Stephanie McMillan
Stephanie McMillan (born 1965) is an American political cartoonist, editorialist, and activist from South Florida. A granddaughter of the German commercial animator Hans Fischerkoesen, McMillan aspired to become a cartoonist from the age of ten. During her high school years, she began organizing protests against capitalism and imperialism.
Early life and career
McMillan graduated from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in 1987 with a BFA in film. During her time at NYU, she studied animation under Richard Protovin and John Canemaker, and received an award for her student film. In 1992, McMillan was offered her first professional cartooning opportunity as an editorial assistant at XS- magazine/City Link, an alt-newsweekly. By 1999, McMillan began self-syndicating her cartoons, as well as providing exclusive comic features and illustrations for hundreds of publications worldwide. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Daily Beast, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Yes! Magazine, Comic Relief, Amarillo Globe-News, Funny Times, Yahoo.com, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Beyond her professional cartooning, McMillan has been an organizer against capitalism and imperialism all her life. The groups she has worked with include One Struggle, Refuse and Resist!, the Occupy movement throughout the country, U.S. Hands Off the Haitian People's Coalition, and the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade. In 2012, McMillan won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Editorial Cartoonists for her work as a political cartoonist.
Currently, McMillan’s daily comic strip, Minimum Security, is syndicated online at Universal Uclick’s gocomics.com. She also draws a weekly editorial cartoon, Code Green, acts as an editor and designer for The Notebook (Association of American Editorial Cartoonists), and does freelance illustration and writing. Her own books include Capitalism Must Die! A Basic Introduction: What capitalism is, why it sucks, and how to crush it (INIP -- Idées Nouvelles Idées Prolétariennes, 2014), The Beginning of the American Fall (Seven Stories Press, 2012), and As The World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial with Derrick Jensen (Seven Stories Press, 2007).
One of McMillan's recurring themes is that individual or reformist actions, like recycling or voting in bourgeois elections, are insufficient to reverse the destructive course of capitalism. She proposes that global capitalism and its effects (ecocide, exploitation and oppression) can only be ended through revolution led by the international working class.
Books
- 2012 — Capitalism Must Die! A Basic Introduction: What capitalism is, why it sucks, and how to crush it (text with comics), INIP (Idées Nouvelles Idées Prolétariennes)
- 2013 — The Minimum Security Chronicles: Resistance to Ecocide (graphic novel), Seven Stories Press
- 2012 — The Beginning of the American Fall (comics journalism about the Occupy protests), Seven Stories Press
- 2012 — The Knitting Circle Rapist Annihilation Squad (novel with Derrick Jensen), PM Press/Flashpoint
- 2010 — Mischief in the Forest: A Yarn Yarn (children’s book with Derrick Jensen), PM Press/Flashpoint
- 2010 — Pendant Que la Planète Flambe (French edition of As the World Burns), La Boîte à Bulles
- 2009 — Excessive Force (anthology), Last Hours, UK
- 2007 — As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial (graphic novel with Derrick Jensen), Seven Stories Press (Nominated by National Library Association as a Great Graphic Novel for Teens, 2008)
- 2005 —Attitude Presents Minimum Security (cartoon collection), NBM Publishing
- 2002 — Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists (anthology), NBM Publishing
- Various textbooks, and several books in the Opposing Viewpoints series by Gale Publishing Group
Solo exhibition
- October 19-24, 2013 — The Political Art of Stephanie McMillan, West Gallery, CSUN (California State University at Northridge)
Group exhibitions
- March 1-31, 2014 — Cartoon Movement’s Expo Kinkerstraat, outdoor installation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- April 24 - May 6, 2010 — "There Is More Than One Truth: International Cartoons on Press Freedom", GO Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- February 4 - May 16, 2010 — "Lines of Attack: Conflicts in Caricature, Nasher Museum", Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- October 18 - November 22, 2008 — "Viva La Propaganda: Political Art", Bear and Bird Gallery at Tate’s Comics, Sunrise, Florida
- May 20 - November 6, 2006 — "She Draws Comics!", Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, New York City
- September 25, 2004 — "Got Democracy?", Red Pearl, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- May 27 - July 4, 2004 — Human Rights Day Exhibition, Mantua, Italy
- January 17–19, 2004 — "Recontre Internationale du Dessin de Presse", (International Convention of Editorial Cartooning), Carquefou, France
- November 17, 2003 - January 3, 2004 — "Patriot Art: Cartooning and Free Speech in Wartime", Philadelphia Free Public Library; and June, 2002, Institute for Policy Studies, Washington, D.C.
- October 18, 2003 - February 1, 2004 — "Too Hot to Handle: Creating Controversy Through Political Cartoons", the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum; and June 15 - August 31, 2003, Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Films
- 2011 — End:Civ, Franklin Lopez (interview)
- 1987 — Set in Motion, Jane Aaron (intern for stop-motion animation and brief appearance)
- 1986 — Huggies animated promotional film, (cel painting)
Awards
- 2012 — Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Editorial Cartoons
- 2011 — Scripps Howard Award for Editorial Cartooning (Finalist)
- 2010 — Sigma Delta Chi Award for editorial cartoons, Society of Professional Journalists
- 2010 — Press Action Cartoonist of the Year
- 2008 — Press Action Dynamic Dozen
- 2005 and 2003 — First Place, Excellence in Postal Union Journalism, APWU National Postal Press Association
- 2000 — Honorable Mention, Creative Resistance Contest, Adbusters
- 1997 and 1994 — First Place, General Excellence in Editorial Cartooning, Florida Press Club
- 1996 — Second Place, General Excellence in Artist Illustration, Florida Press Club
Organizations
- 2011–present — Society of Environmental Journalists
- 2010–present — One Struggle
- 2009–present — Cartoon Movement (Amsterdam)
- 2007–present — AAEC (Association of American Editorial Cartoonists)
- 2006–present — Cartoonists With Attitude (founding member)
- 1980s-1990s — Refuse & Resist!, October 22 Coalition Against Police Brutality, U.S. Hands Off the Haitian People Coalition, One Struggle
External links
- Official website
- Editorialcartoonists.com
- Onestrugglesouthflorida.wordpress.com
- Cartoonmovement.com
- Washingpost.com
- "Capitalism Must Die!"
- GoComics