Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions

Authors Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand explore the work of Bunny Matthews, best known for his cartoon characters Vic and Nat'ly. “Be witty. Be nasty. Be silly. Don’t be boring.” That ethos animates the pages of Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions, the first monograph of his work, co-authored by Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand. Fiendishly creative, sharply observant, and deeply devoted to his city, Bunny Matthews was among the most influential cartoonists and writers in New Orleans. Matthews obsessed over his native city, and throughout the four decades during which his art and writing appeared in almost every local magazine and newspaper, he revealed that city through his work, teaching New Orleans new ways to listen to itself and laugh at itself. He died in 2021, but his legacy lives on in the young writers he helped mentor, the cartoonists he inspired, and in the yellowing clippings of Vic and Nat’ly still found taped to refrigerators throughout New Orleans. The book is published by the Historic New Orleans Collection, who have generously sponsored this conversation. Free and open to the public; donations gratefully accepted. Donations support One Book One New Orleans' year-round work. The Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice is accessible to community members who require mobility-related ADA accommodations. Parking near the venue is free, though somewhat limited. The nearest RTA stop is at N. Broad and Columbus.