2026 PGCC Day Five: Ian Bode Art Calendar

2027 Calendar
Featuring Art by Ian Bode
$35.00, from Ian Bode Art

The second pick today in The 2026 PopCult Gift Guide is a new calendar (for 2027) featuring art by Charleston’s own, Ian Bode.

Ian is a longtime friend of PopCult (Mel and Rudy have turned up in the background of a few of his pieces), and he’s got a lovely, distinctive style that stakes out its own very original place somewhere near classic Psychedelic Art and the work of Keith Haring and Sergio Aragones. He truly elevates traidtional cartooning to the level of fine art.

He’s also been providing the caricatures for FestivAll’s “Three Things” for years.

I’m going to quote a bit from his official bio here:

Ian Bode was born and raised in Charleston, WV. After leaving WV in his late teens and traveling around the country, he returned to become a self-taught, full-time artist. His work is displayed in galleries, public buildings, and private collections across the country. He also collaborates with other visual artists and graphic designers on commercial projects.

In addition, he has individually and collaboratively made several 2D and 3D public art projects. His most recognizable style is a graphically narrative, cartoon-oriented world filled with his black and white faceless characters collectively called “The Passenger.” This faceless cartoon is a vacuum into which the viewer’s identify and awareness can be filled in. The viewer is in the emotive driver’s seat, much like The Passenger.

Using repeating themes, colors, and icons, he aims to establish a visual language that makes each piece relatable to the other creating a universe with loose laws and a sequential narrative that does not intrude or contradict itself. He was named WV Artist of the Year 2018 by West Virginia Living magazine.

If you live around Charleston, you’ve seen Ian’s art. Now you can bring some of it home to look at every day. Aside from this calendar, you can find Ian’s art on T-shirts, pins, prints and more at his website.

Orders placed now should arrive in time for Christmas.

Recommended for the art lover or proud (WV) Charlestonian on your holiday shopping list.