The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) was a museum in New York dedicated to comic books, comic strips, graphic novels and other forms of cartoon art. It hosted a wide range of events including workshops, classes, lectures, presentations, and more.
MoCCA Fest was conceived as an annual fundraiser for the Museum. It was first held from June 20-23, 2002 at the historic Puck Building in the Nolita Neighborhood of Manhattan. Th event brought together over 2,000 comic artists, editors, publishers and enthusiasts. Alternative newsweekly The Village Voice named it the “Best Small-Press Comics Nexus Anywhere”.
Unfortunately, despite being a popular independent comic book convention, MoCCA Fest failed as a fundraising event. In 2012, the Museum had to close its physical location due to fundraising difficulties and transferred its assets to the Society of Illustrators. The Society took over the festival following their acquisition of the Museum and has been producing it since 2013.
Like most independent comics showcases, the MoCCA Arts Festival features hundreds of author and publisher booths on the exhibition floor, educational panel discussions, interviews, slide shows, workshops, seminars, presentations, lectures, film screenings, and other events and activities aimed at comic book enthusiasts and industry professionals alike. The 2-day event features about 400 artists and draws more than 7,000 attendees each year.
From 2002 to 2012, the MoCCA Festival presented the Klein Award (originally known as the MoCCA Festival Award) to an artist whose outstanding work elevated the comic art form. In 2013, when the Society of Illustrators took over the festival, it was replaced with the MoCCA Arts Festival Award of Excellence. It is presented to the most outstanding works showcased at the festival.
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