The announcement:
IDW Publishing is pleased to announce the relocation of their headquarters due to business expansion, in June 2015, as well as the opening of a groundbreaking new comic art gallery. The new offices and gallery will be located in former Navy barracks within the historic NTC in Liberty Station, which is nestled in the Point Loma community of San Diego.
The San Diego Comic Art Gallery will be a unique, new and dynamic space located within the IDW offices, designed to educate and engage the local San Diego community and the region of Southern California with the sequential comic book and graphic arts. The SDCAG will create a permanent home in San Diego as a showcase for this celebrated art form; already so pervasive in pop culture, thanks to the meteoric success of comic-based films, television and entertainment, and already so associated with the San Diego area, thanks to Comic-Con International. With a retail space, a gallery of original art from comics and animation, and actual working artists on the premises, the SDCAG is an entirely new kind of venture. Harry L. Katz, former Head Curator in the Prints and Photographs Division at the Library of Congress, has been named the curator of SDCAG.
Through events, author and artist appearances, art installations and celebrations, the SDCAG will become a destination to worldwide fans of the medium, and cement San Diego’s status as a Capital of the comic arts, while becoming an integral part of the immediate community. The first installation will be an extensive showcase of the work of Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and local San Diego resident.
“We’ve been looking to make a move for a while,” said Ted Adams, CEO & Publisher of IDW, “We’ve been expanding rapidly, and simply have run out of room. At the same time, we’ve been looking for a space that more accurately reflects who we are as a company. When we started talking with the NTC, it became evident immediately that this would be a perfect fit. And with the gallery, we’re going to be able to show the community, and the world, just who IDW is. This move is the perfect next step in the evolution of our company.”
“The NTC Foundation welcomes IDW Publishing and their creative team to the NTC Arts & Culture District at Liberty Station,” said NTC Foundation Executive Director Alan Ziter. “Their new San Diego Comic Art Gallery will be a great addition to the numerous art galleries and museums already at NTC and we look forward to the creative collaborations ahead. We anticipate it will be a San Diego landmark destination for comic and animation art lovers from all over the world.”
Moving into a historic building has its unique challenges and is being made possible with the assistance of San Diego local area businesses such as Good & Roberts LLC and obrARCHITECTURE inc. Taking 18,344 square feet, IDW will now be the largest tenant in the already vibrant arts district.
After 15 years as a prominent part of the local business community, IDW Publishing is sure to be a more public presence with the move to NTC. The Grand Opening is scheduled for June 1, 2015.
