(Above: a postcard of the International Museum of Cartoon Art in its Rye, NY days. Photo by Berndt!)... to Boca Raton, Florida.
Although the move to Florida was well publicized, the Museum would not see the support and foot traffic it needed to sustain the 52,000 square foot facility.
A couple of years later, Craig Yoe and Mort Walker teamed up for BIG BOY MAGAZINE (it's called a magazine, not a comic book) for an adventure with the Big Boy (a restaurant mascot; the restaurant being where one could pick up a free copy of the BIG BOY MAGAZINE) and Mort Walker's BEETLE BAILEY. Copyright 1997 Elias Brothers Restaurants, Inc.
In 2008, Mort Walker's huge collection went to Ohio, to be maintained by The Ohio State University Cartoon Library and Museum.
Related: 2009 events Celebrating the International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection
Related: Mike Rhode, over at the ComicsDC blog, has the 2008 press release of IMCA moving to OSU here.
The years and fortune Mort Walker dedicated to establishing his museum--in vain, it turned out--is admirable and a little heart-breaking. Full credit to him for the attempts, though, and I have to think he provided some inspiration for institutions like MoCCA and the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. I wish I'd seen either of Mr. Walker's places, but especially the one in Rye, while they were up and running.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great museum. That location ended up being more for the "cartoon nerd" than for the casual fan - so much original art to look at.
ReplyDeleteAnd when a cartoonist would visit they would draw on the walls of the bathrooms. I took pictures on my last visit just before they closed.
You have so much cool stuff, Lynchy! Also, now I'm hungry for a burger.
ReplyDeleteWe used to make the pilgrimmage to the Rye location every few years. It was a fantastic museum....most definitely more appreciated by the local cartoonists than the general public.
ReplyDeleteI was a longtime visitor of the Rye museum. Its move to Florida was a tremendous shame. Mort simply wanted to retire to Florida and decided to take the museum with him. Because that was the motivation, and not a genuine desire to preserve and showcase cartoon art, the museum was doomed to failure from the start. Its presence will always, always be missed.
ReplyDeleteGee whiz, Mike. The Museum wasn't doomed to fail in Boca Raton. Matter of fact, the CofC there was very supportive, as was the town. The problem was that there was no foot traffic for that sort of museum there. I'm glad that he donated the material to OSU, which is actively raising funds for a new wing ....
ReplyDeleteAnd Mr. Walker will never retire. He lives where he has for decades, in Connecticut, still working on BEETLE and HI & LOIS with his sons & colleagues.