Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum exhibitions

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum is located on The Ohio State University campus, and is a must-see for comic and cartoon lovers.

The library and museum holds the world’s largest collection of materials related to comics and cartoons, including original art, books, magazines, journals, comic books, archival materials, and newspaper comic strip pages and clippings.. 

The museum is open to the public and admission is free!

The current exhibitions are:

Facing Feelings: The Art of Raina Telgemeier

May 24 – November 5, 2023

Facing Feelings: The Art of Raina Telgemeier is a retrospective featuring original artwork spanning over 20 years of Telgemeier’s career, including New York Times bestsellers Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts and Guts and some of her earlier works.

Also on display are works by artists who influenced Telgemeier and show great skill in depicting human emotions, including Keiji Nakazawa, Lynn Johnston, Robb Armstrong, Bill Watterson, Lynda Barry, Will Eisner, and more.

Facing Feelings explores how Telgemeier’s comics combine impeccable pacing and an approachable cartoon style with real-life experiences to carefully balance challenging emotional journeys with warmth and affirmation. Her work focuses on feelings, and relationships to drive the plot forward, resonating strongly with readers of all ages.

Telgemeier is the author and illustrator of the graphic novels Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts, and Guts, all #1 New York Times bestsellers. She also adapted and illustrated four graphic novel versions of Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club series and has contributed short stories to many anthologies. Raina’s accolades include six Eisner Awards, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and many best-of and notables lists.

Curated by Anne Drozd, the exhibition consists of works on loan from the artist and from the collections of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at The Ohio State University.

Visiting Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum

Reservations are recommended for museum, but not required. Walk-ins may have to wait if the museum is at capacity.

Monday – Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday – Sunday: 1:00-5:00 PM. Closed on July 4.
Please see website regarding closures for exhibition installations, parking, and more.

Please note that you will be asked to place coats, backpacks, large purses and bags, and umbrellas in designated areas at the entrance to the galleries or in lockers provided in the gallery or on the main floor.

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Library Reading Room Hours

Appointments are required for The Lucy Shelton Caswell Reading Room to ensure material can be prepared in advance. Do not visit until you receive your appointment date and time confirmation. As a special collections library, their stacks are not open for browsing. Visitors must request items from the stacks in advance.

Email cartoons@osu.edu to schedule an appointment.

The Ohio State University
110 Sullivant Hall
1813 N. High Street
Columbus, OH 43210
614.292.0538

email: cartoons@osu.edu
website: cartoons.osu.edu
blog: http://library.osu.edu/blogs/cartoons/

Special Events at Billy Ireland

TBA for 2023

Family Day: Celebrating Sparky

Saturday, June 25, 2022 from 1-5 pm. 

Join the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum for an afternoon of activities and fun for all ages! The new exhibit Celebrating Sparky: Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts honors the life and career of Schulz and marks the centennial of his birth.

Visit on June 25 from 1-5 pm for a reception including a curator tour of the exhibition, activities for kids, a cartooning workshop taught by the Schulz Museum, and Snoopy’s favorite: root beer and chocolate chip cookies!

1:15 pm: Curator tour of Celebrating Sparky in the galleries with Lucy Shelton Caswell
2:00 pm: Peanuts and the Art of Cartooning workshop: This live, interactive experience includes an introduction to Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts, and the Schulz Museum followed by a guided drawing of several of Schulz’s most popular characters. Participants will need paper, pencil, eraser, and their imagination as they learn to draw Snoopy and other Peanuts characters along with the basics of drawing different emotions and using the visual language of cartoons to tell stories. 

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Book Sale

tba for 2023 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

It’s back-to-school season, and it’s time to fill up your bookshelves at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Book Sale.

They selling duplicate items from the collection. Items range from $2-$20. All proceeds help with the collections.

Sale includes: 

Graphic novels
Comic books
Comic strip reprint books
Humor magazines
Comic and cartoon art history books
and much, much more.
Please plan to bring a bag or box for carrying home your great finds!

For more information email cartoonevents@osu.edu

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum will extend the museum hours so attendees can browse the current exhibit while visiting until 7:00 PM.