edu.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
Works Better on Paper: Lineages of the Graphic Novel
Curated by Jonas Dell-Bosak and Jay Howley
Comics and graphic novels have a more extensive history than one might imagine. With the rise of the comic book format throughout the 20th century, comics grew in popularity among youth, which led to a moral panic among concerned parents. The Comics Code Authority was formed in 1954, greatly restricting what stories could be published within the “comic book” format. Artists who wanted to depict more complex themes resorted to self-publishing, or publishing under independent presses who didn’t care about getting CCA approval. These edgier works were called “underground comix,” and while they gained popularity in the 1970s, they also became known more for their raunchy humor than their rebellion against the CCA. By the 1980s, mainstream publishers looked to the underground comix by publishing edgier long-form comics of their own, later working to emulate the “alternative comics” movement by artists disillusioned by the co-opting of their craft. The term was meant to refer to the divide between “mainstream” comics (Marvel, DC) and “non-mainstream” comics (pretty much everything else).
Longer comic books were referred to as “novels” or “novel length” starting in the 1940s, really taking off in the latter part of the 20th century. The term became more popular after Will Eisner published A Contract With God (1978), and effectively mainstream after the success of Art Spiegelman’s Maus (1986). Comic publishers like Marvel and DC followed suit, publishing collections of their comics as graphic novels alongside the short-form floppies serialized monthly.
Comic artists have always experimented with format, including the publication of comic zines. Zines began as literary “little magazines” during the Harlem Renaissance in the late 1910s as a place for young Black writers and activists to openly discuss and circulate ideas that were rejected by mainstream media. With the invention and low barrier of entry that came with Xerox technology, zines became easier to reproduce and circulate. Today zines are still used by artists and activists as an affordable way to spread their work.
Works Better on Paper explores the evolution of comics and manga from their roots in picture books and illustrative works, comparing their pre-golden age ancestors to experimental approaches to the artform that muddy the boundaries of format and medium. Downstairs you will find 3D comics and other works pushing the envelope of material construction of sequential books.
This display, spanning both upper and lower levels of the library, also features many books and zines made by MICA alumni. Look out for the MICA logo throughout the exhibit labels to locate them!
