Behind the Scenes of MCAF: The Invitations
Through a series of articles, we invite you to take a peek behind the scenes of organizing the next edition of MCAF (Montreal Comic Arts Festival)!
After creating the annual poster, we turn our attention to the artist invitations.
Over 320 comic creators are expected at the 14th edition of MCAF this coming May!
Comic artists can participate in the Festival in three different ways:
- By receiving an invitation directly from the Festival. This is often the case for international guests, as well as artists from outside of the Greater Montreal, and it’s primarily these invitations we’ll discuss here.
- By receiving an invitation directly from their publisher.
- By registering as an exhibitor to secure a space at MCAF.
MCAF is a non-profit organization, and the costs associated with guest invitations are shared between the Festival, publishers, and our international partners. Depending on the artist’s country of origin or residence, certain programs help cover a portion of travel expenses.
The Selection Process
An initial list of guests is drafted during the summer, based on the edition’s theme. We take the opportunity to send out a few invitations early, especially to well-known comic artists located abroad.
In the Fall, after meeting with our exhibitors (mostly publishers, but also some distributors), the list of guests grows. Based on recent and upcoming releases, the publishing houses confirm which creators they would like to showcase at the Festival, and we discuss which artists will be invited in partnership or by them directly. The programming committee also contributes to the selection by suggesting some names.
“Choosing the artists to invite to the Festival is always an exciting moment. We try to make everyone happy. A lot of thought and love goes into the selection.” – Virginie Mont-Reynaud, Programming Director
The Final List
The list evolves based on new releases and the availability of comic artists. Sometimes, people are interested but heavily booked, whether due to commitments to other events or periods dedicated to creating new work. Increasingly, some also decline to come to Canada for environmental reasons.
MCAF’s goal is to offer a parity of artists, aligned with the publishers participating in the Festival and representatives of the current comic scene, including both established and emerging creators.
A Festival of Connections
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival brings together a large number of comic artists, creating a wonderful opportunity for exchange among them. We take advantage of the event to offer professional workshops and networking evenings. The opening night and Bédélys Awards ceremony, in particular, allows everyone to come together before the Festival officially begins.
These connections sometimes even lead to beautiful collaborations. For example, Pierre Lecrenier and Larry Tremblay met at MCAF several years ago, and they’re about to publish their second comic book together!
