It is with very mixed feelings that the ToonSeum Board announces that Joe Wos, founder and executive director, will be leaving the ToonSeum to pursue new and exciting creative opportunities. Since 2007, Joe?s vision, leadership and boundless energy has propelled the ToonSeum from a tiny hallway in The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh into one of the leading venues in the U.S. for exhibiting and promoting comic and cartoon art.
During his time leading the museum, Joe successfully doubled the size of the gallery space and achieved a national and international reputation for Pittsburgh’s cartoon museum, one of only two like it in the country. He helped procure and curate over 70 comic art exhibitions, created educational outreach programs, launched a geek film series, and built a successful and profitable museum store, to name just a few of his successes.
In addition, Joe brokered new partnership programs and collaborative projects with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Charles M. Schulz Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum and many more local and national organizations. He also made significant contributions to the development and creation of the Pittsburgh Comic Arts Festival a public celebration held during the National Cartoonist Society’s annual meeting in Pittsburgh in 2013.
It’s hard for me to think of the Toonseum without Joe. He tells me he’s stepping away completely. From his Facebook page Joe says he’s leaving to concentrate on several projects including a maze book, exhibiting his work and writing.
I have had a lot of people ask… “what are you going to do?” There are a couple of answers, first and foremost I’m going to be a cartoonist and artist. So expect me to be putting a lot more of my work out there! I have some work already lined up that will give me a cushion to pursue other opportunities. I will be finishing up the Three Little Pigsburghers, and starting on a new book of my maze work. I anticipate doing a lot more with my mazes. I will be doing more exhibitions of my work in galleries nationwide. I am going to pursue performances with symphonies. I also will be doing more writing. Now that I am no longer “a public figure” I can say what I really think about a lot of things! lol. and most important and above all else, I will be spending time with my family.
Best of luck, Joe. I’m excited to see where your new paths take you.
