COLUMBUS, Ohio, — Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) is a FREE, city-wide, four-day arts festival hosted every year by people and places with a passion for cartoon arts. CXC connects the global family of cartoon storytellers, comic makers, and animators with the people who love and are inspired by their art. This year’s festival will take place September 26 – 29 at a variety of venues throughout Columbus, Ohio.
At a reception at Seventh Son Brewing Company Tuesday evening, CXC unveiled its artwork for the tenth festival. Cartoonist Evan Salazar joins an exclusive roster of artists who were chosen to design the official poster and artwork for Cartoon Crossroads Columbus.
“I am honored to have been asked to draw the poster for CXC’s tenth year. I wanted to highlight CXC’s dedication to the arts by visualizing a cartoonist’s world coming to life around them, a smorgasbord of colors and movement meant to inspire and comfort our intrepid artist and his pet pal,” says Evan, “I also want to thank Jeff Smith for his trust with the assignment: “Draw whatever you want” were his words, proving the artist-first ethos of CXC aren’t just for show. They’re for real.”
“This year’s festival poster, a fantastic creation by Evan Salazar, perfectly captures the spirit of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus,” said Jeff Smith, co-founder of CXC and the acclaimed graphic novelist behind Bone. “Evan’s art emphasizes the boundless potential of comics as a storytelling medium. It reminds us that comics aren’t confined to a single genre – they can be vehicles for superhero adventures, political satire, or anything your imagination can conjure. From laugh-out-loud humor to heart-wrenching drama, comics have the power to tell any kind of story, and CXC celebrates that incredible diversity.”
Evan Salazar is a cartoonist originally from Tucson, Arizona. His main project is the self-published comic book Rodeo, which explores the secret passageways that connect memory, imagination, and family. Salazar was awarded the Emerging Talent Award at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus 2023, was the recipient of a 2020 MICE Mini-grant, founded the Tucson Comix Club, and has presented his work at comics festivals across the United States
About Cartoon Crossroads Columbus
CXC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that draws together Columbus educational and arts organizations including the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus College of Art & Design, the Columbus Museum of Art, the Columbus Metropolitan Library, The Laughing Ogre, GFC: Gateway Film Center, Pop Culture Studies at Ohio State University and AAEC: Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.
The festival is generously supported by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, White Castle, UBS, Columbus Dispatch / Dispatch.com, Ohio Arts Council, Orange Barrel Media, WCBE and Seventh Son Brewing Co.
Special Guests Underwritten with support from Drawn & Quarterly, Ohio State Energy Partners, OSU Institute for Japanese Studies and Avery Hill Publishing.
CXC aims to provide an international showcase for the best of cartoon art in all its forms, including comics, animation, editorial cartoons, newspaper strips, and beyond, in a city that is a growing center of importance to comics and cartooning. The festival also focuses on helping the next generation of young talent develop careers that invigorate the industry for years to come.
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