Fun events and exhibits with Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum

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:

STILL…Racism In America – A Retrospective in Cartoons
May 21, 2022 – October 23, 2022
Pioneering father/daughter cartoonists Brumsic Brandon, Jr. (1927– 2014) and Barbara Brandon-Croft (1958– ) chronicled the nation’s cultural landscape in their comic strips through the lens of racism. For six decades, their respective pens lay bare the truth: Nothing has changed. This retrospective reveals how vividly the specter of racism remains in America… STILL.

Celebrating Sparky: Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts
May 21, 2022 – October 23, 2022
This exhibition celebrates the centennial of Schulz’s birth and highlights the lasting legacy of his life and work. Schulz’s own words guide visitors to explore the themes of friendship, connectedness, unrequited love, and insecurity that made the strip resonate with so many fans.

Special Events at Billy Ireland

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.

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.

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/

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