Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Reaches New Audiences Abroad


Wall with various picture frames holding Calvin & Hobbes cartoon strips and a decal of Calvin & Hobbes

We are excited to announce that many collection materials from the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (BICLM) are on display in new areas across the world thanks to work by BICLM and support from The Ohio State University Libraries.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum at the University of Oregon recently opened an exhibit using items exclusively from our collection of Bill Watterson’s popular comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes. By loaning these pieces to the museum, we’re helping to provide a rare opportunity for cartoon and comic lovers to see this original art outside of Columbus, Ohio.

With support from the Fox Foundation, the Decorative Arts Center in Lancaster, Ohio, just opened our exhibit, Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund. This exhibit was curated by Caitlin McGurk, Associate Professor with Special Collections and Area Studies, featuring pieces of work from our permanent collection.

On the other side of the world, about 20 pieces from our collection are on display in Paris, France at the Centre Pompidou for their series of exhibitions titled, Comics on All Floors. You can view the virtual tour of the exhibit here.

As we ramp up our traveling exhibit program, more pieces from our collections will continue to make their way to new audiences so they can enjoy and experience the art in person.

  • Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund, will be featured in the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in Feb. 2025.
  • Exploring Calvin and Hobbes, will be at the Fenimore Cooper Museum in New York in Fall 2025.
  • Dark Laughter Revisited: The Life and Times of Ollie Harrington, will be at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum at the University of Oregon in Fall 2025.