Graeme MacKay
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Graeme Patrick MacKay (born 23 September 1968 in
Dundas, Ontario Dundas () is a community and urban district in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is nicknamed ''Valley Town'' because of its topographical location at the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment on the we ...
) is a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...
who is currently the ''
Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation, ''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. ...
'''s resident
editorial cartoonist An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or current ...
.


Early and personal life

Graeme MacKay was born on 23 September 1968 in
Dundas, Ontario Dundas () is a community and urban district in the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is nicknamed ''Valley Town'' because of its topographical location at the bottom of the Niagara Escarpment on the we ...
. As a graduate from
Parkside High School Parkside High School is a four-year public high school in Salisbury, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. It is one of four public high schools in Wicomico County along with James Bennett High School, Wicomico High School, and Mardela Midd ...
in Dundas, he attended the
University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...
, majoring in History and Political Science. There, he submitted cartoons to the student newspaper, ''The Fulcrum'', and was elected as graphics editor by newspaper staff. Between 1989 and 1991, he illustrated and, along with writer Paul Nichols, co-wrote a weekly
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
entitled "Alas & Alack", a satire of current-day public figures framed in a medieval setting. After a 2-year working tour through Europe and North Africa, he began getting illustrations published on a freelance basis in various newspapers and magazines, including the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
'', the ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...
'', the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'', the ''
Canadian Forum The ''Canadian Forum'' was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000). History and profile ''The Canadian Forum'', A Monthly Journal of Literature and Public ...
'', and ''Policy Options'', published by the
Institute for Research on Public Policy The Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP; ) is an independent, national, bilingual, not-for-profit organization based in Montreal, Quebec. Its mission is to "improve public policy in Canada by generating research, providing insight and i ...
. Between 1995 and 1997, he regularly submitted and had local editorial cartoons published in the Ancaster News and other Brabant newspapers (now owned by
Metroland Media Group Metroland Media Group (also known as Community Brands) is a Canadian mass media publisher and distributor which primarily operates in Southern Ontario. A division of the publishing conglomerate Torstar Corporation, Metroland published more than ...
) under the pseudonym "Ham." His work led to him being hired as a full-time editorial cartoonist for the ''Hamilton Spectator'' in 1997. Between 1999 and 2003, Graeme illustrated a comic strip exclusively for the ''Hamilton Spectator'' called ''Gridlock'' featuring 5 characters working at a fictitious local taxi company called Hammercab. Gridlock's creation came about through a partnership with
Wade Hemsworth Albert Wade Hemsworth (October 23, 1916 – January 19, 2002) was a Canadian folk singer and songwriter.Alan Hustak, "Canadian composer dies at 85". ''Calgary Herald'', January 20, 2002. Although he was not a prolific composer, having writt ...
, a columnist at the ''Hamilton Spectator'', who wrote the scripts. Between 2008 and 2010, Graeme was president of the
Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...
, and hosted its biennial gathering in Hamilton in September 2010. Graeme has lived in
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
,
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, and
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. He also worked in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
for 18 months as a counter clerk in the food halls of
Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...
in
Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...
. He now resides in Hamilton with his wife Wendi and their daughters, Gillian and Jacqueline.


Citations

*The
Duncan MacPherson Duncan Ian Macpherson, CM (September 20, 1924 in Toronto – May 3, 1993 in Beaverton, Ontario) was a Canadian editorial cartoonist. He drew for the ''Montreal Standard'' (starting 1948) and for ''Maclean's'', illustrating the writings of Gr ...
Award, 2nd place, 1996 *The United Nations/ Ranan Lurie Political Cartoon Awards, 2006 *The United Nations/Ranan Lurie Political Cartoon Awards, 2013 *The George Townsend Award, (Finalist, English language category) 2014 *The George Townsend Award, 2018 *The George Townsend Award, 2020 *National Newspaper Award finalist, 2020 *National Newspaper Award finalist, 2021


Controversies

On August 22, 2017, an editorial cartoon by MacKay was published in the ''Hamilton Spectator'' depicting a person wearing a
Nazi uniform Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...
and holding a
tiki torch A tiki torch is a pole-mounted torch, typically made of bamboo, that originated in the tiki culture of the mid-20th-century United States, which has increased in popularity and spread to other places as a popular party decoration with a tropical ...
being beaten and hit by four hippies holding peace-themed signs. BentQ, ''Hamilton'''s LGBTQ2SI+ Media and Community Hub, responded to this cartoon in an article that identified the cartoon's Nazi sympathizing nature and its similarities, however unintentional, with
Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...
propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...
. The cartoon was met with discord on MacKay's Facebook page, which led to MacKay taking the cartoon down. On March 22, 2018, an editorial cartoon by MacKay was published in the ''Hamilton Spectator'' which depicted a person presenting as female being asked by a clerk at a
Service Canada Service Canada is the program operated by Employment and Social Development Canada to serve as a single-point of access for the Government of Canada's largest and most heavily used programs, such as the social insurance number, the Employment I ...
desk how they would like to be addressed. The individual answers that they are "the serene highness and extraordinary companion of the illustrious order" and continues in this vein, ending with "In Ms. Chatsworth's Gifted Class I went by Phil". The cartoon was referencing
Service Canada Service Canada is the program operated by Employment and Social Development Canada to serve as a single-point of access for the Government of Canada's largest and most heavily used programs, such as the social insurance number, the Employment I ...
's recent directive instructing its employees who interact with the public to stay away from terms such as ''Mr.'', ''Mrs.'', ''father'' and ''mother'', and to "use gender-neutral language or gender-inclusive language." MacKay's cartoon was met with backlash regarding its
transphobic Transphobia consists of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender or transsexual people, or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger towards people who do not conform to social ...
message. On August 24, 2018, an editorial cartoon by MacKay was published in the ''Hamilton Spectator'' which depicted Ontario Premier
Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party since 2018. He represents the Toronto rid ...
looking directly into the light of an overhead slide projection showing an anatomical cross-section of the male pelvic region, titled "The Penis." Ford is shown positioned with part of the slide projecting male sex organs on his face with a caption stating, "A sex-ed snitch line has been set up to report any funny business." The cartoon was in response to the Progressive Conservative government's repeal of the 2015 Ontario
sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, Human sexual activity, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, birth ...
curriculum, and subsequent decision to seek reports of teachers not using the pre-existing curriculum taught between 1992 and 2015. The cartoon provoked criticism and led to publication in the ''Hamilton Spectator'' of letters to the editor, and a column written, in defence of the cartoon, by the newspaper's Editor-in-Chief, Paul Berton. On August 20, 2021, an editorial cartoon by MacKay comparing and contrasting the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
with the
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...
elicited several complaints and letters to the editor of the ''Hamilton Spectator'' of unfair and biased coverage. The cartoon appeared during the first week of the
2021 Canadian federal election The 2021 Canadian federal election was held on September 20, 2021, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 44th Canadian Parliament. The Writ of election, writs of election were issued by Governor General of ...
campaign and is formatted as a split screen. The top frame shows a Taliban leader, surrounded by armed militia, giving assurance that "...we're not the old Taliban.", after declaring control of Afghanistan; set alongside in a lower frame are surly Conservative supporters with leader
Erin O'Toole Erin Michael O'Toole (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian lawyer, former military officer and politician who was the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader of the Official Opposition from 2020 to 2022. O'Toole was elected ...
stating, "...we're not the old Conservative Party." Letter writers expressed offence to such a comparison, while others justified the negative reaction to the editorial cartoon as what is to be expected with satire.


Exhibitions

*Participant, "Bye Bye Jean", 2003, La Galerie Rouge, 228 rue Saint-Joseph, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada *Participant, "Halifax Pub Scrawl", 2005, Economy Shoe Shop, 1663 Argyle St, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada *Participant, "Bush Leaguers: Cartoonists Take on the White House", 2007, Washington D.C., US, exhibited in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
., and
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
. *Participant, "Doodles to Digital: Editorial Cartooning in the 21st Century", 2010, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada *Participant, "Polar Lines", 2011, National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada *Participant, "World Press Cartoon 2012", Sintra, Portugal *Participant, "Cartoonist Amigos", 2014, Havana, Cuba *Participant, "The Auld Acquaintance" travelling exhibit on Scotland independence, 2014;
Saint-Just-le-Martel Saint-Just-le-Martel (; Limousin: ''Sent Just (dau Martèu)'') is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. Population See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The following i ...
, France; London, UK; Glasgow, UK, Lleida, Spain; Limoges, France; Edinburgh, UK *Participant, "This is Serious: Canadian Indie Comics", June 21, 2019, to January 5, 2020;
Art Gallery of Hamilton The Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) is an art museum located in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The museum occupies a building on King Street (Hamilton, Ontario), King Street West in downtown Hamilton, designed by Trevor P. Garwood-Jon ...
, Ontario, Canada


Publications

* ''You Might Be From Hamilton If...'', published by MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc., 2017 * "Mennonite Cobbler: Balancing Faith and Tradition in a Turbulent World" (Illustrations), published by AuthorHouse, 2016 * "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year", published by Pelican Publishing Company; 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012 * "Portfoolio: The Year's Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons", editions 16–25 (2000–2013); published by McClelland & Stewart


References


External links

*
Artizans Syndicate
Archives of syndicated works

The Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists

Daryl Cagle's Political Cartoonist Index
Lambiek Comiclopedia article.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Graeme 1968 births Canadian editorial cartoonists Canadian comic strip cartoonists Canadian comics artists Living people Artists from Hamilton, Ontario People from Dundas, Ontario