Robyn Chapman Interview

I set out to interview someone behind the scenes at The Center for Cartoon Studies, a graduate school for comic artists. Robyn Chapman, a comic artist and an educator at the school, was kind enough to help me out. She answered my questions (I’m Dan Copulsky) in June 2010, by email.

How did you get involved in the Center for Cartoon Studies and what do you do at the school?

I am CCS’s Program Coordinator, and a faculty member.

As the Program Coordinator, I do a lot of tasks, but primarily I work with the faculty, students and staff to keep our programming running smoothly.

I also co-teach contemporary comics history with Steve Bissette, and guest instruct on a variety of topics.

I first became acquainted with James Sturm at the Savannah College of Art and Design, when he was a teacher and I was a student. I considered him a mentor, because he was publishing his own comics and telling his own stories. That set him apart among the SCAD faculty at that time. Years later, when I heard he was starting a cartooning school, I knew I wanted to be involved. I offered to move to Vermont and work for CCS, and he and Michelle hired me.

What’s an average week for a student look like, as far as classes, lectures, guest speakers, assignments, and anything else going on?

It really depends on whether you are a first year student, or a second year student. The first year is a our “boot camp” year, it’s very intense with a lot of classes and a lot of course work. In the second year, the students work more independently.

I’ll describe the week in the life of a first-year student. Classes are held Monday through Thursday and include: Life Drawing, Publication Workshop, Drawing Workshop, Reading and Writing Workshop, Survey of the Drawn Story, Cartooning Studio, and Visiting Artist Seminar. In Visiting Artist Seminar, students attend a lecture by a professional cartoonist (guests have included Chris Ware, Alison Bechdel, Charles Burns, Lynda Barry, and many, many more).

Our students learn a lot, and draw a lot. They have 24-hour access to our production lab, so many work there late into the night. Some students get together for late-night movie marathons in our classroom, while inking their homework.

If they’re not swamped with homework, a student might enjoy “25 Cent Wing Night” or karaoke night at our local pub. Or they might enjoy board game night or the weekly poker games. If they’re a fan of film, they’ll be sure to attend Steve Bissette’s Film Club, which screens obscure and unusual films weekly. If they want to exercise, they can join our weekly soccer games or aerobic classes. And there are plenty of parties—some of them are your typical college parties, some more creative in nature (like a chili cook-off, or super hero costume party). This is all to say, there are a lot of student activities that happen each week.

How competitive is getting admitted to CCS? Do you think being a unique program brings more attention to the school, or could it mean people don’t even realize a school for making comics is something they could consider?

It’s a competitive application process, since we only accept 24 students each year. We carefully review each student, to make sure they are a good fit for CCS (and vice versa).

We are a highly specialized school, so we tend to attract only students who are strongly compelled to create comics. If you’re not willing to put comics at the center of your life for a year or two, then CCS is not the program for you.

What does college education offer a contemporary cartoonist? Is it about the art skills? The connections? Learning the business?

I’d say all of the above, though our focus is on comics as medium, rather than an industry. We give our students the support they need to make great stories. That’s the most important thing they will do here—they will make stories.

Having said that, we also teach the professional aspects of cartooning. We have a whole class dedicated to that topic, called Professional Practices. We also have professional cartoonists visit every week, who lecture on how they built careers in comics. We have an annual Industry Day, when we bring publishers and editors into the classroom. And yes, there are great opportunities to make connections. Connections are important, but the learning experience is more important.

How helpful is the credential?

You mean, how helpful is graduating from CCS with a MFA or certificate?

There are few careers that require an MFA in cartooning. For those who want to teach cartooning, especially in higher education, it’s pretty essential. And because today’s job market is so competitive, having a masters will give you a leg-up. But having an MFA in cartooning does not automatically open the door to a successful career.

CCS gains prestige every year. People who aware of comics as an artform in this country are usually aware of CCS. The quality of our program, our faculty, and the work our students produce is getting noticed. I think this is is a more valuable credential than the diploma our students get when they graduate.

Like a studio art program for visual artists or a creative writing program for writers, CCS is a school for comic artists. Like an art history programs for art scholars or an literature program for literary scholars, do you think there could ever be a school devoted to the study—but not the practice—of comics?

I could see departments devoted to comics scholarship popping up in larger universities—that may be happening as we speak. I’d be surprised if a whole school devoted to comics scholarship opened in the near future. But I’d like to be proven wrong.

What do you learn from teaching comics?

I primarily teach comics history and graphic novel study. To teach, I have to do a lot of research and a lot of reading. It’s a big, never-ending history lesson for me.

But, looking at the bigger picture—teaching has shown me how comics communicate to my students. I’m learning which comics really engage my student, light a fire in them. And I’m learning how those comics work.

Robyn’s Website – un-pop.com
The Center For Cartoon Studies – cartoonstudies.org