Art in the Toon Age, an exhibit of contemporary art inspired by cartoon, commercial illustrations and advertising, will be on display through Friday, March 10 at the Rebecca Randall Bryan Art Gallery at Coastal Carolina University. The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cartoon and graphic styles developed in America in the mid 20th century have had a profound effect on art and life the world over, according to April Kingsley, curator of the exhibit that originated at the Kresge Art Museum at Michigan State University.

The exhibit includes works by 32 artists from seven countries and three generations. Rather than follow the pop art method of lifting cartoons or ads into their paintings untransformed, these artists have created organic original works inspired by the formal and aesthetic elements of ads, comics and packaging graphics from the past 60 years. What they have done is to transform commercial art into the finest of fine art, said Kingsley.

The collection, which premiered in 2002, received such high praise that the Kresge Museum decided to turn it into a traveling exhibition. The display also includes 16 cartoon illustrations from Michigan State Universitys Russell Nye Collection.

For more information call 349-2700.