BU Faculty, Students, and Alums Showcase Comics in Venice Exhibitions
On view at A + A Gallery, American Comics for All Generations celebrates the uncelebrated narratives of US history and Reframing the Everyday: Emerging Voices in Comics narrates the shared human experience of everyday life
BU Faculty, Students, and Alums Showcase Comics in Venice Exhibitions
On view at A + A Gallery from October 1 through 29, American Comics for All Generations celebrates the uncelebrated narratives of US history and Reframing the Everyday: Emerging Voices in Comics narrates the shared human experience of everyday life.
Boston University continues to be a global force as BU’s comics community heads to Venice, Italy this fall. From October 1 – 29, BU Art Galleries, in collaboration with BU College of Fine Arts, BU School of Visual Arts’ Visual Narrative program, BU Office for the Arts, and BU Department of History of Art & Architecture, proudly present two comics exhibitions at A + A Gallery, running currently with the Venice Biennale.
American Comics for All Generations is a group exhibition that brings together seven celebrated comics artists with distinct and influential styles, including BU visual narrative faculty members Joel Christian Gill, associate professor of art; chair of graduate studies in visual narrative; Paul Karasik, lecturer in art; and Cathy G. Johnson, lecturer in art.
“Under President Melissa Gilliam’s leadership, BU is investing in the arts, convergence, the student experience, and global networks. This Venice exhibition is an example of all four in harmony,” says Harvey Young, Dean Emeritus, College of Fine Arts; Interim Vice President for the Arts, Boston University.
The show presents a range of works, including children’s literature, coming-of-age, and speculative fiction for adults, with illustrations and text in comic books and graphic novels that drive the story forward, creating dynamic pages that bring together literary and visual storytelling. United by the common artistic technique of creating a narrative in panels, these artists present stories that celebrate Black history, gender identity, and cultural expression in their art.
Reframing the Everyday: Emerging Voices in Comics features the works of CFA alums Sandeep Badal (CFA’24), Marina Hor-Meyll (CFA’26), Gabriel Joy Reid (CFA’25), Emma Varteresian (CFA’26), and Dajia Zhou (CFA’24). By incorporating elements of magical realism, humor, and whimsy into their practice, these emerging artists use comics to narrate a shared human experience, showcasing comics concerned with facets of everyday life.
Young adds, “I met with the curatorial team as they were building this exhibition. They are impressive, visionary collaborators with a joyful passion for the history and future of visual art.”
Under President Melissa Gilliam’s leadership, BU is investing in the arts, convergence, the student experience, and global networks. This Venice exhibition is an example of all four in harmony.
AMERICAN COMICS FOR ALL GENERATIONS
1st Floor of A + A Gallery
The exhibition is curated by BU Art Galleries Curatorial Assistants Katelyn Howerton (GRS’27) and Holly Teti (GRS’27), both MA in History of Art and Architecture candidates.
In American Comics for All Generations, many of the exhibiting artists have chosen to illustrate what Gill calls the “uncelebrated narratives” of the United States’ history. These artworks are examples of how comics celebrate diverse perspectives and reach readers of all backgrounds.
“Visitors will discover a diverse collection of comics celebrating Black history, gender identity, and cultural expression—spanning children’s coming-of-age stories and adult speculative fiction. They will also have the opportunity to discover the behind-the-scenes work of creating comics through unpublished sketches, in-progress works, and educational materials,” says Katelyn Howerton (GRS’27), one of the show’s curators. “The curation process was a long but rewarding collaborative effort between myself, my co-curator Holly Teti, BU Art Galleries, and of course, the amazing artists we are highlighting. It has been a surreal experience to apply my background in Art History and my work as a second-year Gallery Assistant at BU Art Galleries to curating an exhibition abroad. It has been a privilege to witness our initial concept evolve and come to fruition within the rich artistic community of Venice.”
It has been a surreal experience to apply my background in Art History and my work as a second-year Gallery Assistant at BU Art Galleries to curating an exhibition abroad. It has been a privilege to witness our initial concept evolve and come to fruition within the rich artistic community of Venice.
A majority of the works in the show are pulled from published books, serving as snapshots of expansive artistic projects that include thousands of drawings and countless hours of labor. However, there are many different ways to make a comic. Some artists adapt historical narratives or literary novels into comics, some tell personal stories through memoir, and some have created entire universes of their own. The last section of the exhibition, featuring artists Karasik and Johnson, celebrates the behind-the-scenes work of creating a comic through unpublished sketches, in-progress works, and educational materials.
Together, these artworks show the range of audiences that comics reach. The artists in this exhibition create stories for young children, middle-grade readers, and adults. These stories remind us that comics are for everyone, and will continue to teach and inspire generations to come.
Joel Christian Gill, Pages from Fights: One Boy’s Triumph Over Violence, 2020
Joel Christian Gill, Pages from Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, 2014
REFRAMING THE EVERYDAY: EMERGING VOICES IN COMICS
2nd Floor of A + A Gallery
The exhibition is curated by BU Art Galleries Curatorial Assistants Allegra Davis (GRS’26) and Emily Nootbaar (GRS’26), recent MA in History of Art and Architecture graduates.
Comics in their many forms are powerful tools of storytelling and connection. The content of Reframing the Everyday: Emerging Voices in Comics, a BU alum-led exhibition, ranges widely, from meditations on body image, friendship, and public space to reminiscences on formative childhood experiences and the hazards of a new apartment.
While each artist brings their own background and signature voice to the medium, these comics all seek to locate the unexpected in the everyday. In styles both complementary and distinct, their works excavate the details of their own inner worlds, reframing the chaos and coping that make up daily life for us all.
Gabriel Joy Reid, My Wizard of Oz Story (selection), 2025, Digital
GALLERY INFO
A + A Gallery
Calle Malipiero, 3073, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy
Metropolitan City of Venice
| Friday | 3 – 6PM |
| Saturday | 3 – 6PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 3 – 6PM |
| Thursday | 3 – 6PM |
ABOUT BU ART GALLERIES
BU Art Galleries animates the cultural life of Boston University by exhibiting inclusive, dynamic art that encourages learning and appreciation for the visual world.
There are two primary exhibition spaces: Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery (Stone Gallery) on the first floor of 855 Commonwealth Ave, and 808 Gallery located at 808 Commonwealth Ave.
All exhibitions at BU Art Galleries are free and open to the general public.
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With more than 34,000 students, it is the fourth-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University’s research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. Learn more at bu.edu
Boston University Art Galleries serves as a resource of learning and cultural engagement for Boston University and the surrounding metro area. The galleries maintain ongoing rotating exhibitions that allow for a wide scope of art to be featured from all ranges of mediums and artists. Part of the College of Fine Arts, the Boston University Art Galleries maintains an ongoing exhibition schedule in two locations on the University’s Charles River Campus—the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery and 808 Gallery. The galleries are free and open to all. BU Art Galleries animates the cultural life of Boston University by exhibiting inclusive, dynamic art that encourages learning and appreciation for the visual world. Exhibiting or promoting a work of art does not represent Boston University’s endorsement of the ideas, opinions or views expressed by the artist. Learn more at bu.edu/art
Established in 1954, Boston University College of Fine Arts (CFA) is a community of artist-scholars and scholar-artists who are passionate about the fine and performing arts, committed to diversity and inclusion, and determined to improve the lives of others through art. With programs in Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts, CFA prepares students for a meaningful creative life by developing their intellectual capacity to create art, shift perspective and think broadly. CFA offers a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, as well as a range of online degrees and certificates. Learn more at bu.edu/cfa
Boston University’s MFA in Visual Narrative integrates the long-standing fine arts tradition of the CFA School of Visual Arts with sequential art storytelling practices, allowing students the opportunity to craft stories that integrate written and visual language.
Boston University Office for the Arts ensures that the arts are fundamental to every Terrier by developing, supporting, and celebrating University-wide programs that advance community-building through the arts, encourage interdisciplinary arts teaching and research, and highlights diverse artists and forms of artistry. Learn more at bu.edu/arts
The Department of History of Art & Architecture at Boston University grants BA, MA, and PhD degrees in the history of art and architecture as well as a Certificate in Museum Studies. Faculty expertise spans the full range from antiquity to the present and virtually worldwide, allowing us to offer a global curriculum in the history of art and architecture. Our location in Boston also brings with it the opportunity to benefit from the world-class museums of Boston, Cambridge, and the greater metropolitan area. Learn more at bu.edu/haa