![\"The](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_3181.jpg?resize=680%2C510\")
The Worlds Beyond Gallery Artists \/ Alamo City Comic Con 2016: Ruth Sanderson, Brom, Peter Mohrbacher, John Picacio, Todd Lockwood, and Jeffrey Alan Love. (Photo by Sara Felix \/ ASFA President)<\/p><\/div>\n
If you saw the Worlds Beyond Gallery<\/a> this weekend at Alamo City Comic Con<\/a>, you experienced something\u00a0that hasn\u2019t quite been done before at a major pop culture convention \u2014 a museum-level exhibition of original contemporary sf\/f artwork with the creators live and in-person all weekend, meeting fans and signing merchandise within a custom-built museum environment. True \u2014 there are amazing illustrator lineups at San Diego Comic Con, NYCC, and other major cons, but none of those experiences coupled the art and the talent with the architectural and spatial experience that was just produced within a media con like\u00a0ACCC, with the invaluable sponsorship support of\u00a0The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA)<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ruth Sanderson, Brom, Peter Mohrbacher, Todd Lockwood, Jeffrey Alan Love and I were the six artists featured, and wow, there was some artistic firepower on those walls and tables. I said it earlier today on Twitter, but I felt the world tilt a little after watching thousands of people flow through the walls of this exhibition this weekend, eyeballs popping wide, mouths agape. I saw thousands of people stunned by the work of illustrators creating their own intellectual properties and telling their own stories in words and pictures, and I saw those thousands spending money strong and steady\u00a0on this, instead of row after row\u00a0of knockoff licensed property art.<\/p>\n If you\u00a0weren\u2019t there, you truly missed one of the best sf\/f art happenings of 2016. From my vantage point, it was a joy to see my artist pals succeed. I loved watching Pete sell out of his ANGELARIUM\u00a0card decks.\u00a0I loved watching Brom sell out of all of his\u00a0books. I loved watching Jeff sell out his copies of NOTES FROM THE SHADOWED CITY. I loved watching Todd sell almost every copy of THE SUMMER DRAGON. I loved watching big gaps open up on Ruth\u2019s display as artworks sold to happy collectors. And I loved watching the first series of my\u00a0Loteria Grande cards completely sell out forever.<\/p>\n The camaraderie amongst the artists was one of my very favorite experiences of recent years. We helped each other. We rooted for each other. We ate and drank together. We talked shop together. The \u2018we\u2019 was bigger than the \u2018me\u2019. While the initial spark of this venture may have been my idea, it was teamwork that made the whole thing work. It was fun watching representatives of other conventions wonder how this was done, and ask what it would take to have\u00a0our lineup appear at their show with an experience like this.<\/p>\n After it was over, we ventured\u00a0to\u00a0the home of a world-class\u00a0sf\/f art collector here in SA, and it felt like we all went to church together, mesmerized by the\u00a0original\u00a0works of\u00a0Virgil Finlay, Richard Powers, Ian Miller, John Berkey, Don Maitz, Michael Whelan, Bernie Wrightson, J. Allen St. John, Ed Emshwiller, and so many more art legends. It took so much work to make Worlds Beyond Gallery\u00a0happen, but it was all worth it.<\/p>\n Where does something like this go from here? I don\u2019t know\u00a0yet, but I will soon. I\u2019m still assessing what just happened in the months leading into this show, as well as the show itself. I do think the key word is \u2018evolve\u2019. I purposely wanted this exhibition to celebrate the works of contemporary fantastic artists creating their own properties\u00a0and I know that was the right call, and it will continue to be the right call moving forward. Anything less than that is selling this short, within pop-culture convention environments starved for this kind of originality and art value. Major applause to Apple De La Fuente, Sara Felix, Austin Rogers, Wes Hartman, Merlin, Elaine Ryan, Becky Searson, Pete Barnstrom, Jose Guajardo and all of the people who helped make Worlds Beyond Gallery not only a reality, but an unqualified success for fans and artists alike. And most of all, thank you to all of the art\u00a0lovers\u00a0who experienced an sf\/f art happening that will likely reverberate for years to come.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you saw the Worlds Beyond Gallery this weekend at Alamo City Comic Con, you experienced something\u00a0that hasn\u2019t quite been done before at a major pop culture convention \u2014 a museum-level exhibition of original contemporary sf\/f artwork with the creators live and in-person all weekend, meeting fans and signing merchandise within a custom-built museum environment. 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