As many of you know, our dear friend and Comics Program Instructor Dylan Williams passed away earlier this month after a long struggle with cancer.
Dylan was a longtime member of the IPRC, but became more intensely involved after we launched our Certificate Program in Comics/Graphic Novels in 2009. He was absolutely instrumental in shaping this program; along with teaching workshops like Comics Production and World Comics, he helped us create a progressive, inclusive curriculum with a focus on empowering students to develop their own unique style and voice, rather than following any sort of formulaic script. He was also passionate about exposing students to the rich history of the comics art form, as well as contemporary comics/graphic novels from around the globe.
Dylan was an exceptional teacher. His enthusiasm for the comics art form was electric; he often wheeled in a box of forty or fifty comics to share with students during a single class period. He had an egalitarian, ego-free style of teaching, one that always placed students, rather than the instructor, at the center of attention. The amount of time and care he gave to each student–and his ability to understand individual needs and nuances–were also exceptional. It wasn’t unusual to find Dylan seated next to a student in the computer lab or at the drawing table, several hours before or after class, providing gentle guidance and support.
Dylan will be sorely missed, but his ideas and creative spirit will certainly live on through the IPRC’s Comics Program.
To honor Dylan and his contributions to the Center, we’ve created the Dylan Williams Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will be awarded each year to an IPRC Comics Program applicant, based on a combination of artistic promise and need, and will cover their entire tuition for a full year of study. Along with our Comics Program instructors, Dylan’s wife Emily Nilsson will sit on future award selection committees.
Thanks to a generous contribution by an anonymous donor, we’re very pleased to offer the inaugural Dylan Williams Scholarship to incoming student Moises Keymolen. Having just graduated from Roosevelt High, Moises is the youngest student in this year’s Comics Program. His artwork shows a great deal of promise and an unconventional sense of humor that Dylan would have loved. Hearing the surprise and excitement in Moises’ voice after we informed him of the award was a a serious bright spot in an otherwise difficult time.
Our aim is to offer this award every year for the foreseeable future. To do so, we’re reaching out for support from the community. You can make your own tax-deductible contribution to the Dylan Williams Scholarship via NETWORK FOR GOOD, where you can chose to make a one-time donation, or set up a recurring monthly, quarterly, or annual donations. Under the “Designation” field please type in “The Dylan Williams Scholarship Fund.”
If you prefer to contribute by check, they can be made out to “IPRC” and sent directly to:
The Dylan Williams Scholarship Fund
C/O The Independent Publishing Resource Center
917 SW Oak St. #218
Portland, OR 97205
If you’d prefer to contribute in a creative, non-monetary way, IPRC volunteer Christina “Blue” Crow is compiling a tribute zine to Dylan entitled Life Eternal, and is currently seeking submissions. Proceeds from the sale of Life Eternal will benefit the Dylan Williams Scholarship Fund.
Thank you for your support, and for helping us preserve Dylan’s rich legacy as an artist, teacher and wonderfully inspiring individual.
With gratitude,
Justin Hocking
Executive Director
Independent Publishing Resource Center
CLICK HERE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DYLAN WILLIAMS SCHOLARSHIP FUND VIA NETWORK FOR GOOD
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO THE DYLAN WILLIAMS “LIFE ETERNAL” ZINE