Teen comic convention highlights budding artists
Comicbooks, cartoons, and anime came to life at the latest Young at ArtMuseum Teen Comic Convention.
In its 11th year since it first started, the event has served to bring the spirit of Comic Con to a youth-centered environmentwith video game stations, art vendors and cartooning live demonstrations, among other activities.
This year’s event featured 36 young artists in ages ranging from 12 to 19.
Marie Berlin, manager of the YAAInstitute, said bigger conventions tend to focus on established, professional artists. This is then the museum’s attempt to put the spotlight on upcoming talent.
“We are working with the emerging youthwhoare really the budding artists who are going to come up and be the next generation,” Berlin said. “To have this place and this venue and an outlet to do that where you’re among your peers and valued by an audience is really special.”
Hailee Bergman, a student at South Plantation High School, was one of the featured artists that has previously participated in the teen comic con. The 15-year-old has been going to themuseum as a camper since kindergarten. She eventually became a volunteer and is now involved in the digital art program.
“Usually, I'm in school and I'm bored and I'm like, ‘Ugh, I guess I'll draw,’ but here, I just draw because I have time and I can,” Bergman said. “I eventually started making art that I deemed good enough to sell when I was old enough.”
Alot of herwork featured some of her favorite cartoon characters, such as StevenUniverse. Bergman shared a booth with her mom, Jaimee, who turned her prints into wearable art as jewelry and keychains.
“It’s overwhelming just to see how much she’s grown over the years and putting the ideas together and just having that in common with your child,” Jaimee said. “It’s become a tradition.”
Bergman has been learning under Rob Cabrera, an Emmy Award-winning artist in residence at the museum.
Cabrera has noted that her artwork has evolved to the point where she is now creating her own universes and characters. He added that events like the teen comic con are necessary to show young artists like Bergman the commercial side to the industry
and howto get their originalwork out there.
“It’s very important to introduce them to kind of like the convention atmosphere because this
is where they learn to actually sell themselves to the general public,” Cabrera said. “If they wanted to turn this into a career, if they wanted to make a living out of it, thiswould be one of theways that theywould do it.”
junreyes@sun-sentinel.com