So I hope that you managed to get over to PiercingMetal and see all of the NY Comic Con posts that were going live as there were a ton of photos to enjoy. It’s one of my favorite conventions to attend despite the crushing humanity and now it looks like the game is going to be offering up a brand new experience for fans of the medium and that of designer toys with the recently announced “Five Points Festival”. I don’t usually use “The Chronicles” for announcements such as this but I think its going to be a good idea to help raise awareness as the aim to reach more and more people with this Lifestyle Blog becomes a plan. With that said, let’s take a glance at the full press release that I received.
The Press Release:
Clutter Magazine and LeftField Media today announced the debut of the Five Points Festival, a new convention focused on designer toys and comic art launching next year in New York City’s Lower East Side. The first Five Points Festival will take place May 20-21, 2017 inside Pier 36’s Basketball City, and the event presents itself as the antidote to the average con – a showcase for artists, creators, independent brands, and the counterculture they make.
Five Points will bring together influential names across the designer toy and comic worlds, with a roster already pledging their support. Clutter Magazine, a leading voice in the designer toy world, will curate the Five Points Festival’s toy guests and exhibits, with brands Kidrobot, Super7, Popaganda, Cotton Candy Machine, and Toy Tokyo taking part, and Ron English and Tara McPherson leading the art toy luminaries who’ll appear as guests. On the comic side, Five Points will be presented overall by Midtown Comics, the largest comic retailer in America, and confirmed comic artists and writers in attendance – known for their independent, avant garde, and creator-owned work – will include Bryan Lee O’Malley, Amy Reeder, Brandon Montclare, Kate Leth, Cliff Chiang, Ivan Brandon, Christopher Hastings, and James Tynion IV.
Further designer toy and comic brands and creators will be announced over the coming weeks and months, as will details about show exclusives, parties, and special events. “The Five Points Festival is a celebration of art and its creators,” said Josh Kimberg, Clutter’s Managing Partner. “There’s a commonality, a shared creative culture, that crosses between designer toys and comics, and we’re honored to bring them together and build a home for the fans, collectors, and misfits ignited by this spirit.” At its center, the Five Points Festival will showcase comic artists and writers, vinyl and plastic toys, original art, graphic novels, indie comics, resin, kaiju, posters, and prints, and the event will extend to the lifestyle surrounding this space, featuring artisan food and craft breweries, and be capped off by the biggest awards in the art toy world – the 2017 Designer Toy Awards. “We’re building a one-of-a-kind marketplace for the new, cool, retro, and infamous inspired by one of New York’s most storied neighborhoods,” said Greg Topalian, President of LeftField Media. “And we know the independent spirit of historic Five Point is still alive in the rebel artists of today, whether they make comics, toys, beer, or vegan tacos.”
Prospective sponsors and exhibitors can sign up now at fivepointsfest.com. Tickets and additional information will be revealed later in October, and fans and collectors looking to learn more can sign up for the Five Points Festival’s newsletter and follow the event on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About the Five Points Festival: The Five Points Festival is a collision of toys, comics, and counterculture curated by Clutter Magazine (cluttermagazine.com). A designer toy and comic convention in New York’s Lower East Side, Five Points is two days and nights of comic artists and writers, vinyl and plastic toys, original art, resin, plush, blind boxes, graphic novels, indie comics, blanks, minis, kaiju, Japanese vinyl, posters, prints, apparel, food trucks, and craft breweries – capped off by the 2017 Designer Toy Awards. The antidote to the average con, Five Points brings together tastemakers, misfits, and rebels with the new, retro, and infamous in a one-of-a-kind marketplace.
About Clutter: Since 2004, Clutter has been the go-to destination for creatives, companies, and collectors, providing regular in-depth trend analysis directly from the vinyl frontier where fine art meets fine artifacts. The world’s premiere source for counterculture and art toy information, Clutter brings neo-pop, dark surrealist, and street artist collectible figures to our dedicated readership who rely on us to keep them informed on what they care about most. With a high-quality, free monthly print magazine, dynamic online portals, art gallery, and the first industry-established annual award ceremony, Clutter is the catalyst for a uniquely active and vocal community engaged in the serious business of work and play.
About the Designer Toy Awards: The Designer Toy Awards is the leading award honoring excellence and innovation in the designer toy world, a community that after more than a decade has become a prominent and legitimate form of artistic and commercial expression as well as a leader in global trendsetting. The DTAs celebrate the best of the industry’s artists, designers, and brands and honor those involved in championing designer toys throughout the world. Members of the DTA Board select the majority of finalists and winners in each category from the nominees, however you – fans and collectors – determine finalists and, in some cases, winners by voting for the nominated work, individual, or brand you believe is the best. Each year, the DTAs bring together designer toy makers from all over the world. Established in 2011, the DTAs are presented by Clutter.
About LeftField Media: LeftField Media, LLC is an events company focused on developing face-to-face events in a range of communities rooted in contemporary culture and shared passion. LeftField was formed in 2014 by Greg Topalian (President, LeftField Media) and is now owned by Topalian and Clarion Events Ltd. With a keen sense of the ever-evolving needs of businesses and their consumers as well as new opportunities created by change, LeftField takes a clean slate approach to business. LeftField’s portfolio includes Play Fair (playfairny.com), a family-focused celebration of toys and play built with the Toy Industry Association; Awesome Con (awesomecon.com), Washington DC’s Comic Con; and Anime NYC (animenyc.com), a Japanese pop culture festival presented by Crunchyroll. LeftField Media is headquartered in historic South Norwalk, CT.
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Piercing Ken Thoughts: As this was a LOT to digest I will leave my editorial opinion brief and say that I am definitely interested in seeing what this one is all about. It’s on a weekend in May and who doesn’t like to explore something new and potentially awesome during a Saturday or a Sunday. That’s all I have to say about the matter but what about you readers of the Blog? Does this strike your fancy and sound like something that you will attend? Let me know down in the comments section below. See you next time.
Official Websites:
Five Points Festival: http://www.fivepointsfest.com
Clutter Magazine: http://www.cluttermagazine.com
Designer Toy Awards: http://www.designertoyawards.com
Leftfield Media: http://www.leftfieldmedia.com