Major fantasy art show set to debut in Kansas City

Spectrum Fantastic Art Live logo
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! is scheduled to bring dozens of celebrated fantasy artists to Kansas City in May 2012.

A major fantasy art show has been scheduled for May 2012 in Kansas City. According to the promoters, Arnie and Cathy Fenner, Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! will be the Midwest’s first convention focusing solely on fantasy, science fiction, and all other forms of fantastic art, paintings and sculpture.

From physical to digital, Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! will celebrate the creativity and talent of dozens of renowned artists. Special guests include fantasy art and comic luminaries Brom, Phil Hale, Andrew “Android” Jones, Iain McCaig, and Mike Mignola. Other confirmed exhibitors include, Michael Whelan, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell.

A natural extension of the art anthology, Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! will take place on May 18-20, 2012, in the Grand Ballroom of Kansas City’s Bartle Hall. It will feature more than 200 exhibitors and is expected to attract more than 5,000 attendees.

Spectrum co-founder Cathy Fenner explains, “Our mission is to create a convergence of fantastic art and shine a spotlight on the artists while providing a place for fans, artists, and collectors to gather, learn, shop and interact. There will be educational programs, art displays, portfolio reviews for aspiring artists, shopping opportunities for fans, contests, costumes and of course spectacular art.”

According to fantasy artist Brom, “Arnie Fenner’s decades of dedication promoting the genre and its artists comes to life in an event celebrating what we do and the artists and fans that make it happen. I am thrilled to attend, thrilled to participate, and thrilled to share such inspiring company.”

About the Fenners

Since 1993, Arnie and Cathy Fenner have produced the art annual Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, which has become the international standard of quality for the fantastic arts community. In association with renowned painter Gregory Manchess and Tor Books Senior Art Director Irene Gallo, Cathy and Arnie served as curators of two Spectrum exhibitions at the Museum of American Illustration in New York City where the shows broke all the facility’s previous attendance records.

Highly respected authorities in their field, together they have written, edited, and designed art books by such well-known creators as Frank Frazetta, Michael Whelan, Robert McGinnis, Jeffrey Jones, Dave Stevens, and Jon Foster. They supported and appeared in the documentary Frazetta: Painting with Fire. They are among the producers of the forthcoming film Better Things: Life and Choices of Jeffrey Jones.

The Fenners have received ten Locus and two Chesley Awards and have been nominated for the Hugo and Eisner Awards. They have two adult sons and live in Overland Park, KS.

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