Barbara Schulz

Barbara Schulz is a Professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), where she helped establish and lead the Comic Art degree program. Her professional career in comics spans over three decades, with credits in major publishers like DC, Dark Horse, Image, and Devil's Due. She is deeply involved in promoting graphic novels as an art form through initiatives such as chairing the annual Will Eisner Week and co-programming the international PFC event in France.

Education:

• MA, University of Wisconsin-Superior
• Degrees in Painting and Printmaking, University of Wisconsin

Research Interests: Barbara focuses on the formal structure of experimental comics, blending narrative and visual artistry. Her work emphasizes the pedagogical use of graphic novels in classrooms and libraries, particularly in mythological, biographical, and science-based storytelling. She advocates for the recognition of graphic novels as a legitimate art medium through events like Will Eisner Week and her involvement in PFC, an experimental comics laboratory held at France’s Saline Royale, Arc et Senans.

Advising & Grants: While specific student advisees or grant details are not listed, Barbara’s role as a Professor and program leader reflects her commitment to mentoring future generations of comic artists. Her current personal projects explore innovative frameworks in experimental comics.

Labs & Collaborations: She co-programmed the PFC (“Rock Paper Scissors”) experimental comics laboratory, a unique international initiative hosted in a 17th-century salt factory in rural France. This underscores her engagement with cross-disciplinary, avant-garde artistic practices.