SLICE Local Best In Show Award
Presented by Washington University MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture
About:
The St. Louis Independent Comics Expo is excited to award one local artist a $500 prize thanks to matching support from Washington University’s MFA IVC program. The SLICE Local Best in Show Award, presented by Washington University’s MFA IVC, provides independent artists in the St. Louis area with funding to support their creative pursuits. While providing free programming for budding artists is our goal, being able to financially support an artist aligns with our mission to make the arts accessible. Our goal is to uplift, celebrate, and platform a local emerging artist.
Judging Process:
The SLICE board nominates a shortlist of 4–8 SLICE exhibitors from the Greater St. Louis and Metro East regions, and seven local tastemaker judges review the shortlist to select one winner on the basis of quality, uniqueness, and resonance. Work being considered during the judging process must have been done in 2023 and 2024. The winner of the Local Best in Show Award will be announced at SLICE’s opening night ceremony on Friday, October 25, at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.
2024 Shortlist
Swan Meadow
Swan Meadow is the artist collective consisting of Mellody and Fern Meadow, including their retail/printing/community space at 3334 Louisiana Ave. Their work explores the experiences of marginalized communities and their intersections with nature and mental health through visual storytelling. Swan Meadow is interested in understanding the impact of capitalism on the creation and visibility of art forms associated with marginalized communities, particularly “analog” forms like zines, film photography, and risograph printing. The heart of Swan Meadow lies in highlighting alternative artistic techniques, exploring new methods, and celebrating the collective knowledge, skills, and creations of Queer St Louis-based artists.
Snails & Quails – Amanda Greene
Amanda Greene is a Saint Louis-based illustrator and comic artist. Working in a wide range of mediums, from traditional pen-and-paper to three-dimensional sets and dioramas, and taking inspiration largely from literature and the natural world, she enjoys exploring everyday moments and inner worlds through her art and stories.
Alain McAlister
Alain McAlister is a nonbinary artist and illustrator from STL with a passion for graphic novels, comics, fiber arts, and community work. They graduated from Webster University with a BFA in Illustration in December 2023. They currently work as an illustrator, bookseller, and print shop assistant. When not adventuring around, Alain can be found knitting while watching a movie or drawing at a coffee shop.
Cleonique Hilsaca
Cleonique Hilsaca is an illustrator from Honduras based in St. Louis, MO. Her professional work can be found in picture books, newspapers, magazines, board games and galleries. She has worked with clients such as Penguin Random House, MTA Arts & Design, Sesame Workshop and Il Corriere della Sera. Cleonique’s work has been featured in Spectrum: Fantastic Art, The Society of Illustrators of NY and LA, 3X3, and La Bienal de Ilustración de México.
Dee Cea
Dee Cea is a St. Louis-based illustrator and comic artist in love with terracotta red. They explore monstrous emotions in their comic work with a focus on queer becoming and otherness. Dee is currently conducting research for a long-form graphic novel detailing an isolated community in the Andes during Pinochet-era Chile.
Maddie Baker
Maddie Baker is a maker from Boise, Idaho. Her work focuses on everyday moments that seem trivial or mundane but have fabulous stories to tell if you look a little closer. She graduates from the Sam Fox Illustration and Visual Culture program at WashU this Spring. You can usually find her in a large pile of art supplies with several kinds of snacks close at hand.
Evan Johnson
Evan Johnson is a 19-year-old photographer, designer and creative based between Kansas City and Columbia, Missouri. His passion lies in the intersection of photography and design, evident in his magazine projects that span both mediums. He is inspired by his friends, trying new things creatively, and doing things because you can.