Illustrating Spain in the US

Illustrating Spain in the US is a project that aims at highlighting the presence and legacy of Spain in the U.S. territory, from its help during the independence war to the heritage still existent. The project started as a series of comics created by Spanish artists in collaboration with history experts, but is now reshaping into a physical exhibition that will be available from mid-November until early March at the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain.

Comic artists and scholars help bring the United States closer to us to reflect on the legacy of Spain’s heritage over the centuries. Spain has been an essential seedbed in the substratum of American history and culture. This project aims at taking a better look at seven potential sides of the inspiring Spanish presence resulting in comic books of very diverse inspiration.

The versatility of the comic allows many of the nuances of this living diaspora of Spanish men and women who were and still are twinned with the American experience to be represented. Michael Francis, Eduardo Garrigues, James Fernández, Luis Argeo, Lucía Cotarelo Esteban, Juan Pimentel, Estrella de Diego and Dolores Jiménez Blanco act as the interlocutors advising and guiding comic book creators and giving them clues to help them compose their illustrated cartoon plots.

Illustrating Spain in the US is a creative dialogue that combines the graphic expressiveness of comics and their authors, with the inquisitive perspective of scholars who have written a series of complementary articles. Comic authors have built comic strips that feed on academic knowledge and demonstrate that Spain has been part of the American reality since long before the very foundation of the American country. This Spanish energy continues to be present in the imagination, talent and creativity that emanates from everything Spanish and so fascinates Americans. This energy is also found in the scientific thinking of the Spaniards who made the United States their second home while they made —and still continue to make— surprising advances.

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Illustrating Spain in the U.S. es un recorrido en formato cómic sobre la presencia española en los Estados Unidos. Este proyecto pretende poner en valor la presencia y el legado de España en el territorio estadounidense, desde su ayuda durante la Guerra de Independencia hasta el patrimonio todavía existente.

El proyecto comenzó con una serie de cómics creados por artistas españoles en colaboración con expertos en historia que posteriormente se transformó en exposición. Esta es la primera vez que la exposición se exhibe en España tras haber itinerado por diferentes instituciones y universidades estadounidenses como Dickinson College, Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain, Dartmouth College o New York University. Ahora llega al Colegio de Málaga de la Universidad de Alcalá en una muestra que estará disponible hasta el 7 de junio.

La exposición tiene como objetivo profundizar en siete aspectos diferentes de la estimulante presencia española en los Estados Unidos dando como resultado cómics de muy diversa inspiración. Los artistas de cómic que han participado en el proyecto son Sergio García y Lola Moral (misiones y el Camino Real), Rayco Pulido (Guerra Revolucionaria) Ana Penyas y Seisdedos (inmigración), Ana Purna (hispanismo), Mireia Pérez (ciencia), Carla Berrocal (cine), Max (arte) y Sonia Pulido (portada). Además, los investigadores que han contribuido al proyecto son Lucía Cotarelo (hispanismo), Estrella de Diego (cine), J. Michael Francis (misiones y Camino Real), Juan Pimentel (ciencia), Eduardo Garriegues (la Guerra de Independencia de los Estados Unidos), James Fernández & Luis Argeo (inmigración), y María Dolores Jiménez-Blanco (arte).