Talk:Ivan Velez Jr.

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 August 2019 and 3 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Hope Hyde. Peer reviewers: Eudaimonia11.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 00:57, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Uncited material in need of citations
I am moving the following material here until it can be properly supported with reliable, secondary citations, per WP:V, WP:NOR, WP:IRS, WP:PSTS, et al. Nightscream (talk) 17:10, 3 December 2019 (UTC)

UPDATE: This diff shows where it was in the article. Nightscream (talk) 19:07, 13 September 2021 (UTC)

Early life
He was raised in the South Bronx. As a child, Velez admired the comics and animations of Casper, Hot Stuff, Superman, Supergirl, Archie, Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Five Fingers of Death. From these early muses, Velez attributes his preference for simple pathos and characters with emotional depth. Velez graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1979 and went on to earn a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University in 1983. Further, he earned certifications in Digital Film Production from the Digital Film Academy, LAST, ATS-W (elementary), CST in Visual Arts, CST in English Language Arts.

Career
In 1987, Velez began working with the Hetrick-Martin Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth, where he created educational tools about LGBTQ youth for high schools and social services agencies.

Velez works as a freelance writer and artist. He has also taught art classes for the New York Public Library, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Queens Public Library. Velez hosts cultural events primarily in New York City, such as "Mr. Papo's Drink-N-Draw Pop Up Art Show", and "Oso Oro".

Beginning in 2015 Velez began work on the a series of five interconnected books, The Ballad of Wham Kabam, which was funded through the Creative Capital Award. The Ballad of Wham Kabam relies on the tropes of the superhero genre to examine aspects of American history from the perspective of oppressed minorities, including the subjugation of indigenous peoples, slavery, the civil rights movement, and modern pop culture.

Grants and awards

 * Velez received a 2004 Xeric Grant to republish Tales of the Closet.
 * Velez received a 2015 Creative Capital grant to support his publishing imprint, Planet Bronx Productions.

Awards

 * 2007 CYBILS Graphic Novel Nominee
 * 2008 QUICK PICKS FOR RELUCTANT READERS AWARD
 * 2008 YALSA GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL AWARD NOMINEE
 * 2008 ALA GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS WINNER
 * 2008 LONGWOOD ARTS DIGITAL MATRIX COMMISSION
 * 2011-2012 BCA/DCA Grant for Comic Culture
 * 2012-2013 BCA/DCA Grant for Comic Culture
 * 2012 Community Arts Grant (with the Bronx School of Excellence)
 * 2013 Lambda Literary Award Winner (No Queer Lines Anthology)
 * 2013 Eisner Award nominee for Best Anthology (3 piece inclusion in No Straight Lines)
 * 2014 Community Arts Grant
 * 2014 BCA/DCA Grant for Comic Culture
 * 2015 Creative Capital Visual Arts Grant
 * 2015 BCA/DCA ART FUND GRANT
 * 2016 BCA/DCA ART FUND GRANT
 * 2016 BCA Artist In Community Grant
 * 2017 BCA/DCA ART FUND GRANT
 * 2017 SUCASA GRANT