Domee Shi, Maggie Kang, Carlos Grangel Among Guests At Lightbox Expo Online
Lightbox Expo is returning for its second virtual edition — and only its third ever — on September 7–12. The six-day convention marks an expansion on the previous weekend-long editions.
The event, which celebrates creators working across animation, illustration, and concept art, will feature over 400 guests and more than 200 presentations. The “artist alley,” an interactive space where users can sample the work of participating artists, will also return. Guests confirmed so far include:
- Domee Shi (director, Bao, upcoming Turning Red)
- Phil Boutte Jr. (costume concept artist, Black Panther)
- Maggie Kang (director, K-Pop: Demon Hunters)
- Derek Thompson (story artist, Toy Story 4)
- Armand Serrano (background designer, What If…?)
- Jill Culton (director, Abominable)
- Carlos Grangel (character designer, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride)
For the third year, Lightbox Expo will host the Concept Art Awards, the only awards dedicated to the field. They will be held on Saturday, September 11 at 6 p.m. PST.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards will go to concept designer Craig Mullins, a pioneer of digital painting (Armageddon, Bioshock 2, Halo), and illustrator and concept artist Iain McCaig (Star Wars: Episodes 1, 2 & 3, Avengers: Endgame). The LBX Concept Art Luminary Award, which goes to an artist who has made an impact in the past year, will be given to Andy Park (Wandavision, Black Widow).
Lightbox Expo was founded by concept artist Bobby Chiu and Emerald City Comic Con founder Jim Demonakos as a rival to CTN Animation Expo, which Chiu publicly accused of having a “toxic” culture. Its first edition was held in 2019 in Pasadena, California.
Passes for this year’s convention start at $2; head to the website for more information. Lightbox Expo is planning its next onsite edition for October 14–16, 2022.
