Our Vision
Believing that artists aren’t made by accident, and that to become an artist requires a study of history, culture and technique as well as personal engagement with active practitioners, we are dedicated learning through structured curricula and personal mentorship.
Believing that comics/sequential art has become one of the most dominant art forms in our culture and recognizing that the integration of words and imagery is essential to nearly every advertisement, and a part of the process of every film, video and video game, and that the sequence of ideas is at the heart of every dramatic and persuasive art, we offer a core grasp of comics/sequential art will allow a person to navigate our complex media world, to participate in it where desirable, and to decode it where necessary. We do not teach a style, we teach the principles of a unique and flexible storytelling language that students can continue to explore and develop for the rest of their lives.
Believing that education should be affordable and also experiential, we have settled in Gainesville, Florida, where students can find movies, bookstores, theaters, rock shows, cheap food and housing, sunny days, bike paths, egrets, lizards, free yoga at the library, free lunches on the UF campus, organizations and ad hoc sub communities within communities. It’s a welcoming place that rewards initiative and engagement. In addition, we mandate field trips and require on-site drawing, writing and sketching practices.
Believing that teaching and learning are inextricably linked and community-building endeavors promotes universal good will, all students are encouraged to teach at least one workshop at a local public school, library or community center.
Believing that a fully-rounded artist is capable of appreciating and understanding a variety of art forms, we feature small workshops/lectures in other applied arts. From watercolor to opera to cooking to theater arts, we seek to expose the student to as much of the artistic world as possible, and to help them form a personal understanding of the interdisciplinary value of all creative art and storytelling. For more, see the Mission Statement
Staff
Tom Hart
Founder and Executive Director
Tom Hart is the creator of the Hutch Owen series of graphic novels and books, and has been a core instructor at New York City’s School of Visual Arts for 10 years, teaching cartooning to undergraduates,working adults and teens alike. Among his students were Dash Shaw, Sarah Glidden Box Brown and other published cartoonists like Leslie Stein, Jessica Fink, Nicole Virella, Tintin Pantoja, Yali Lin, Josh Bayer, Brendan Leach and many others. His own work has been nominated for all the major industry awards; his The Collected Hutch Owen was nominated for best graphic novel in 2000. He was an early recipient of a Xeric Grant for self-publishing cartoonists, and has been on many best-of lists in the Comics Journal and other comix publications. He has been called “One of the great underrated cartoonists of our time” by Eddie Campbell and “One of my favorite cartoonists of the decade” by Scott McCloud. His daily Hutch Owen comic strip ran for 2 years in newspapers in New York and Boston, and his “Ali’s House”, co-created with Margo Dabaie was picked up by King Features Syndicate. He has taught comix and sequential art at schools and institutions all around New York City for 10 years, and has conducted week-long workshops from Maine to Hawaii. In addition to constant comix practice and work, he has studied drama, acting and improvisation in New York and sees creating the Sequential Artists Workshop as the next step of his teaching and learning career.
Tom Hart’s website
Mid-career critical analysis in The Comics Journal
Student Testimonials
Leela Corman
Leela Corman studied painting, printmaking and illustration at Massachuesettes College of Art. Her book, Queen’s Day earned her a Xeric Award in 1999 and was called “Music to my eyes” by Scott McCloud. She has created two more graphic novels including the newest Unterzakhn, to be published in 2012 by Schocken/Pantheon. In her successful illustration career, she has illustrated books for major publishers on crafts, fashion, gardening, dating and other topics. She is also an accomplished bellydancer and bellydance instructor. Her website is www.leelacorman.com
Dan Stepp
Daniel Stepp received his M.F.A. in painting from the New York Academy of Art.
He has exhibited in Florida, New York, Canada, and around the U.S. His paintings have been described as American genre. Subjects that his paintings explore are: tools and technology, gender roles in labor, corporate branding, and the transference of myth and archetype onto genre activities.
His comic-book series, Humungous Man, humorously playing with myth and archetype, was published by Alternative Comics from 1995-1997.
Interview with Dan Stepp
Dan Stepp’s website
Supporting and visiting faculty to be announced.
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