Bethesda residents who want to learn figure drawing, cartooning or comics craft can sign up for 18 free workshops at the Small Press Expo on Sept. 12-13 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center.

The workshops, announced Aug. 16 by Graphic Policy, span two days and range from children's sessions to advanced master classes led by educators from cartooning schools. No extra workshop fee is required beyond general admission. Attendees can register online in advance.

SPX, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, brings together more than 450 independent comics artists and publishers each year. The organization has called the Bethesda North Marriott home for 20 years and holds contracts at the venue through 2029.

This year's special guests include cartoonists Derf, Kim Deitch, James Spooner, Noah Van Sciver, CK Gormally and Raquelle Jac, according to a July announcement on ComicsDC. The two-day festival also features signings, panels and the Ignatz Awards, which have recognized outstanding small-press comics work since 1997.

Labor dispute context

There is a wrinkle.

SPX's return comes amid an active boycott of the Montgomery County Conference Center. UNITE-HERE Local 25, the hotel and restaurant workers union, called for the boycott in spring 2025 to protest the omission of a collective bargaining clause in the county's operating contract with Marriott. The AFL-CIO elevated the boycott to nationwide status in late July 2026.

In an Aug. 11 public statement, SPX's executive committee said the organization cannot join the boycott because canceling its contract would trigger an $85,787 fee and force SPX to close permanently. The committee noted the boycott applies to the conference center, not the hotel itself, so attendees can book rooms without crossing a picket line.

The committee said it continues to support workers' rights to organize and seek fair wages, safe working conditions and dignity on the job, and hopes the parties reach a fair agreement quickly.

A big arts weekend

The SPX dates overlap with the Bethesda Row Arts Festival, also scheduled for Sept. 12-13 along Bethesda Avenue.

Together, the two events make the weekend one of the area's largest for visual arts.