Welcome to the ToonSeum

The ToonSeum, Pittsburgh Museum of Cartoon Art, is one of only three museums in the United State dedicated exclusively to the cartoon arts.

The ToonSeum features exhibitions or original comic and cartoon art, with new exhibits every two months.

Our giftshop carries unique comics and books related to the cartoon arts.


Monday, April 25, 2011

ToonSeum and Symphony present Alice in Wonderland inspired art

Join the ToonSeum at the Pittsburgh Symphony as they presented Twisted Storybook Favorites.


The ToonSeum will be onsite with a live mural illustration by artists Joe Wos and Steph Sciullo.
An exhibition and auction of Alice inspired works featuring original art by local cartoonists and artists. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the ToonSeum and Symphony.

Friends of the ToonSeum
Special Offer-Save up to 20% Off!

Twisted Storybook Favorites
Friday, May 6-8:00 PM
Sunday, May 8-2:30 PM

Leonard Slatkin, conductor
David Conrad, narrator
Hila Plitmann, soprano

Enjoy a satirical, hometown twist on an old favorite. Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Pittsburgh native David Conrad, has been rewritten with Steel Town flair. Final Alice presents a battle between opera and traditional concert music to give an unexpected point of view of the last two chapters of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Visit www.culturaldistrict.org
and use promo code 21635
to order tickets & save!

Monday, April 18, 2011

ToonSeum 2011 Summer Camps and Workshops

Sign up for all camps at http://www.eventbrite.com/org/334188055?s=3758149

ToonSeum Cartooning Mini Kids Camp.

Sign up now for the ToonSeum’s Kid's mini-camps, July 25th, 26th, and 27th from 9:30-12:00 each day. Children ages 6-12 are invited to be a part of these unique, hands-on cartooning classes, designed to inspire confidence, imagination, and development in children of any skill set.
Each day's lesson will focus on easy-to-follow cartooning basics and tips, featuring illustrated instructions and story performances with instructor Joe Wos.
All supplies are included. Sign up for a single camp, or all three at a discounted tuition.

Monday, July 25th: How to Toon Cartooning Basics
Learn the basic skills needed to create your own cartoon characters. Through simple line exercises and easy-to-follow step-by-step lessons, students will be amazed at their own skills and abilities. With a strong emphasis on character development through personality, costume, character relationships and plot, this class not only reinforces drawing skills, but provides students with logical formulas for visual storytelling.
Recommended for ages 6-12
Monday July 25th
9:30am-11:30am
Price $60
Members $50

Tuesday, July 26th: How to Toon Holiday Edition
Learn how to draw cartoons for all seasons and holidays!
Students will learn how to draw and develop characters and motifs for a variety of holidays. From the Easter Bunny to Uncle Sam, Santa Claus to Groundhogs, kids will create gift items, greeting cards, and more to provide for holidays and birthdays the whole year round.
Using simple step-by-step instructions, cartoonist Joe Wos will teach children how to create iconic characters for holidays while taking a light-hearted stroll through history … even making up a few new holidays of our very own.
Recommended for ages 6-12
Tuesday July 26th
9:30am-11:30am
Price $60
Members $50

Wednesday, July 27th: Monsters, Mazes and Cartoon Critters!
Dragons, dinosaurs, monsters, mazes and more! Cartooning instructor Joe Wos will lead the class in creating wild imaginative creatures in both pencil and clay! Students will hear the Folktale of the Squonk (the world’s ugliest creature) and make Squonks of their own. The second half of the lesson focuses on Joe's world-famous maze making skills as featured in Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Students will learn the tricks of creating brain-busting mazes while incorporating their own cartoon creations.
Recommended for ages 6-12
Wednesday July 27th
9:30am-11:30am
Price $60
Members $50

All three camps are $150
$125 for members


Superhero Training Academy!
Everybody has dreams of being a Superhero, fantasies of leaping over tall buildings, outracing jet planes, and saving the day with spectacular super-powers. But being a Superhero isn't just about having super-strength and fighting crime in your underwear.
Join us as we learn what it takes to be a real Superhero in the ToonSeum’s first ever Superhero Training Academy!
Students will begin the day by developing their very own Superhero design through a series of drawing lessons and costume creation. Then, strap on your utility belts for a series of problem-solving games and hands-on activities designed to strengthen super-strong wits! Our Super-recruits will meet with local local civic leaders to help solve the challenges that face our community and offer their skills toward making Pittsburgh a Super City.
Superhero Training Academy is designed to reinforce creativity and civic responsibility by exploring the basic moral codes of community activism, good citizenship, and personal fitness in a fun and challenging format. Students will meet real-life “Superheroes” including firefighters, police officers, and local politicians who work for the good of the people of Pittsburgh and will be asked to offer their solutions to the problems that face our city.
All heroes will receive a diploma from the ToonSeum Superhero Training Academy, a Superhero cape, mask, and design-it-yourself t-shirt, as well as all supplies needed for the day (students should bring a lunch).

Monday, July 18th
Ages 6-12
10am-2pm
Cost $125 non-members
$105 members

How to Toon Summer Camp: Capes, Cowls, and Cartoons



The ToonSeum is proud to offer Capes, Cowls and Cartoons, a new three day summer camp helping teen artists turn their super-ideas into superheroes. This intermediate level program is designed to refine penciling skills with lessons on drawing expressive anatomy, body structure, and action sequences, as well as character and costume design and panel layout. Students will also explore the history of superheroes through the ToonSeum's Superheroes: Icons and Origins exhibit, featuring original artwork from industry legends like Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, and Gene Colan. Capes, Cowls and Cartoons, instructed by comics artist Marcel Walker, will allow campers of varying skill levels to focus their abilities and imagination into the creation of their very own, one-of-a-kind superhero! Penciling, paper, and ink supplies are included with enrollment price. Space is limited.

ToonSeum of Pittsburgh

945 Liberty Avenue



August 1st-3rd , 2011

9:30am – 2:30pm

$275 non-member / $230 member (includes supplies)

Ages 12-17


Sign up before May 14th and receive an additional $25 early-bird discount!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Comic and cartoon fans get a room at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown!

Comic and cartoon fans get a room at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown!

The Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown and the ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s Museum of Cartoon Art, are happy to announce the creation of the ToonRoom!

In what is perhaps a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a hotel and non-profit museum, the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown and ToonSeum have partnered to create a themed room based on the popular Pittsburgh cartoon art museum attraction.

The ToonRoom will provide guests with a truly unique experience by providing a one of a kind in-room exhibition of comic and cartoon art. The room is decorated with original art featuring iconic characters, including comic strips, animation, and comic book art. ToonSeum Executive Director Joe Wos chose each piece for the ToonRoom, making this the first time a museum director has curated a hotel room!

The room will also feature comic books and graphic novels selected by the ToonSeum staff. A drawing desk and a guest sketchbook will be featured in the room as a way for guests to leave behind their own work to share with future guests of the ToonRoom.

As the newly named official hotel of the ToonSeum, Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown will provide guests staying in the room with a complete ToonSeum package, which includes passes to the ToonSeum and limited edition ToonSeum memorabilia. The special ToonSeum package is available for guests staying in standard hotel rooms, too, when the ToonRoom itself is occupied.

“We are ecstatic to work with the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown on this innovative approach to reach out to comic and cartoon fans,” said ToonSeum Executive Director, Joe Wos. “Their enthusiasm for the project has shown a real commitment in supporting the ToonSeum, and thinking outside the comic panel.”

The ToonRoom will be available for stays starting in April 2011.

“We are extremely proud to partner with the ToonSeum to provide a space that is an imaginative haven for artists, a mini-museum for cartoon fans, and an incomparable overnight destination for our community and visitors alike,” said Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown’s General Manager, Robert Lepore. “The ToonRoom is an explosion of creativity.”

For more information or to book your stay, visit www.WyndhamGrandPittsburgh.com or call 412-391-4600.

The ToonSeum is Pittsburgh’s Museum of Cartoon Art. It is located at 945 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh PA in downtown’s Cultural District just a few blocks from the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. The ToonSeum presents rotating exhibitions, screenings and programs featuring animation, comic strips, comic books, editorial and all genres and aspects of the comic and cartoon arts.
www.toonseum.org

Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown currently features 40,000 square feet of flexible function space, including Pittsburgh's largest hotel ballroom and a state-of-the-art conference center. The property employs almost 400 local residents and welcomes hundreds of conventions and special events each year. Additional information about Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown may be found on the company's website www.WyndhamGrandPittsburgh.com

Sunday, April 10, 2011

ToonSeum's Teen Summer Camp! Capes and Cowls!

How to Toon Summer Camp: Capes, Cowls, and Cartoons

The ToonSeum is proud to offer Capes, Cowls and Cartoons, a new three day summer camp helping teen artists turn their super-ideas into superheroes. This intermediate level program is designed to refine penciling skills with lessons on drawing expressive anatomy, body structure, and action sequences, as well as character and costume design and panel layout. Students will also explore the history of superheroes through the ToonSeum's Superheroes: Icons and Origins exhibit, featuring original artwork from industry legends like Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, and Gene Colan. Capes, Cowls and Cartoons, instructed by comics artist Marcel Walker, will allow campers of varying skill levels to focus their abilities and imagination into the creation of their very own, one-of-a-kind superhero! Penciling, paper, and ink supplies are included with enrollment price. Space is limited.
ToonSeum of Pittsburgh
945 Liberty Avenue
August 1st-3rd , 2011
9:30am – 2:30pm
$275 non-member / $230 member (includes supplies)
Ages 12-17
Supercamp.eventbrite.com