An International Celebration of the Arts, a Fully Navigable Virtual Artist Alley with More Than a Hundred Hours of Programming featuring Artists from Around the World
The Six Day Event Also Includes the 2021 Concept Art Awards
Awards Show Shines a Spotlight on the Role of Concept Artists in the Entertainment Industry
(LOS ANGELES, CA – August 16, 2021) This September, celebrated character designer and illustrator Bobby Chiu (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) and Emerald City Comic Con founder Jim Demonakos are not only bringing back LightBox Expo Online (LBXO), their unique international virtual art event, but expanding it to six days! The event will be held at www.lightboxexpo.com from Tuesday, September 7 through Sunday, September 12.
Based on the acclaimed celebration of the visual arts, LightBox Expo will feature over 400 guests and more than 200 presentations in a multi-faceted experience for everyone from aspiring artists and students, to professionals and fans, with a focus on animation, illustration and concept art. Guests featured in the vast array of programming include a who’s who of talent includes Oscar winner Domee Shi (director of Bao, upcoming Turning Red), Phil Boutte Jr. (costume concept artist, Black Panther), Maggie Kang (director of K-Pop: Demon Hunters), Derek Thompson (story artist, Toy Story 4), Armand Serrano (background designer, What If…?), Jill Culton (director of Abominable), Carlos Grangel (character designer, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride) and hundreds of others.
“LightBox Expo Online 2020 was an amazing weekend of art and artistry during a challenging year,” said LBX Creative Director, Bobby Chiu. “We’ve come back this year with an event that is even bigger, better and broader in scope, encompassing almost a full week’s worth of programming and activities.”
On Saturday, September 11th at 6PM PST, LBXO will present the third annual Concept Art Awards, hosted by Aldis Hodge (Black Adam) and Krystina Arielle (Star Wars: The High Republic). The Concept Art Awards is produced by The Concept Art Association, an organization that focuses on elevating and raising the profile of concept artists, and remains the only award show of its kind to recognize and bring increased awareness to the role of concept artists throughout the world of entertainment.
During the event, artists will be honored for their artistic excellence in the Professional categories of Live-Action for Film and Series, Animation for Film and Series, Games, VR, and then Original Concepts/Independent, Student Work, and Fan Art. Art was submitted from projects such as: Soul, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Raya and The Last Dragon, Lovecraft Country, Mulan, WandaVision, Cyberpunk 2077, Loki, World of Warcraft and many more. You can view the 2021 Finalists here: https://www.conceptartassociation.com/
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Craig Mullins, a renowned Concept Designer, whom many call “The Godfather of Digital Painting” (Armageddon, Bioshock 2, Halo) and legendary prolific artist and Renaissance Man, Iain McCaig (Star Wars: Episode 1, 2 & 3, Avengers: Endgame). These Pioneers have not only pushed the concept art world forward, but are still actively working in the industry and mentoring the next generation of artists. The LBX Concept Art Luminary Award, celebrating a person from the concept art community who has made an impact with their artwork in the past year, will be presented to Andy Park for his beautiful work on WandaVision and Black Widow.
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