News:Canadian fans bid farewell to C-ACE

June C-ACE (the Canadian Art and Cartooning Expo, held in Ottawa) has come to a close for its sixth - and apparently final - year. Guests included artist/costumer Andrew "Loopy" Pidcock and fantasy author Fiona Patton.

The main reasons cited for the closure were increased hotel operating costs and the lack of medium-sized facilities.

C-ACE was founded in 2002 as a "clean" convention - a decision which prompted much debate - and enforced a 14A (roughly equivalent to PG-13) for all art displayed and sold. The only other furry convention to enforce such a rating is Megaplex, though some restrict mature work from being sold in the Artists Alley, and all require such work to be concealed from minors.

2006 brought an end to four years of modest growth, as scheduling constraints left the event to the week after Anthrocon 2006, forcing many attendees to choose between the two. The debut of Anthrofest in Montreal later that summer may also have been a factor. C-ACE's shift from "anthro" to "art" was one reason behind Anthrofest's foundation, with a greater focus on entertaining non-artists.

Regular events at C-ACE included the opening ceremonies' chocolate social, an Artist and Authors Ambush (which involved timed improvisation on a surprise theme), and Iron Artist - followed this year by "one heck of a Really Dead Dog."