[Association of American Editorial Cartoonists President Pat Bagley will be handing over the mantle to Kevin Siers next week. In the meantime, here is his departing letter]
Dear Colleagues,
First, the good news. The long-awaited redesign of our new website is nearing launch and should be up sometime in January. (Buy Adam Zyglis a beer next time you see him and thank him for his work on getting this done).
More good news is our partnership with CXC will free up the AAEC President and Board to attend to matters important to members…
Unfortunately these are troubling times.
It’s clear that the AAEC is at an inflection point. Continuing business as usual is not sustainable…
The Board also recognizes that we need to expand our fund raising efforts…
We have opportunities for growth through greater inclusion. There are a lot of younger cartoonists doing great work out there—they just don’t know they’re political cartoonists…
Closing comment:
Perhaps the best way to create public interest in cartooning may also be one that costs nothing. Reposting a colleagues’ work on social media is good for all of us. Be generous with that share button. Besides educating people about our product it also tends to create demand for of what we’re all selling.
Pat Bagley,
AAEC President
Read Pat’s full letter at the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists‘ (soon to be redesigned) website.
I’m always shocked how rarely you see cartoonists post their colleagues’ work. It would seem the easiest way to cross pollinate the readership. Why don’t they? Jealousy? Fear? competition? Whatever it is, they need to starts doing it more. Not just editorial cartoonists. Imagine if Jim Davis and his 18 million FB followers were recommended Wallace the Brave or Macanudo? It could significant;y boost their audience.