Cartoonist Charles Addams had a knack for turning the mundane into the macabre. The Westfield native’s work brims with unexpected takes on everyday relationships, whether they be characters as extraordinary as The Addams Family or as ordinary as an unhappily married couple. AddamsFest is proud to showcase original Charles Addams masterpieces, never before seen in Westfield, along with treasured reproductions, generously on loan from the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation.

WESTFIELD STUDENT CARTOON CONTEST

Known as “Chil” to his childhood friends, Addams’ love of art began as a student in the Westfield, NJ school district. So it’s only fitting that the master’s art will be accompanied by finalists from the Charles Addams Cartoon Contest, open to all Westfield area middle and high school-aged students. Addams-inspired cartoons from the Top 25 finalists will be on display. 

WELCOME BACK Dudley

Back by popular demand, “Dudley,” a life-sized Addams original drawn during his Westfield childhood, will return to this year’s exhibit. After spending almost a hundred years on the second floor of a barn on East Dudley Avenue, the Town of Westfield emancipated the skeleton artwork in 2018 thanks to current homeowners Jennifer and Samuel Khichi’s generosity.