About Rebecca Migdal
Updated 3-1-2016
Rebecca Migdal is an author and an interdisciplinary artist working in new and traditional media. She has worked as a filmmaker, designer, teacher and performer, and is currently writing her second novel.
Rebecca's visual art has been displayed in a number of galleries such as Exit Art in New York City, and has appeared on the cover of World War 3 Illustrated Magazine, among others. Her graphic adaptation of The Awakening by Kate Chopin is featured in the bestselling The Graphic Canon, Volume 3 (Seven Stories Press, 2012) along with Robert Crumb, Molly Crabapple and a host of others, and she was published in the Bohemians anthology (Verso 2013.) A picture book written by Rebecca and titled Mermaids Fast Asleep is currently under contract with MacMillan's Feiwel and Friends imprint.
The R.L. Migdal Studio released an animated book trailer, Amazilla VS Barnes Kong, directed by Rebecca Migdal, in 2012. This trailer for Rebel Bookseller (Andrew Laties) has been featured or mentioned on the blogs of Meda Bistro, The New Yorker, The Paris Review and The Daily News among many others.
Rebecca Migdal's graphic novel work is currently availablein in print:
Zombie Punk (Anniversary Edition) Mythoprint Publishing, 2015
The Graphic Canon Volume 3 (2012, Seven Stories Press) ed. Russ Kick
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin,
a graphic adaptation by Rebecca Migdal, 12 pp
The Bohemians (2013 Verso) ed. Paul Buhle
- Floyd Dell, Greenwich Village and The Masses Crowd 1900-1920 by Rebecca Migdal, 20 pp
World War 3 Illustrated 1979-2014 (2014 PM Press) ed. Seth Tobocman and Peter Kuper
- Cover Art for World War 3 Illustrated #41; Eggshell Earth, by Rebecca Migdal, 2 pp
Rebecca is currently performing an improvisational puppet show, Fractured Fables, with the Yippee Skippy Puppet Theater every Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM at Bank Street Bookstore. She has performed her comics at galleries, museums, bookstores, community centers and honkytonks in cities across the continent, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Baltimore and Victoria, BC. Her work has been supported by a number of grants including the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance, Emerging Artist Grant in 1989.
Rebecca Migdal Studio
385 Lookout Avenue, Hackensack NJ 07601
413-230-7739
Illustration and Design: http://www.rlmigdal.com
Puppet Theater: http://www.yippeeskippy.com
Email: migdalart@mindspring.com
Curriculum Vitae
Career Highlights: Migdal received her Bachelors in Studio Art in 1982 from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was a Regent’s Scholar. During the eighties she exhibited and performed at galleries and museums across the US. From 1990-1997 she was a singer-songwriter in the critically acclaimed New York alt-pop bands The Rubber Dahls and Clockwork Robin. She was an artist-in-residence at Pratt Institute's Drawing Center, where in 1994 she created a multimedia video and art installation and performed Doctor Death, a memorial to the Iraqi dead of the first Gulf War.
Since 1996 Migdal has been the sole proprietor of R.L.Migdal Creative Multimedia, offering digital design, animation and presentation services to a variety of clients in publishing, media and the fashion industry. In 2000 she was an animator on Queer Duck, written by Mike Riess, now on Showtime. In 2004 she directed a short animated faux commercial, Shugga Crax, which appeared in Alberto Bonilla’s human rights play, Walking to America. In 2005 she received her Master of Arts in Communication Arts from the New York Institute of Technology, where she studied video, journalism and scriptwriting. The same year Migdal was awarded a merit scholarship to the MFA program in English and Writing at Southampton College, where her thesis was read by Jules Feiffer, Roger Rosenblatt and Robert Reeves. In 2006-7 she wrote, directed and performed in The Yippee Skippy Puppet Theater’s Agent Alpha, the Pentagon's Tiniest Covert Operative, at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art and other venues.
In 2009 she launched Rosetta Stone Comics, an online anthology of original graphic works. One of the serials on this site, The Yes Men in Judgement Day!, was created in collaboration with famed culture jammers Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, who published the first installment as a promotion for their 2009 film, The Yes Men Fix The World.
She is currently serving on the editorial committee of World War 3 Illustrated Magazine, and performing with the avant-noise group Urchestra.
Education
2008 Master of Fine Arts, English & Writing SUNY Southampton
2005 Master of Arts, Communication Arts, New York Institute of Technology
1982
Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art, University of California, Santa Cruz
Selected Exhibitions, Screenings and Performances
Rebecca Migdal Live (One Woman Performance) MuCCC Multi-Use Community Cultural Center 142 Atlantic Ave Rochester, NY 14607 April 20 2011
Graphic Radicals: A World War 3 Illustrated Retrospective Exit Art, NYC December 7 2010-February 5 2011
Graphic Radicals: A World War 3 Illustrated Retrospective The Legacy Gallery, Victoria, BC, September-November 2010
World War 3 Illustrated Retrospective The Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy NY, February 22 - June 26, 2010
World War 3 Illustrated #40 The Soho Gallery for Digital Art, NYC February 26 - March 12 2010
Monster Mammon; The Labyrinth Wall: From Mythology to Reality; Exit Art, NYC December 14 2008- February 7 2009
Selected Live Performances of “Ana and the Calabash”:
Wooden Shoe Books, Philadelphia, PA - Sept. 26, 2008
Baltimore Book Fair, Radical Book Fair Tent - Sept 27, 2008
Food For Thought Books, Amherst, MA - October 14, 2008
With Seth Tobocman, Andy Laties, Steve Wishnia and Eric Blitz
Various Original Graphics; 29 Years of the Art of World War 3 Illustrated: America’s Longest Running Political Comic Book
UW-Milwaukee Libraries - Special Collections, August 1 - October 9 2008
Yippee Skippy Puppet Theater: “Agent Alpha, The Pentagon’s Tiniest Covert Operative”
Author, Puppeteer, Director, Designer.
Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, New York; Soapbox Gallery, Brooklyn. 2006
Big Apple Con, Judson Memorial Church (art exhibit). 2007
“Richie Bush”, “Shugga Crax” “Wanna See Our Shorts” Graphic Artists Guild New York Animation Festival, Signe Baumane, Judge. Credit: Director, Animator. 2006
R.L.Migdal Creative Multimedia, The International Licensing Show, Surtex; Jacob Javits Center, NY. Character Designs and Licensing; with Sylvan Migdal. 2005
“Richie Bush” (animated short) Created by Peter Kuper. Director, Animator, Voice-overs, Audio. Exhibited on the Internet; at Exit Art Gallery, NY, and at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. 2004-5
“Shugga Crax” Animated faux commercial for the play Walking To America. Written by Alberto Bonilla, originally performed/screened at 78th Street Theater Lab; sponsored by Amnesty International. Credit: Director, Illustrator, Animator. 2004
World War 3 Arts In Action Street performances throughout New York City, 2003-2006
“Crime and Punishment” Reading and multimedia performance. ALWAN Center for the Arts, NY; HOWL Festival, NY. 2003
“Nakedness and Power” Created by Seth Tobocman. Multimedia performance–technical and audio collaboration. Alwan Center for the Arts, NY; HOWL Festival, NY. 2003
“Curiosity Carnival” Art game on Naqoy.com, an online forum of new media artists, thematically linked to the Godfrey Reggio/Philip Glass film Naqoyqatsi. 2002
Plain Brown Wrapper ABC No Rio, NY Group show. 1999
“Memorial” multimedia installation & performance; Guest Artist, Pratt Institute. 1994
“Boze Arts”, The HEAT Show, Red Hook Space, Brooklyn. Performance, installation and an exhibition of paintings. 1991
“The White Heart” ABC No Rio. Performance, multimedia installation and an exhibition of paintings. 1990
“Guilty Sex” Performance and multimedia installation. The Upstairs, Tryon NC; I. P. Stanback Museum, SC State Coll., Orangeburg; Arts Council of Spartanburg, SC. 1988
“Little Outlets” Performance, Spartan High School. Filmed for WRET-TV. 1987
Selected Radio and Television Appearances, Concerts and Recordings
Comictoons: Heartbreak and Chutzpah - Emcee, comedian/artist, Vox Pop Cafe, Brooklyn NY, February 19, 2010
Sonata in Primeval Sounds / Urchestra - vocalist, performances at Bowery Poetry Club, The Rendezvous etc., 2009-2010
Interview and Performance of “Ana and the Calabash”
WKCR 89.9FM Columbia University- January 9, 2009
WXOJ-LP 103.3 FM, Valley Free Radio Northampton- Monday, October 13, 2008
With Seth Tobocman, Andy Laties, Steve Wishnia and Eric Blitz
Yippee Skippy Puppet Theater: “Agent Alpha” (excerpt). WBAI, Moorish Orthodox Crusade; World War 3 Illustrated Magazine Artists interview, 2006
Greenvision: Journalist. Performer, various episodes. Brooklyn Community Access Television, Carl Lawrence, Producer. 2006-7
“Voices of Kurdistan” WBAI, Moorish Orthodox Crusade; Coauthor, Producer. 2004
“Freud Fish”: Clockwork Robin (Jumpstart Records); Lyrics, music, lead and harmony vocals. 1996.
“Flotsam From Your Paradise”, Clockwork Robin (Jumpstart Records); This record was in the top 40 on college radio stations in wsam, wsva, wfit, wvhc, and others. Lyrics, music, lead and harmony vocals, cover art. 1994.
Clockwork Robin Le Bar Bat, CB-313, Arlene's Grocery, other venues. Musical performance --vocals, original material. 1993-1997
The Rubber Dahls Dixon Place, NY, Maxwell's, Hoboken NJ, other venues. Musical performance --vocals, original material. 1990-92
Radio Interviews Wsva, NY New York. WVHC, Herkimer, New York. 1995
Television Interview WRET Public Television, Spartanburg, South Carolina –Interviewed by Len Hathaway about Performance Art; clips of my work shown. 1987
Selected Grants and Honors:
2005 Merit Scholarship, LIU Southampton MFA Writing Program
2004 NYIT, Graduate Teaching Fellowship, Long Island News Tonight: Broadcast Journalism and Web Design
1989 Emerging Artists Grant, Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance
1988 Interdisciplinary Artists Grant, Nexus Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA
1988 Honorarium and Invitation to Exhibit, South Carolina State Acquisitions and Collection Committee
1988 Small Grants for Artists Award, South Carolina Arts Commission
1988 First Honorable Mention, NCNB Annual Art Exhibition;
Juror: Mr. Salvatore G. Cilella, Jr., Executive Director, Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina
1982 Chancellor’s Discretionary Honorarium, to attend Krishna Reddy printmaking workshop at KALA Institute, Berkeley, California
1978-1982 Regents’ Scholar, University of California
Publications
Books
“The Design of Dissent” Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic, editors, Forward by Tony Kushner. Poster designs. Rockport Press, 2005
Words and Pictures
“The Yes Men in Judgement Day!” 2009; –Author, Illustrator
“Rosetta Stone Comics” 2009; –Author, Illustrator
“Ana and the Calabash” 2009; –Author, Illustrator
“Fools Gold” 2007; –Author, Illustrator.
“Agent Alpha, The Pentagon's Tiniest Covert Operative” 2006; –Author, Illustrator.
“Crime And Punishment” 2004 –Author, Illustrator.
All of the above published in: World War 3 Illustrated Magazine.
“War Is Hell (Part I and Part II)” by Penny Allen; World War 3 Illustrated Magazine. –Designer. 2005-6
“The Last Mermaid” Redflagsdaily.com. 2002
“Ear Fetish” Sound Views Subterranean Music & Culture, Brooklyn. 1997
“The Spoonworms/From Percy’s Lips” Sound Views, Brooklyn. 1997-2000
“The Red Hat” Rogue's Harbor Literary Review 1997
“Zombie Punk”, “SubversEve” self published comic books. 1996, 2008
Journalism
– Selected Art and Performance Reviews and Previews
Dining, art, culture and music reviews, The Brooklyn Paper: Ed. Gersh Kuntzman; GO Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Bride, Ed. Lisa Curtis. 2006-7
“X-Ray Visions” Corridor Gallery review
“Future Archaeology” Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition’s annual exhibition
“Magical Hands” Performances at The New York Puppet Library
“Share a Moment” Joe Mangrum at Ch’I Contemporary Fine Art
“Wild Style” Graffiti Artists at the Brooklyn Museum
“Flying High” Floyd Bennet Field’s Tuskegee Airmen exhibit
–Essays
“Yippeeskippy.com” –Personal weblog, 2006-7
“Flight to the Urbs: Confessions of a Rock-and-Roll Mom” Downtown, NY. 1991
Design, Illustration
“World War 3 Illustrated Magazine”
Art Director, 2005-8; Editorial Committee, 2005-2009
“Physical Magazine” Illustrator 2003
“British Television Magazine” Art Director, Illustrator 1997-8
“The Walford Gazette” Art Director, Illustrator 1996-7
“Verdict, Vol. 1, No.1” National Coalition of Concerned Legal Professionals.
Cover and interior illustrations. 1995
Editorial
World War 3 Illustrated Magazine –Editorial Committee. 2006
Critical Notices
World War Three Illustrated #37
The Indypendent, Comiccritique.com, by Hueso Taveras. 1-07
Newsarama.com by Michael San Giacomo. 1-07
World War Three Illustrated–general reviews
New York Times, New York At Book Fair, etc. Holland Cotter. 11-06
New York Times, Colin Moynihan. 4-02
New York Times, “Amid the Ashes, Creativity”, Holland Cotter. 4-02
Time, Andrew D. Arnold. 1-02
New York Times, Elissa Lin Meyers. 6-01
The Design of Dissent Milton Glaser and Mirko Ilic, editors, Forward by Tony Kushner. Poster designs. Rockport Press, 2005
The Washington Post by Linda Hales. 6-05
The Los Angeles Times by Carol Wells. 5-05
Business Week. 5-05
Reason.com by Nick Gillespie (UK Edition). 4-07
Digit Magazine by Jason Walsh (UK Edition). 4-07
Teaching Experience
Computer Illustration (Adobe Illustrator CS3) – Nassau Community College Art Department, 2007-8
Web Design for Artists –Graphic Artist's Guild of New York Professional Development Workshops. Lectures on Web Design, Licensing, Copyright and Artists’ Rights. 2005-6
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Long Island News Tonight; New York Institute of Technology. Broadcast journalism; designed the LI News show web site. 2004
Teaching Artist, Community Workshops Program: Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. Cartooning, ages 8-12; Doll-making, ages 8-adult; Cartooning & Animation, ages 12-adult; Civic Cyber Arts Program: Web Design, grades 7-8. 2002–2004
Teaching Artist, Media Arts Specialist, Curriculum Coordinator: Police Athletic League / TASC After School Program, PS 214. The Comic Book Literacy Project, grades 4-6 (prize-winning group); Puppet Making, Poetry, grades 2-4. 2003–4
Guest Speaker, Fashion Institute of Technology. Copyright, Artists’ Rights and New Media. 2000
Guest Speaker, Parsons School of Design. Copyright, Artists’ Rights, New Media. 2000
Classroom Teacher, New York City Public Schools. 1989-90
“Selling Cool: Demystifying the Media Image of Youth” Art Works Presenter, NYCATA/UFT Curriculum Workshop. 1990
Director, Nature Studies Program, Breezemont Day Camp. Armonk, NY. 1989
Education Department Docent, Año Nuevo State Wildlife Preserve, Año Nuevo, CA. Tour guide, Educator; created Display Materials for Museum. 1980-82
Selected Professional Media and Licensing Projects:
2007 “Installing the Guttershell” Animator, Illustrator, Copywriter, Director
2007 Guttershell MarketingVideo Animator, Illustrator, Copywriter, Director
2006 SoapboxGallery.org Web Developer, Logo Design, Photography
2006 StandUpForPeace.com Web Developer, Logo Design
2005 adamgaynor.net Web Designer, Animator, Illustrator
2004 linewstonight.com Web Developer, Designer
2003 NYIT.edu-ARCH New York Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Design –Web Developer
2002 Promotional Interactive Royal Promotion Group. Animator, Illustrator, Director
2001 Calvin Klein Pitch Royal Promotion Group. Animator, Illustrator, Director
2001 Zeezel.com Animator, Illustrator, Director, Interface Design
2000 Duaflower.com Animator, Interface Design, Web Developer
2000 MishMashMedia.com MishMash Media. Interface Design, Web Developer
1999 Queer Duck MishMash Media. Animator
1999 Vote.com Online Illustration
1994 Stone Advertising Illustration, Storyboards, Mockups
Employment History–Highlights:
Intimo Inc. - 1997-2001 Position: Freelance designer, illustrator, copywriter. Designed novelty apparel, packaging and promotional materials. Buyers included Sears, JCPenney, Macys, Lord & Taylor, etc.
Reproducta/Quadriga Art - 1994-1996. Position: Designer, copywriter. Designed and created direct marketing campaigns for nonprofits. Clients included many Catholic charities, the World Wildlife Federation, the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, etc.
Affiliations, Professional and Community Activities
The Graphic Artists Guild
Member, New York Board of Directors. 1999-2007
Member, National Board of Directors. 2000-2007
Committees: Educational Outreach, Cartoonists Alliance, Web Site Redesign, Fundraising; organized 2006 Animation Festival
ASIFA, International Association of Film Animators Member 2005-2007
Computer Applications:
Adobe Photoshop CC Adobe Illustrator CC
Adobe After Effects CC Adobe Premiere CC
Adobe InDesign CC Adobe Acrobat CC
Macromedia Dreamweaver CC Macromedia Flash CC
Soundbooth CC AVID / FinalCut Pro
Wordpress iMovie
Microsoft Office X: Word Microsoft Office X: PowerPoint