One of my favorite conventions/expos in 2019 was LightBox Expo. The 2019 show was their inaugural one, and after two years of virtual ones during the pandemic they are returning to an in-person event in October.
The event will take place at the Pasadena Convention Center (the site of their 2019 show), and will feature over 150 panels as well as the concept art awards show.
Some of the guests that have been announced so far include the co-director of Brave, Brenda Chapman, Everett Downing, Jr. (co-director of the Academy Award-winning Hair Love and director of the upcoming My Dad the Bounty Hunter), James Gurney (the creator of Dinotopia), concept design artist Mark “Crash” McCreery (Jurassic Park), Star Trek concept design artist Neville Page, and Dice Tsutsumi (co-director of the Academy Award-nominated The Dam Keeper and director of the upcoming Oni: Thunder God’s Tale).
Some of the other guests that caught my eye include Marvel Studio concept artists Andy Park, Anthony Francisco, Ryan Meinerding (and others I’m sure, their team is pretty big) as well as Brian Kesinger, C.B. Cebulski, Claire Hummel, Chris Sanders, Dustin Nguyen, Jen Bartel, Kris Anka, Mike Mignola, Sozomaika, and more!
We plan on attending again and hope to see some of you there as well! Tickets are now on sale.
More information is below courtesy of their press release.
LIGHTBOX EXPO RETURNS WITH OVER 500 GUESTS, INCLUDING THE CO-DIRECTOR OF BRAVE, THE CREATOR OF DINOTOPIA, THE CO-DIRECTOR OF HAIR LOVE, THE STAR TREK CONCEPT DESIGN ARTIST, AND MORE The Annual Celebration of The Arts Returns To Pasadena For the First Time Since 2019 with More Than 150 Panels and the Concept Art Awards
(LOS ANGELES, CA – September 26, 2022) Academy Award-winning co-director of Brave, Brenda Chapman, Everett Downing, Jr. (co-director of the Academy Award-winning Hair Love and director of the upcoming My Dad the Bounty Hunter), James Gurney (the creator of Dinotopia), concept design artist Mark “Crash” McCreery (Jurassic Park), Star Trek concept design artist Neville Page, and Dice Tsutsumi (co-director of the Academy Award-nominated The Dam Keeper and director of the upcoming Oni: Thunder God’s Tale) are among the 500 participants attending LightBox Expo 2022 this fall. This year marks the return of the acclaimed celebration of the arts to Pasadena, CA for the first time since the show’s inaugural year. LightBox Expo 2022 will be held from October 14-16, 2022, featuring more than 150 panels and the prestigious Concept Art Awards.
“We’re delighted to host LightBox Expo in person after two years of virtual events,” said celebrated character designer, illustrator and LightBox Expo’s Creative Director Bobby Chiu, who co-founded the event in 2019 with Jim Demonakos, one of the directors of the award-winning documentary Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters. “Throughout the pandemic, we experimented with ways to bring artists together online, including launching our popular LightBox Expo Discord channel. And while that’s been a rewarding experience for the LightBox Expo community which has grown internationally in ways we never could have imagined, there’s absolutely nothing like walking through an event filled with over 500 of the most talented artists, writers, and filmmakers working today.”
LightBox Expo is a multi-faceted experience for everyone from aspiring artists and students, to professionals and fans, with a focus on animation, illustration and concept art. The event organizers have announced a slate of more than 125 panels, with even more programming highlights to be announced closer to the show.
One of the show’s many highlights is The Concept Art Awards, an annual award ceremony designed to recognize and bring increased awareness of the role of concept artists throughout the world of movies, television, video games, and more. This year’s finalists include artists working on projects like Encanto, Turning Red, Dune, The Batman, Moon Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Apex Legends, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and award ceremony will be held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium with a live band. Among the recipients of this year’s Concept Art Awards Lifetime Achievement Award is Mary Blair, the legendary concept artist of films including Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella, who will posthumously receive the award on Saturday, October 15th. The 2022 Concept Art
Awards finalists can be viewed here: https://www.conceptartassociation.com/
Finalists for the professional categories include:
Animation: Encanto, Turning Red, Luck, Lightyear, Ron’s Gone Wrong, Vivo, The Sea Beast, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, Arcane, Maya and the Three, Wolfboy and the Everything Factory, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Star Trek Prodigy, The Cuphead Show!, Prehistoric Planet,
Live-Action: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange 2 in the Multiverse of Madness, The Batman, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Nope, Antlers, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, Reminiscence, Foundation, Moon Knight, Wheel of Time, Archive 81, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Cowboy Bebop
Video Games: The Cycle: Frontier, Lost in Random, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Apex Legends, GRIME, Source of Madness, The Tribes of Midgard, Deaths Door, Risk of Rain 2: Survivors of the Void, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Dying Light 2 Stay Human
“LightBox Expo was created in order to shine a spotlight on the creators behind your favorite animation, illustrations, games, and live action movies & TV shows, all under one roof,” said Jim Demonakos, LightBox Expo’s Convention Director. “This year’s event feels like a homecoming. After our debut event in 2019, we moved online, and we’re eager to get back together to celebrate the arts in person.”
Learn more about the Concept Art Association and the 2022 Concept Art Awards Presented by LightBox Expo by visiting their website or following them on Instagram. For more information about LightBox Expo, please visit www.lightboxexpo.com and follow them on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Discord.
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