September 19, 2007
News for Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits 2007:
MCAD builds on 'Shojo Manga!' fandemonium with 'Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits'
Annual workshop celebrates manga and anime arts, education, culture and fansMINNEAPOLIS--For the seventh consecutive year, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design is thrilled to present "Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits: Culture and Creation in Manga and Anime," an internationally recognized workshop dedicated to the study and celebration of Japanese comics and animation, from Friday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Sept. 30, 2007.
Created for manga and anime fans, students and scholars of all ages, Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits (SGMS) is packed with star guest speakers, manga classes and demonstrations, a fashion show, shopping at an "Otaku bazaar," professional and academic networking opportunities and much more. SGMS is also serious fun, as participants can opt to take the three-day workshop for a college credit.
SGMS 2007 builds on the momentum of this spring's wildly successful "Shojo Manga! Girl Power!" exhibition at MCAD Gallery, welcoming an amazing guest list including Anime Encyclopedia author Helen McCarthy, anime actor Crispin Freeman (Howl's Moving Castle) and Theresa M. Winge, scholar of the cultural phenomenon cosplay (costume-play) and Japanese street fashion.
This year's workshop also offers participants the rare opportunity to have their work viewed and evaluated by Jeremy Ross, editor at leading North American manga publisher Tokyopop. Other esteemed guests include MCAD alumna and published manga artist Tania del Rio, whose works were featured in MCAD's "Shojo Manga!" exhibition.
SGMS is founded and directed by Professor Frenchy Lunning, noted manga and anime scholar and comics historian who travels to Japan next year to study manga on a Fulbright fellowship; and Assistant Professor Barbara Schulz, professional comic artist whose credits include projects with DC, Marvel, Dark Horse and Image. Schulz teaches in MCAD's thriving Comic Art program, which is one of 14 majors offered in MCAD's Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program. MCAD alumna Barbara Guttman assists in the production of this popular program.
For more information on SGMS or to register online, visit www.mcad.edu/anime. The registration fee is $75 for an all-access pass valid all three days of the workshop. An undergraduate college credit is conferred to qualified students for an additional $525. The Otaku bazaar and fashion show are free and open to the public; a full schedule of events is also available at www.mcad.edu/anime.
IMAGES AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
Schoolgirls and Mobilesuits promotional images courtesy MCAD:
http://staff.mcad.edu/~kzimmerman/images/sgms1.jpg
http://staff.mcad.edu/~kzimmerman/images/sgms2.jpg
http://staff.mcad.edu/~kzimmerman/images/sgms3.jpg
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