12/02/2007 13:01:03 - ToonSeum Honors Morrie Turner
February may be the year's shortest month, but that isn't stopping Creators Syndicate cartoonist,
Morrie Turner of
Wee Pals, from making it a memorable one.
Turner is slated to appear at the
ToonSeum in Pittsburgh on February 16 where he will be honored by the museum in its celebration of Black History Month, as well as participate in a panel discussion about African Americans in comics and editorial cartoons.
You can see recent examples of Turner's work on the
Wee Pals page.
The ToonSeum is not only honoring
Turner, but exhibiting his pioneering work as well. The exhibit, which began Jan 19 and runs through the rest of February showcases the illustrious comic's 43-year career as the first African American cartoonist to achieve national syndication.
Turner changed the face of cartooning in 1965 with the birth of his groundbreaking comic,
Wee Pals - the first syndicated comic to offer an integrated cast of characters.
Since its inception,
Wee Pals and likewise
Turner have helped pave the way for other African American cartoonists such as
Charlos Gary and
Stephen Bentley as well as opened up a forum for diversity in the comics pages.
The exhibit, which closes Feb 28 is made possible by Jean Schulz (widow of "Peanuts" creator Charles M. Schulz); the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center in Santa Rosa, Calif.; the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh; Rose Marie McDaniel (widow of comic writer and cartoon collector Mark Cohen); the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco; and The ToonSeum Drawing Board Fund.
The ToonSeum is located at: the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, 10 Children’s Way, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.
