Beyond the Panels

Columbus-based artist uses cartoons to empower kids

By Katie Giffin

IN FALL 2022, cartoonist and teaching artist Jerzy Drozd presented his latest work at the McConnell Arts Center’s Drawing the Line exhibit.

Drozd talked about the creation of his upcoming book, Baron von Bear and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue, which follows a teddy bear who guards the dangerous prizes mythological heroes win on their quests

“What was wonderful about having the art in the McConnell Center was actually watching children interact with the work there in person and getting to talk through the material with the children right there,” Drozd says.

A seasoned cartoonist, Drozd started creating comics when he was 7 years old. He wrote his first original comic book in fifth grade and continued to draw throughout middle and high school.

“When I was 17, I had zero context as to what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I just knew it had to do something with comics,” Drozd says. “… My 17-yearold brain thought, ‘Oh, Stan Lee is going to drive to my house and just give me a ride to Marvel comics, and I’ll just draw Spider-Man for the rest of my life.’”

Drozd self-published his first comic book at 19-years-old and was published by Antarctic Press in San Antonio shortly after.

For Drozd, cartoons are more than just pictures and stories: They are a visual method of representing the complexities of the human experience.

“The visual language of comics is a very rich and meaningful one that reaches different learning modalities,” he says.

The self-taught artist draws his inspiration from cartoonists such as Walt Simonson, Keith Giffen, Paris Cullins and Rick Leonardi. His cartoons are also heavily influenced by mythology, comparative religion studies and psychology – all subjects he studied in college. Drozd also found inspiration in literature and film.

“C.S. Lewis became a very important author to me, especially his space trilogy, because of his mastery of making me feel like I’m in a place. … I want to do visually what he is doing with prose,” he says.

In addition to his work as a cartoonist, Drozd works as a teaching artist, holding workshops with schools around Ohio.

“I think young people are incredible,” he says. “They’re almost always right. And they deserve our respect and our service.”

Drozd teaches drawing and storytelling at his workshops, but his goal is to meet the kids where they are, regardless of their experience.

“I want to invite them in and get them excited about doing this stuff,” he says. “I want to raise them up and empower them, and make them realize that all of us are creative people, whether we call ourselves an artist or not. I would say that my classes are really lively, fun places where children feel seen.”

Drozd began teaching regularly after connecting with the Ohio Arts Council when he moved to Columbus in 2018.

“This place is very charged with a lot of activity around cartoons,” Drozd says. “In working with the (Ohio Arts Council), ... I feel like I’m moving at a whole new level in my work as a teaching artist. … I really feel like I’ve come home since moving here.” CS

Katie Giffin is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

ON VIEW Dates and shows are subject to change. Visit the websites for more information.