NAACP Image Award Winning Artist David G. Brown is Tapped to Exhibit in International Traveling Comic Book Show

Los Angeles (PRWEB) October 9, 2009

David G. Brown, celebrated cartoonist, graphic artist and publisher, has been selected by the U.S. State Department and U.S. Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil to join 20 internationally known artists to exhibit his political cartoons and comic book work at the Museu Afro Brasil in Sao Paulo, October 11-16, 2009, as part of the Picha traveling exhibition. Picha presents a colorful image of the rich continent of Africa. "Picha" is also the African Swahili word for "drawing" and is a corruption of the English word, "picture." The exhibit showcases original drawings, comic books and comics published in newspapers and magazines from continental Africa, Brazil and the United States and focuses on the African Diaspora.

Says Brown, "I am very honored and humbled to be selected to represent North American by the U.S. Consulate. I am so passionate about my work. Art transcends racial and political landscapes. I am proud to be part of an effort that seeks to foster cultural and racial understanding through cartooning."

Cartooning, while growing popularity in the 20th century, has been an art form for thousands of years. Our ancestors began depicting what was important to them on cave walls and these drawings ranged from the very simple to extremely intricate. As our society became more sophisticated and technologically advanced, so did the art of cartooning and it permeates virtually every medium. It not only celebrates our history, but also our present condition.

Political cartooning has long been used as a light-hearted subterfuge to point out societal ills, ideologies and opinion. The Picha exhibition, originally created to highlight African comic artists, demonstrates that the art of cartooning is very much alive in Africa. The life of Mandela has been told in comic form in South Africa and the medium was used to warn soldiers about the dangers of AIDS in Ethiopia. By adding the comics of Brown and Brazilian artist Mauricio Pestana, Picha demonstrates the similarities and differences of African descendents on a global scale.

In addition to the exhibition, Brown will participate in a series of panel discussions with the 19 original African artists to offer Brazilian residents an original and creative view of the diversity and richness of comic culture.

Also part of the program, Brown will sign copies of his 1009 NAACP Image Award-winning book, Barack, Race and the Media: Drawing My Own Conclusions, a collection of political cartoons that he created and published at HQMIX Bookstore in Sao Paulo, along with Brazilian artist Mauricio Pestana on October 16th.

"It is a signal honor for Brazil to be able to have Brown join this traveling exhibit," says David C. Brooks, Consul for Political Affairs, U.S. Consulate General Sao Paulo, Brazil. An admitted Marvel Comics collector himself, Brooks added, "Having an African American cartoonist from the United States accomplishes one of the exhibits goals: to foster international mutual understanding and encourage discussions of diversity and common heritage between African and North Americans."

Concludes Brown, "These 20 artists have a body of work that will inform, educate, entertain and politically sensitize every visitor who attends the exhibit in their home town." He surmises, "By including my political pieces, especially on our first African American President, Barack Obama, a poignant statement is being made about how connected we continue to be to Mother Africa."

An animation/digital media instructor at David Starr Jordan High School in Watts, CA, Brown is looking forward to sharing his experience with his students upon his return from Brazil.

Picha is an initiative of the Dutch NCDO and is a twofold project. The exhibition highlights the works of 18 African comic writers and 1 scenario writer and a database has been created to which contains detailed information on comic artists and cartoons from 55 African countries.

Joost Pollman, managing director at the "Stripdagin" Haarlem, Netherlands and comic journalist for the Dutch newspaper "De Volkskrant", organized the exhibition. The exhibit was created at the Afrika Museum in the Netherlands in 2008 and has been to Lagos Africa, Palma de Mallorca, Spain and will culminate in Goes, Netherlands in December 2009. NCDO and The Prince Claus Fund provided funding for the exhibition. Picha in Brazil was curated by Dr. Sonia M. Bibe Luyten and Mauricio Pestana. The U.S. Consulate sponsored this cultural exchange as it strongly supports the objectives of the Brazil/U.S. Memo of Understanding and the Joint Action Plan for Racial and Ethnic Equality (JAPRE)

About David G. Brown

David G. Brown, an award winning artist, educator and publisher, has been inspiring young minds for more than a decade. Brown conducts workshops, presentations, and produces award winning cartoons, graphics novels and comic books with positive messages for young people. In 2003 he became the political cartoonist for the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper. Brown was awarded the prestigious Merit Award for "Best Editorial Cartoon" in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 from the National Newspapers Publishers Association (NNPA). His work is featured in the 2005 thru 2009 editions of the "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year" by Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. His book, "Obama, Race and the Media: Drawing My Own Conclusions" was awarded a NAACP Image award in 2009. The book is a collection of satirical cartoons highlighting the historical Presidential run of Senator Barack Obama and other significant events affecting Americans.

When Brown is not busy putting together timely editorial cartoons to coincide with updated current events, he is at work conducting art workshops for kids and producing award-winning comics for children. His versatility as a commercial artist and producer has produced excellence in other areas including photography and multi-media. His personal client roster boasts promotional work for Los Angeles International Airport, Automobile Club of Southern California, Warner Bros, City of Los Angeles, Wells Fargo Bank, California African American Museum, ABC-TV and others. For more information, visit http://www.davidgbrown.net.

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Burt Bacharach, Hal David Named Recipients of Fourth Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 28, 2011

The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, announced today that Grammy- and Academy-Award-winning songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David will join the ranks of Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney as recipients of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Bacharach and David each will receive the Librarys Gershwin Medal next spring at an all-star tribute in Washington D.C. This will be the fourth time the honor has been awarded and the first time to a songwriting team.

For more than a half-century the collaboration of Bacharach-David has created such beloved songs as "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," "What the World Needs Now is Love," "Walk on By" and "Alfie."

"The timeless hits by Burt Bacharach and Hal David have helped launch the careers of many of our nations most celebrated performers, and they continue to be played on iPods, radio, television, in movies, and performed in cabarets and on the Broadway stage. The success of their creative genius continues today as they each add new songs to what is without question one of the richest and most recognizable multi-generational playlists known to the world, said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. Their creative talents have inspired songwriters for more than five decades, and their legacy is much in the tradition of George and Ira Gershwin, for whom this award is named.

"I've been fortunate to receive a number of music-industry honors during my career," said David, who in addition to his songwriting career has served as president and on the board of directors of the musicians' intellectual property organization the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). "However, the news of being awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize was especially meaningful to me. I am humbled and excited at the same time to receive this prestigious award," he said.

Its a great honor to receive this award and to follow the past recipients, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney it doesnt get any better than this," said Bacharach, who has also enjoyed a solo career as a performer and has continued writing songs in collaboration with such talents as Carole Bayer Sager (with whom he wrote "That's What Friends are For") and Elvis Costello (with whom he won a Grammy for the song I Still Have That Other Girl).

David, 90, a lyricist, and Bacharach, 83, who wrote the music, first began collaborating in the 1950s at the Famous Paramount Music Co. in New York's storied Brill Building. Today, their songs continue to be recorded by such artists as Diana Krall, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Cyndi Lauper and the cast of the television show Glee.

Their extensive catalogs can be tracked through their registrations with the U.S. Copyright Office, which is a part of the Library of Congress: the first Bacharach/David song recorded in the Copyright Office is "Peggy's in the Pantry," dated May 9, 1956.

Among their first big sellers were "The Story of My Life," which became a hit for Marty Robbins, and "Magic Moments," performed by Perry Como. Between 1962 and 1972, their songs were almost continuously listed on Billboard Magazine's singles chart.

In the 1960s and 1970s they were almost as well-known as the singers they wrote for -- who included Dionne Warwick, B.J. Thomas, Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, Tom Jones, Jackie DeShannon, Gene Pitney and Herb Alpert. Their work in that period included "Only Love Can Break a Heart," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Make It Easy On Yourself," "Close to You," "A House is Not a Home," "There's Always Something There to Remind Me," "One Less Bell to Answer," and "This Guy's in Love With You," among many other songs. Movie-related songs they wrote together include "Alfie," "What's New Pussycat?," "The Look of Love," "After the Fox," and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Scores of films have incorporated their songs, including "Forrest Gump," "Catch Me If You Can" and "The First Wives' Club."

Both Bacharach and David have collaborated with other songwriters, both prior to their Brill Building days and after their main collaboration had a hiatus during the mid-1970s. They reunited in the early 1990s with Dionne Warwick, offering a song titled "Sunny Weather Lover" for her "Friends Can Be Lovers" album. They also produced a new song, "You've Got It All Wrong," for the revival of a musical they co-wrote in the late 1960s, "Promises, Promises."

Bacharach studied piano early in his life and became a great fan of bebop jazz. After meeting singer Vic Damone during a stint in the Army, he performed with Damone and other singers and studied music at McGill University and the Mannes School of Music. His composition teachers included the composers Darius Milhaud, Henry Cowell and Bohuslav Martinu (all of whom were awarded multiple commissions by the Library of Congress). Early in Bacharach's career, he served for three years as actress Marlene Dietrich's musical director.

Bacharach still tours and performs across the globe, and made cameo appearances in all three "Austin Powers movies. Bacharach also has made numerous television appearances, including several television specials in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2005 he released the album "At This Time," featuring contributions by Dr. Dre, Chris Botti, Elvis Costello and Rufus Wainwright. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Bacharach also served as a celebrity judge and vocal coach during the 2006 season of the television show "American Idol," which devoted one show to his music; he has also appeared on the show "Dancing With the Stars." His work has won three Academy Awards and eight Grammy Awards, including one he shares with David, the 1997 Trustees Award. Bacharachs others are for Alfie, Best Musical Arrangement, 1967; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Best Original Score for a Motion Picture, 1969; Promises, Promises, Best Score From an Original Cast Show Album, 1969; Thats What Friends Are For, Song of the Year, 1986; I Still Have That Other Girl, Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (with Elvis Costello), 1998; and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

David has his name on 20 gold records and has won several Grammy Awards; he also has received the Presidential Award from the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) and the B'Nai B'rith Creative Achievement Award. As a recipient of the Ivor Novello Award, he became the first American to achieve that honor. In 1984 he was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame; and in 1996 he and Burt Bacharach received the coveted Johnny Mercer Award from the national Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2011, the Hall also presented David with its Visionary Leadership Award, and in 2004, named What the World Needs Now is Love as its Towering Song. ASCAP estimates that the song has been aired on the radio more than 2 million times. In addition to his work with ASCAP, David is a member of the Board of Governors of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Board of Visitors of Claremont Graduate University in California; is a founder of the Los Angeles Music Center; and serves on the advisory board of the Society of Singers. David holds honorary doctoral degrees from Lincoln College in Illinois and Claremont Graduate University.

The prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress. The prize is awarded to musicians whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins. In 2007 Paul Simon received the first Gershwin Prize, Stevie Wonder received the second in 2009, and the third was awarded to Sir Paul McCartney in 2010. The creators and executive producers of the