'In Conversation' With James McMullan

On Sunday, October 6, at 3 p.m. The Church will present “In Conversation” with artist, illustrator and teacher James McMullan.

“I am attracted to the energy and drama of people dealing with difficult situations and the graphic invention that drawing these predicaments inspires in me,” says McMullan, whose talk will occur on the first full day of The Church’s fall exhibition, “Yes, No, WOW: The Push Pin Studios Revolution.”

McMullan is one of the six artists featured in the show and he will be joined in conversation by April Gornik, the show’s curator and The Church co-founder. The two will discuss the artist’s time with Push Pin Studios, reflect on his time in Sag Harbor and the role it played in his work, as well as touch on the various milestones and obstacles he encountered in his career. After the discussion, there will be a Q&A with the audience.

Known as the artist behind the visual inspiration for “Saturday Night Fever,” McMullan’s work has impeccably captured the essence of human emotion and psychology within the framework of the human form. Contributing to New York Magazine when it was in its infant stages, McMullan sparked a burgeoning career in print illustration, and later became the magazine’s contributing editor. McMullan would later go on to become an illustrator for theatrical posters and becoming the premier illustrator for Lincoln Center Productions. With an expansive career exploring illustration from various vantage points, McMullan has been able to share his expertise as a teacher, influencing a new generation of artists and illustrators.

McMullan has created images for magazine stories, books for adults and children, record covers, U.S. stamps, murals and animated films but he is most well-known for the over 80 posters he has done for Lincoln Center Theater. Among the most recognized of these posters are “Anything Goes,” “Carousel,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “My Fair Lady.” To celebrate this achievement Lincoln Center Theater has recently mounted a permanent exhibit of his original poster art in the lobby of the Mitzi Newhouse Theater.

Another highlight of his career is illustrating the popular series of vehicle books, (including “I Stink!,” a monologue by a garbage truck), written by his wife, the author, Kate McMullan, which Amazon has transformed into the animated series, “The Stinky and Dirty Show.”

A standout in McMullan’s work for magazines is the group of journalistic illustrations of a Brooklyn disco that he painted for New York Magazine that became the visual inspiration for the movie “Saturday Night Fever.” McMullan’s long fascination with drawing the human figure led him to teach drawing for many years at the School of Visual Arts and to write “High-Focus Drawing,” which describes his approach to understanding and drawing the figure. In 2011, at the request of editors at The New York Times, McMullan created a 12-part online tutorial on drawing that was titled, “Line by Line.” In 2023, McMullan published “Hello World,” a collection of his drawings of the male figure.

Along with his illustrated memoir, “Leaving China,” his other books are “Revealing Illustrations,” “The Theater Posters of James McMullan” and “More McMullans.” McMullan’s art has been exhibited in Paris, Tokyo and Shanghai as well as many museums and galleries in the U.S. In 2011 the New York Library of Performing Arts mounted an exhibit, “McMullan Posters: Gesture as Design,” and in 2012 a retrospective exhibit of his art opened at the School of Visual Arts Gallery in connection with McMullan being elected into the school’s Master Series Awards.

Tickets for “In Conversation” with James McMullan are $15 ($10 members) at thechurchsagharbor.org. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.