Winters are a rough time for geeks and nerds from all walks of life to find a place to call home. Most of the heavy hitting conventions stretch from March through October, tapering off around the holidays and creating a three-month gap. Thankfully, for New Yorkers, we’ve got an answer: Fanfaire, happening February 24-25, 2018.
Fanfaire is a brand new festival taking place in the heart of New York City at the High School of Art & Design in Midtown East. The festival has been cultivated by the high school’s PTA and has pulled in an array of talent that you probably won’t find at any other convention.
Special guests include Dwarven Forge founder, Stefan Pokorny, cartoonist Mike Holmes, writer Christa Pagliei, and so many more. Many of the guests are High School of Art & Design alum and spread across all categories of the creative arts.
Along with guests, attendees will have a chance to sit in on panels, participate in a cosplay contest, and can even sit down for a rumbling round of D&D. Fanfaire is definitely shaping up to fit its tagline: “not another comic con.”
The sweetest part? Fanfaire has partnered with Paramount to provide a nice perk to those who purchase their online tickets early. Tickets purchased between now and Feb 21st will receive a link to sign up for a special screening of the Annihilation Movie taking place the evening of the 21st. Seats are limited and offered on a first-come-first-served basis so be sure to act fast. You can learn more and grab tickets HERE.
Below you will find the full press release. We will be on the ground next weekend covering the events as they happen, so come join us.
High School of Art and Design to present first annual
FANFAIRE
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (February 15, 2018) – The High School of Art and Design is proud to announce the launch of its first annual Fanfaire event to be held over the weekend February 24-25, 2018.
Fanfaire will celebrate creativity, entrepreneurship, and technology in the arts from cartooning and animation to architecture and fashion. This event will draw over 125 exhibiting artists and vendors as well as award-winning guest speakers who will offer lectures about their careers and artistic processes and conduct workshops and portfolio reviews. Confirmed participants to date are D&D Master, Stefan Pokorny; Animator, Chrissy Fellmeth; Toy Sculptor, Dave Cortes; Comic book illustrator, Mike Holmes, and Ron Wilson.
The PTA created Fanfaire in its mission to provide funding for high-quality art programs and prepare students for academic success and careers as professional commercial artists. This platform will allow students of an art-centric high school access to the best of the global entertainment and technology industries that have relatable content with their futures in mind.
“This event will solidify Art and Design’s role in hosting major events associated with their area of expertise and will become a harbinger for future partnerships with the PTA in raising significant funds for our students. This is potentially the biggest event we have hosted at our school; we are both grateful and honored to have this opportunity,” says the school’s principal, Manuel Ureña. “The eclectic collection of opportunities to meet industry leaders in the realm of cartooning impacts all of our majors and allows our students to make real-life connections to their field; animation, film, photography, fashion, illustration, architecture, and graphic design.”
Sponsors of the event include Appel Farm Arts Camp, Titmouse, Artist & Craftsman, and Microsoft, who will be providing workshops and interactive exhibits for attendees, as well as Paramount Pictures who are sponsoring an art contest to win tickets and a prize bundle for the movie Annihilation starring Natalie Portman.
ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
The mission of the High School of Art & Design is to inspire, educate, and fully prepare our gifted students to become exceptional artists. Through a unified curriculum that incorporates a broad spectrum of disciplines integrating art, technology, and academics, students are prepared to go on to college and careers with industry-standard mastery in the major of their choice. With a commitment to promoting strong ethical values and professional demeanor, HSA&D fosters a sense of community among students, staff, and parents. We are dedicated to engendering students’ productive, creative and innovative participation in the world of visual arts as concerned and caring citizens of the global community. Some notable Alumni of HSA&D include Neal Adams, Eric Carr, Denys Cowan, Alex Toth, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Art Spiegelman.
For more information about FANFAIRE, please visit https://www.fanfaireisfor.me.
English