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Tintype by Sara Mulvey

Kayla E. is a Texas-born artist of Mexican-American descent. Her comics practice centers around her childhood and functions as a map-making exercise. Leaning heavily on the fixed compositional structure and aesthetic codes of post-war American comics, she imposes order onto recollections once disorganized by intrafamilial abuse, addiction, and sexual violence. Her textile work and painting practice are concerned with memories that present as unmappable. She currently works as the creative director at Fantagraphics and is the co-founder and former president of Nat. Brut Inc. She holds a B.A. from Harvard University, where she received the Albert Alcalay Prize in Visual Arts and served as the art director for the Harvard Lampoon. Kayla is also a public speaker and has been invited to speak about her work at universities and conferences across the country. In 2023, she was granted a Princeton Hodder Fellowship to support the completion of her first book. Kayla resides in a small town in North Carolina with her wife and two dogs. Her upcoming graphic memoir, Precious Rubbish, will be published by Fantagraphics and is available for pre-order.

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Early praise for Precious Rubbish

“FIVE STARS STUNNING! Precious Rubbish has the biblical-level artistry and poetry of William Blake combined with the playful commercialism of Mad Magazine.” — Maria Bamford

 

“This is the scariest book I have ever read.” — Mark Newgarden

Precious Rubbish may help you come to terms with some things you’ve been privately avoiding or even things about yourself you didn’t know.” — Chris Ware

Pre-order from Fantagraphics today!

Education

2013

Harvard University, BA in Visual and Environmental Studies

Fellowships

2023-24

Mary Mackall Gwinn Hodder Fellow, Princeton University, Lewis Center for the Arts 

Awards

2023

Nominated for an Ignatz Award: Outstanding Anthology (NOW #12)

2021

Simon Rockower Award in Layout and Design, American Jewish Press Association

2020

American Illustration 40 Winner

2013

Whiting Literary Magazine Prize, Nat. Brut

2018

American Illustration 37 Winner

2013

Albert Alcalay Prize in Visual Arts, Harvard University

Curatorial

2018

Juror, American Illustration 36

2014

Juror, "Hecho En Dallas," Latino Cultural Center Dallas, TX

Exhibitions

Solo

2019

"DRUNK TANK," Culture Hole, Dallas, TX

2014

"Kayla: Now and Then, Now and Again," Deep Ellum Windows, Dallas, TX

2014

"Watch Kayla," The Safe Room, Dallas, TX

Group

2023

"Thought Forms," Central Server Works and Marian Cramer Projects, Paris, France

2020

Culture Hole TV, Episode Three: Drugs

2014

Dallas Aurora, Dallas, TX

Selected Publications

2024

"Gift From Uncle Ben," Popeye vol. 4: "Swee'Pea & the Eugene the Jeep," Introduction, Fantagraphics

2024

"There is A Great Void," NOW #13, Cover Art, Fantagraphics

2024

"Precious Rubbish," NOW #13, Fantagraphics

2022

"Precious Rubbish," NOW #12, Fantagraphics

2021

"Precious Rubbish," NOW #11, Fantagraphics

2020

"The Dreadfuls Special," Rotland Press

2020

"Marge's Little Lulu," The Comics Journal No. 305

2018

"Precious Rubbish," Rotland Press Single Shot

2018

"Death in Desoto, Texas," Booth Journal, Issue 12

2017

"Precious Rubbish," Resist, edited by Francoise Mouly and Nadja Spiegelman

2017

"Precious Rubbish," The Southeast Review 35.2

2017

"Kayla Sees the Lowcountry," Ecotone Magazine Issue 22

2017

"All of Them Witches," Black Eye No. 3, Rotland Press

2016

"Precious Rubbish," The Spectacle

2014

"Kayla's Day In," New Delta Review

Public Speaking

2023

University of Nebraska, Omaha

2023

Carousel (at Small Press Expo)

2023

Small Press Expo

2023

Heroes Convention

2023

Dartmouth College

2023

Swan Con, USC Sumter 

2022

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus

2022

Small Press Expo

2022

Heroes Convention

2022

ICON Conference 11: The Illustration Conference

2019

University of Chicago

2017

ArtCenter College of Design

2017

Los Angeles County High School for the Arts

2016

ICON Conference 9: The Illustration Conference

2016

Oberlin College

2016

The University of Texas at Dallas

2016

Southern Methodist University

2015

Harvard University

Contact

Contact Kayla

Thank you!

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