1. ICON5 Sketchcrawl

    Wednesday, July 2 | Free and Open to Everyone | Time and Place TBA
    Sketchcrawl is a worldwide event created by Pixar artist Enrico Casarosa. It involves people from different corners of the world in a day of sketching and journaling and then sharing the work in an online forum. The ICON5 Sketchcrawl will be a local variation on this idea. Attendees will spend the afternoon sketching in and around Central Park and the Museum of Natural History. Afterwards, we will all meet up at the Roosevelt Hotel bar to share our drawings and experiences with each other. Details will be announced in April.

  2. Opening Night Reception

    Thursday, July 3, 7:00 - 9:00pm | The Roosevelt Hotel
    Following the very first ICON5 evening session, swing into the Opening Night Reception in the Palm Room of the Roosevelt Hotel. The Half-Tones made up of our very own musical illustrators, Barry Blitt, Joe Ciardiello, Rob Saunders, James Steinberg and Michael Sloan will perform their own blend of jazz and rhythm & blues. Chat with old friends, meet new ones, grab a drink and hug a sponsor as we kick off the beginning of a fantastic conference.

  3. NY Times Gallery Opening

    Thursday, July 3, 9:00pm | New York Times Building
    Check out the new digs of the NY Times and attend a special opening of Henning Wagenbreth’s work immediately following the ICON5 Opening Night Reception. Exhibition location to be announced.

  4. ICON5 Mistress of Ceremonies Nona

    Friday, July 4 to Saturday, July 5
    New Yorker cartoonist Victoria Roberts appears onstage on Friday and Saturday as one of her cartoon characters, Nona. Nona will start the day with announcements and pearls of wisdom. The NY press and fellow illustrator Elwood Smith say, “She is simply amazing. Vivacious Victoria transforms herself into an elderly, doddering, extremely odd woman with bright orange hair & chattering teeth. She dances. She sings. She tells wonderfully weird stories.”

  5. Book Signings

    Thursday, July 3 to Saturday, July 5 | ICON Bookstore | Grand Ballroom Foyer
    Book signings will follow each session. Bring a copy of a speaker’s book for signing. You can purchase your copy ahead of time on our website or at our bookstore located directly outside the Grand Ballroom.

  6. New York City, Real & Imagined

    A collaborative book project | On display at The Roosevelt Hotel
    Whether or not you'll be attending the big event, be seen and heard by participating in the collaborative book - New York City, Real & Imagined. This book will showcase our many different individual perspectives of the city that we’ve all come to know through films, written word, legend, or the daily grind. Contact Julia Breckenreid for your page, and show us your version of NY. Send in your contribution by June 1. The work will be beautifully hand bound by bookmaker Don Taylor and on display at the conference in July and potentially beyond.

    Special thanks to sponsor Legion Paper for the paper.

  7. Main Stage Podcasts with Steven Heller

    Throughout the Conference
    Brows still dripping and adrenaline pumping, speakers fresh off the Main Stage are interviewed by Steven Heller and posted to the ICON5 website for your listening pleasure.

  8. Fireworks in NYC

    Friday, July 4, 9:00pm
    See the July 4th fireworks like you have never seen before [unless you live here]. The world’s largest fireworks with over 20,000 aerial shells and special effects are set off from 4 barges in the east river, and the New York Fire Department’s fire boats shoot jets of red, blue and clear water 300 feet over the river. Grab a flag, a friend and have some fun watching the NY Harbor and Miss Liberty light up.

  9. Topical Lunches

    Saturday, July 5, 12:00 noon - 2:00pm | Nearby Restaurants
    Want to dig deeper with others who share your interests? Share a table with a discussion moderator and ten other illustrators at a nearby restaurant. Network and bounce your ideas off others. Topics include:
    Sandra Dionisi - Standing Together While We Work Alone
    Andrew Foster - Challenge Yourself before Challenging Illustration
    Doug Fraser - Under The Influence
    Nora Krug - Why Are Stories so Compelling?
    Melanie Reim - Dusting off the Lunchbox
    Edel Rodriguez - Get your Foot in the Door, from both Sides
    Lizzy Rockwell - Acting Childish
    Thorina Rose - Drawing on Pain
    Nancy Stahl - Paint, It Ain't...?
    Registration on July 3 and 4 at the Roosevelt Hotel. Lunches will sell out quickly.

  10. Carnival Carioca | The Big Party

    Saturday, July 5, 8:00pm -12:00am | The Roosevelt Hotel Grand Ballroom
    Come one, come all to a grande spectacle and perfect ending to The Big Picture. High-energy fun and a few surprises as you dance the night away with DJ Gary Taxali.