LightBox Expo Celebrates Human-Made Commercial Art In The Shadow Of AI

Though the specter of AI hangs over the world of commercial art like a bad Halloween decoration, over 15,000 creators, students and fans of the visual arts will gather in Pasadena, California October 24-26 for the country’s largest celebration of human-driven illustration, animation, special effects and professional visual design, LightBox Expo. This year’s event is headlined by creative talent from the breakout Netflix hit KPop Demon Hunters, alongside hundreds of industry professionals running panels, seminars and workshops throughout the weekend.

“I think of LightBox as part industry gathering, part educational event,” said Jim Demonakos, veteran showrunner and cofounder of LightBox. “It’s a great place to network, to come and learn, and to meet the people behind all the things in pop culture that we love.”

“It’s at a different level from other fan events,” said artist, educator and LightBox cofounder Bobby Chiu. “If you want to know everything that went into creating a movie, we have discussions of everything from how creators get their ideas across, how to execute, how to bring projects into existence. It’s a lot of deep info.”

This year’s programming schedule includes panels featuring productions at Disney Television Animation, ILM, Lucasfilm Animation, Pixar, 20th Television Animation and Walt Disney Imagineering, Netflix Animation, Laika, Sony Pictures Animation, Dreamworks, Skydance Animation, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Titmouse and more. The event draws sponsors from makers of specialized software and hardware for digital arts creation like XP-Pen and Clip Studio Paint, as well as companies and institutions in the space like Webtoon, Ravensburger, CalArts Extended Studies and others.

Featured guests include John Musker (Aladdin) and Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid), Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle Wong (KPop Demon Hunters), Alex Woo, Nicky Lavender and Sacha Kapijimpanga (In Your Dreams), Fede Álvarez (Alien: Romulus), Kevin Lima and Jymn Magon (A Goofy Movie), Angela Sung (Bad Guys), Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall), SamDoesArts, Jorge R. Gutierrez (El Guapo vs. The Narco Vampires), Meg Park, Limei Hshieh and Griselda Sastrawinata (Zootopia 2), Darrell Warner and Paul Tazewell (Wicked), and hundreds more.

Chiu sees an event like LightBox as especially important at a moment when the visual creative industries are facing economic pressures from declines in the streaming and videogame sectors, as well as an assault on human creativity from AI tech platforms built on data plundered from artists and capable of producing output that infringes on popular IP.

“As an artist myself, I’ve definitely felt the vibe of everybody feeling uncertain about how AI may affect their careers,” he said. “That’s why we have a clear stance at LightBox that we don’t allow any display or selling of AI-generated works. We’re hosting a bunch of panels and discussions where industry professionals can speak honestly about the impact of AI, what it means for creative jobs, and what steps artists can take if they’re feeling threatened by these challenges.”

Chiu said that times of change bring uncertainty, but also opportunity. Events like LightBox bring the community together to share ideas, build solidary, and form relationships.

“LightBox Expo is a time to celebrate the creators, visionaries, and storytellers who ensure that dreams and magic exist in the world,” said Maggie Kang, co-director and creator of KPop Demon Hunters. “It is a reminder that we are a community brought together by our shared passion to create, to ignite joy, to bring hope, and today we are needed more than ever.”

For students and aspiring artists, events like LightBox provide a chance to pick up valuable skills as panels and workshops. On Friday, tablet maker XP-Pen is hosting a discussion on character design and storytelling. Webtoon will be running a panel on entrepreneurial skills and opportunities for creators. Professionals will share strategies for getting into storyboarding, costume design, environmental design, life drawing and career development in the arts.

And for fans just showing up for the creative vibe, LightBox has a curated artist alley and exhibit floor with prints and original work for sale in all styles and genres. “It’s a show for creative professionals but it’s open to everyone, so people like to shop,” said Demonakos.

LightBox Expo takes place October 24-26 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California.