Illuxcon

Illuxcon, also known as IX, is a fine art symposium exhibition dedicated solely to imaginative realism and the art of fantasy and science fiction, concentrating on traditional techniques and with an emphasis on original pieces and all artists in attendance throughout the show. The show is held in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. annually, and is a fully juried show with no guests of honour. Each year the jury changes with a broad spectrum of notable judges chosen, including museum curators, writers, artistic directors, film producers, publishers, collectors and artists.

History

Illuxcon was founded in 2008 by Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire under the umbrella of the Association of Fantastic Art^[1] and was first housed in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Following the exhibition "At the Edge - Art of the Fantastic",^[2] held in 2012 at the Allentown Art Museum and curated by the Wilshires, Illuxcon was moved to Allentown. "At the Edge" was a ground-breaking exhibition held at the invitation of Brooks Joyner, former CEO of the art museum. The exhibits were pieces from private collections; the purpose to increase the visibility of this particular genre of art. The books Visions of Never^[3] and The Art of the Dragon,^[4] co-authored and edited by the Wilshires, were published by J. David Spurlock's Vanguard Productions to add to the promotion of fantasic arts.

Present

Since 2013 the exhibitions and lectures have been held at the Allentown Art Museum,^[5] the Baum School of Art and the Allentown Holiday Inn ballroom.^[6] In 2016, however, Illuxcon will expand and relocate to the Goggleworks in Reading, PA.

Each year, the show's curators commission a certain number of paintings that will be used for promotional purposes. These pieces are not art directed: the artists are given free rein in their concept and creation.

To encourage new young artists, there is a scholarship opportunity at each Illuxcon, paid for by donations and the 'Illuxcon Quilt' auction, a project consisting of miniature original art pieces from each of the attending artists stitched together to create an art collage.

Illuxcon has four aspects in its presentation, all featuring fantasy and Sci-Fi art: a four-day Main Show, the Weekend Salon, the Showcase and the Symposium of demonstrations, portfolio reviews, lectures and workshops.^[7]

The Main Show and Weekend Salon exhibitions are strictly juried exhibitions focusing on original fine art using only traditional techniques. The Showcase Exhibition is a non-juried mixed exhibition of traditional technique, mixed media and digital art. The demonstrations and tutorials feature artists such as Donato Giancola, Bob Eggleton, Armand Cabrera, and J. Anthony Kosar. Lectures include talks on artist's rights and pay via PACT (Professional Artist Client Toolkit), and advice for artists approaching collectors and artistic directors.

Judges

Illuxcon has different judges each year. The judges have experience in a wide range of arts, often with no association to the fantasy genre. Previous judges have included film producer Guillermo del Toro; Michael John Angel, Director of the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy; Dr. Vern Swanson, Director of the Springville Museum of Art; Dr. Gregory Hedberg, first professional Director of the New York Academy of Art; Dr. Martin Myrone, curator of 18th and 19th century British art at Tate Britain; Jane Frank, founder of Worlds of Wonder; and Simon Toll, director of Irish and British art at Sotheby's London.

Artists

Illuxcon's focus is original art of the Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Imaginative Realism genres. IX draws to it many famous artists whose art has graced the covers of books and classic albums, film concept artists, book illustrators, PC games concept artists and fine artists from across the world. Exhibiting artists have included Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Roger Dean (artist), Greg Hildebrandt, Jim Burns, Donato Giancola, Bob Eggleton, Jeremy Caniglia, Patrick J. Jones, Armand Cabrera, Chris Moore (illustrator), Chris Achilleos, Michael Whelan, Kinuko Y. Craft, Omar Rayyan, John Jude Palencar, Gary Lippincott, Marc Potts, Marc Fishman, Ruth Sanderson, Ralph Horsley, Stephen Hickman, Tom Keubler, Don Maitz. Ian Miller

External links

• Illuxcon

References