In 2019, Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos created the Lightbox Expo, an International Celebration of the Arts. Upon it’s completion, they started making plans for 2020 and how they could improve upon their maiden event. Unfortunately, like everyone at that time, the Covid Pandemic over-ruled any initial plans they had. However, in the true spirit of the show must go on, they adapted and turned it into LightBox Expo Online. Full of great virtual panels and guests along with a fully Navigable Virtual Artist Alley.
Fast forward to this year and the LightBox Expo has been expanded to six talent laden days. Running from September 7th through the 12th, there will be more than a hundred hours of programming featuring Talented Artists from Around the World. In addition, there will still be the popular virtual artist alley with more time set aside to explore them and their works. But that’s not all.
The Six Day Event also includes the 2021 Concept Art Awards Show. This event will shine a spotlight on the talent and the important role of Concept Artists in the Entertainment Industry. This was all highlighted in this Press Release:
The 2021 LightBox Expo Online (LBXO)
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.
Bobby Chiu
“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.”
The 3rd Annual Concept Art Awards
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.
Jim Demonakos
“Each year, the Concept Art Awards is a highlight of Light Box Expo,” said Convention Director, Jim Demonakos. “We’re thrilled to be able to present LBXO and the Concept Art Awards again while we are still cognizant of the ongoing pandemic We’re especially happy to be able to bring people from around the globe who wouldn’t necessarily be able to travel to California to create a memorable weekend celebrating art.”
Bringing the world to one place is key for LBXO, so utilizing browser-based technology, attendees can navigate a 3D virtual show floor featuring over 300 artists from across the globe. Participants hail from Belgium, Chile, Ireland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Germany, Poland, Japan, Australia, Iran, Peru, Russia, Kuwait, France, Taiwan, New Zealand, Jamaica, the United States and many other countries.
Registration for LightBox Expo Online begins on August 16th and is open to anyone with an internet connection worldwide! There are four tiers for attendees to choose from. As little as $2 gets you access to the whole weekend, while the highest tier, $45, gets you a t-shirt from award winning animator Eliza Ivanova, as well as a one-of-a-kind enamel pin, plus a digital goodie bag and much more!
The Concept Art Association was founded by Creative Recruiter Rachel Meinerding and Producer and Co-Founder of the BRIC Foundation, Nicole Hendrix. Sponsors for the 2021 Concept Art Awards Presented by LightBox Expo include Artstation, Adobe, Wacom, Legacy Effects, Costume Designers Guild Local 892, The Animation Guild Local 839, Art Directors Guild Local 800, the College for Creative Studies, ImagineFX Magazine, Gnomon School of VFX + Animation, Schoolism, ArtCenter College of Design, and more.
Some of the Events Scheduled Include:
The Mitchells vs. The Machines: Inventing a Visual Style
Join visual effects supervisor Mike Lasker and head of character animation Alan Hawkins as they discuss the challenges and successes of developing an all-original visual style for the latest release from Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks: THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES, streaming now on Netflix.
Walt Disney Animation Studios: Creating Kumandra through Collaboration
Join Production Designer Paul Felix, Environment Modeling Supervisor Eric Provan and Environment Look Development Supervisor Benjamin Min Huang in a panel discussion about creating the land of Talon for Raya and the Last Dragon from visual development through asset production.
The Collaboration Between Art & Animation on LUCA
Go behind the scenes with Animator, Jennifer Migita and Art Director, Deanna Marsigliese as they give a behind the scenes look at the collaboration between the Art and Animation departments on Pixar’s LUCA.
Inside the Art of Baobab Studios
Go behind the scenes with 8-time Emmy® winners Baobab Studios, the leading interactive animation studio, as they share never-before-seen concept art, character explorations, and stories from their award-winning films including Crow: The Legend, Baba Yaga, and Namoo.
Forging Your Artistic Journey
Join Master Storyteller, Concept Artist, and Filmmakers: Iain McCaig (Lucasfilm/Marvel Studios), Armand Baltazar (Pixar/Disney/DreamWorks) and Paul Tobin (Weta Workshop) as they share their advice and insights from a career spent in the entertainment industry and reflect on how those experiences shaped and inspired their own creative projects.
Character Design Cage Match
Join twin Disney animators and podcasters, Tom and Tony Bancroft as they host the exciting LIVE “Character Design Cage Match” game show. YOU will suggest what 3 LEGENDARY CHARACTER DESIGNERS have to draw and help the Bancrofts decide who is the ULTIMATE WINNER! Prizes will also be awarded to the “crowd” for correct guesses from trivia contests throughout the challenge. Are you ready to RUMBLE..?
Directors Round Table
Directors Domee Shi (Bao), Maggie Kang (K-Pop: Demon Hunters), Jill Culton (Abominable), Dice Tsutsumi (The Dam Keeper), Erick Oh (ONI), Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and Shannon Tindle (Ultraman) join our first ever LIVE Directors round table discussion, moderated by Maureen Fan.
Costume Design Drawing Jam!
This group of artists certainly know how to dress to impress! Join artists, Phil Boutte Jr., Mike Uwandi, Griz Lemay, Karla Ortiz, Kei Acedera, & Imogene Chayes, for this costume design drawing jam!
Storytelling Round table with the Pros
Join this Story Artist Roundtable with Vaughn Ross (Supervising Director, Warner Bros), Stephanie Gonzaga (Director, Warner Bros), Alex Chiu (Director, Warner Bros), and Chad Pickrel (Freelance Story Artist), Spyros Tsiounis (Dreamworks, Lucasfilm). StoryboardArt host, Sergio Paez, leads the talk on the latest trends and ways to succeed in the film industry.
Krabby Patty Secret Formula
A history and look into the special sauce behind the Spongebob Squarepants franchise. Join Co-EPs Marc Ceccarelli, Vincent Waller, and Jennie Monica as they explore the history and evolution of the iconic series, and look froward into the new stories being told in Kamp Koral and The Patrick Star Show.
Asian American Badass Animation Directors
“Kung Fu Panda” 2 and 3 and “Love, Death & Robots” director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, DWA director Stephanie Stine, Netflix’s “Centaurworld” EP/creator Megan Nicole Dong discuss their career paths, what being Asian-American means to them, their parents’ influence, how they learned to “take space” to turn their vision into a reality, and how recent anti-Asian sentiment has impacted them.
Design To Manufacture Ghost In The Shell
A deep dive into the thoughts and processes behind bringing Major’s Thermoptic suit to life in Ruper Sanders’ “Ghost in the Shell” featuring Adam Middleton, Rebekah Tisch and Flo Foxworthy.
If any of these events sounds like something you want to check out, the cost is very manageable and opens the door to all this and more.
For more information, please visit www.lightboxexpo.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Inquiries regarding participating in the event may be directed to [email protected].
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
