Open events

Ben Wicks was a self-taught cartoonist who combined simple line drawings with a wry wit and humour to offer important insights into Canadian society that laid the foundation for his campaigns against poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition in Canada and Africa. His career began in 1962 and gained popularity over the next two decades as his work was syndicated in more than 80 Canadian and 100 American newspapers. The appeal of his topical and satirical cartoons, combined with an ability to easily connect with Canadians, led to frequent guest appearance on radio and his own series on CBC Television during the 1970s. Wicks leveraged this success to pursue humanitarian work, such as publicizing the impact of the Biafran war in Nigeria on civilians, raising money to fight the famine in Ethiopia, and writing books to promote childhood literacy until his death in 2000. This exhibit will feature a selection from among more than 3,000 cartoons drawn by Ben Wicks that are held by York University Libraries and from videotapes of his television show recently donated by his family to highlight the impact of the arts in advancing social change and re-imaging global communities.

Please note this event will be presented in English. Bilingual titles and descriptions are for reference purposes only.