1. agreed that this Friday will be best to attend Buddy Holly play at TLT. some will be gathering to eat before the show, others will be meeting up at TLT right before the show.  Agreed that we will all wear fez.
2. New pledge Michael ( http://jinxmedicstudios.us/ )  has paid his $70 dollar membership fee. We have assigned him a size 7 fez from the box of props for him to attend the TLT show.  Be prepared for official initiation ceremony next OPEN SWIM. In the meantime please check out his website… the dude is like Leonardo da Vinci. Amazing.
3. Elliot reaffirmed his idea of tacoma needing a CARTOONIST LAUREATE to compliment the POET LAUREATE program. Idea still needs development. How will Cartoonist Laureate interact with the community?
4. talked of taking over all COMICS on feedtacoma.com creating tacoma’s first online-bottom up-anarchy-newspaper comics page in Tacoma as most of us already produce (semi)weekly strips.  RR will follow up with Kevin to see the best way to go about this…  could be as easy as collecting a bunch of RSS feeds together and the cartoonist adding a keyword tag like ‘tacoma’ to their respective blog/webcomic whathaveyou.  Need to check with Mark Monlux though to get his thoughts how he feels about this. My personal thoughts are in an age when traditional newspapers are shrinking their comics pages, this could be a big F.U. to the universe–which makes me happy.
5. [ANONYMOUS TACOMA ACTIVIST] stopped in to share feelings that Tacoma is really hurting for an alternative/underground publication zine that young people would be interested in. Something with lots of comics and a place where alternative music venues can share events.  Perhaps side 2 of CLAW zine?  [ANONYMOUS] expressed that local biz get zip in return for expensive ads in [TITLE(s) REDACTED]…   shared a flier that Sean Alexander (previously of helm gallery) put together where he illustrated all advertising.  Maybe biz could pay cartoonists to illustrate ad in zine…?  Who knows exact details..  But  [ANONYMOUS] wanted to bring to our attention as creative creator types developing a publication that there is a niche market right here in Tacoma that is dying to be tapped into.  to recap:  young people with money aren’t reading local publications because all lame.  Biz owners don’t want to buy ads in publications that young people with money aren’t going to read.  ???
6. report on back room of Urban Xchange as meeting place for CLAW:  owner is super nice, back  room sexy but hot, fez gets sweaty. unsatisfactory table space for drawing.   Next steps?  Check status of Mandolin?  Stowe: Check with Comic Book Ink,  tables in back might be good for open swim.  Anyone check comments here? http://www.cartoonistsleague.org/an-open-swim-teaser/
   looks like a member of the pythian knights lodge invited us to have meetings at pythian temple downtown.  Maybe somebody can follow up with him?
7. Talk of end of the year CLAW awards dinner. Naturally we would need to consume food that had claws..the lobster for example.  We all painted visuals of such an evening with the wacom stylus of the imagination.

Congratulations to Adam M Botsford for winning the 2009 Young Cartoonist/Illustrator of the Future Scholarship! Adam has received an over sized novelty check in addition to $100 dollars in cold hard cash.

Check out his amazing pumpkin illustration…

Adam has posted a write up of his experience during the CLAW OPEN SWIM MEET and AWARD CEREMONY which is sewn with well crafted sketches he drew during our group conversaton about the superiority of 1980’s zombie movies.

 

On behalf of THE CLAW high fez council of MYSTIC EYES, I wish you the best of luck. May your pencil always be sharp and your eraser never besmirched. You are one talented dude worthy of a fez.

Time: CLASSIFIED
Location: CLASSIFIED
Attendees: CLASSIFIED

Agenda:

OLD BUSINESS – (status of non-profit status)

MEMBERSHIP DUES CHANGE+DEBATE – We have passed a motion to amend the MEMBERSHIP DUES in consideration of hard economic times down to $70 U.S. dollars. The $70 dollar fee WILL INCLUDE costs of new member’s FEZ that will be awarded during MYSTIC INITIATION CEREMONY.

NEWSLETTER (ZINE) – We have passed a motion to produce our one page minicomic zine herein known as: CLAW-TU VERATA NIKTO!â„¢ as a BI-MONTHLY PUBLICATION.  Councilmen Monlux has been awarded the next ZINE CZAR who will oversee content unification, moral standards and be vigilant against continuity errors. Community feedback on the zine has been tremendous–tremendously positive.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS STATUS – Reviewed artwork of all students who have applied thus so far. Discussed merits of submitted application essays and their devotion to the craft of illustration/cartooning (Some impressive stuff let me tell you).  REMINDER deadline for submissions is APRIL 15th!

CHALK AT ART MUSEUM STATUS – CLAW members invite FROST PARK COMMUNITY CHALKERS to join us at the TACOMA ART MUSEUM for the David M’s Big Draw.  APRIL 19th!

CITY ARTS MAY ISSUE STATUS – Possibility of cover illustration to accompany 700 word feature article on THE CLAW. Members agreed on a cover design mock up. CLAW TOTEM Illustration Tasks assigned. CITY ARTS agreed to make a donation to our scholarship. 

RR’S REPORT ON WAYZGOOSE – dismissed accusations that letterpress community conspired against the cartoonist community in reference to the backwards lettering on our CLAW crossbones poster currently on display at WOOLWORTHS in Downtown Tacoma.  Hurtful rumors are unfounded! Rest assured THE CLAW will be invited next year to participate in the wayzgoose event however mindful of the need to first reverse any text on the printing block.

FUND RAISING IDEAS

1. Urban iditarod – local businesses sponsor teams of costumed heroes to push shopping cart across Downtown Tacoma, or Ruston waterfront.
2. Russian roulette – people pay to watch others handle deadly weapons, only instead of weapons you use dice and red headbands with money at stake…  ?
3. Cartoonist Tacoma Laureate – convince city to designate a month to the Cartoonist Tacoma Laureate. Would be included at CLAW open swims? Frost Park Chalk Challenges? Library Symposiums? Kings Books Events? Basically play off the Poet Laureate business model.

That is All.  Join THE CLAW at our next public OPEN SWIM MEETING, APRIL 22nd!