The much-anticipated third annual Rhode Island Independent Publishing Expo (RIPExpo), a weekend-long free festival celebrating self-published comics, books and zines, will take place on Saturday September 24th from 11AM to 4PM and Sunday September 25th from 12PM to 5PM at the Providence Public Library, and AS220, located at 225 Washington Street and 115 Empire Street, in downtown Providence.
The only event of its kind in Rhode Island, RIPExpo celebrates a diverse community of underground and small press artists on both a local and international scale. RIPExpo 2016 will bring together over 130 exhibitors to share their work in a vibrant live forum open to the public. Artists representing their own work and vendors from independent publishing houses will have a variety of books, comics, prints and affordable artwork for sale.
Artists’ talks and panel discussions featuring special guests and artists from across the country will take place onsite all weekend. A full programming schedule including workshops, live music and comic readings will be announced shortly.
Special guests this year include a range of celebrated Rhode Island locals, cherished veterans of Providence’s creative scene and and exciting out-of-town artists including:
- Cartoonist, storyboard artist and evil-teen-drawer-extraordinaire Hellen Jo (Los Angeles)
- Comics creator, publisher of the “poetic and personal” and comics mom Kevin Czap (PVD)
- Local poet, innovator, illuminator and Climate Anxiety Counselor Kate Schapira (PVD)
- Intergalactic comic publishers and risograph print studio Studio Peow!(Stockholm)
- Dirt Palace founder, genius tinkerer and artist of all trades Xander Marro (RPVD)
- Comic artist, writer, and New Orleans Comic and Zine Fest organizerBen Passmore (NOLA)
A full list of exhibitors is available online at www.ripexpo.com.
RIPExpo is free and open to the public thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Providence Public Library and the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts.
For more information or press materials, contact the organizational committee at:
ripepvd@gmail.com