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About
the show
The Minneapolis Indie Xpo was founded in 2010 as a one-day show celebrating independent comics and Midwest cartoonists. It grew out of the local comics community’s desire to have its own venue for exhibition and was cobbled together by two veteran event coordinators (Andy Krueger and Sarah Morean) who happen to be big comics fans. You can call us “MIX.”
the name
The name comes from a John Allison comic. LINK
our mission
MIX aspires to create new comics fans by reaching out to the local community and inviting them to learn to love comics again, or for the first time. MIX is devoted to the idea that creators deserve affordable exhibition space and increasing opportunities to make sales, fans and friends. By offering free admission and keeping table costs low, we hope to achieve these goals.
the venue
The Soap Factory is one of the largest gallery spaces in the Twin Cities. Its name is an artifact of the building’s previous life, in which it really was a soap factory.
The gallery today offers large, open rooms with thick wooden plank flooring and high ceilings. The space is not heated or air conditioned, so be prepared for whatever the weather may bring.
the founders
Andy Krueger is the kid who was always drawing: he made the comic for his school newspaper, and even created a short-lived webcomic called Bob the Golfer. He still enjoys (reading) comics, but his true passion is arts management. Specifically, events that bring together artists and their fans in a fun environment, and are inviting to the general public… who become new fans!
Andy fell in love with comics as a medium during the heyday of Calvin & Hobbes. From there he got into mainstream monthly titles, followed by independent comics, and then manga. Currently many of his favorite artists are webcomics creators.
In 2006, Andy founded the St. Paul Craftstravaganza, an urban craft fair which brings in thousands of shoppers every year. He hopes that MIX will be a successful comic-flavored blend of Craftstravaganza and Zinefest. Most of all, he hopes to see you there!
Sarah Morean fell for indie comics after reading Craig Thompson’s Goodbye, Chunky Rice in 2004. Soon after, she dedicated herself to the consumption indie comics from publishers like Top Shelf, Fantagraphics, Alternative Comics, and Drawn & Quarterly.
This inspired her to write and publish her own mini-comics. For a few years, she was so productive that she offered a monthly service for subscribers who received 1-2 of her latest handmade books per month. This was exhausting.
Around 2007, she stopped making comics and began reviewing them for the independent comics site The Daily Cross Hatch, where she served as Mini-Comics Editor until 2011.
In 2008, Sarah became Coordinator of the Twin Cities Zinefest, and helped transform the event into a busy, buzz-worthy event for the local DIY community. She is proud and excited to be a part of Minneapolis’ first independent comics show.
the website
Our site is powered by WordPress, Sarah Morean made our logo.
organizational structure
TITLE NAME CONTACT Festival Director, Co-Founder Sarah Morean sarah@mplsindiexpo.com Tweeter, Co-Founder Andy Krueger andy@mplsindiexpo.com