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| ASIFA Colorado Press Release - April 2001 |
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Animated Chairman R.M.C.A.D. President, ASIFA-Colorado 6875 E. Evans Ave. Denver, CO. 80224 1-(800)-888-ARTS (303)-753-6046 Fax: (303)-759-4970 Email: EBakst@RMCAD.edu April 2001 Press Release: ASIFA International Establishes ASIFA-Colorado. ASIFA, L'Association Internationale Du Film D'Animation, was founded in 1957 in France, and chartered under UNESCO in 1960 as the only such membership organization in the world devoted to the encouragement and dissemination of filmed animation as an art and communication form. In its 40 year existence, ASIFA International has grown to more than 1,700 members in 55 countries, with national chapters in such unlikely paces as Ulan Baatar, Mongolia and Tehran. ASIFA-Colorado is the newest national chapter to be admitted to this worldwide organization dedicated to animation arts, preservation and education. It is only the seventh U.S. chapter, joining USA East (Atlanta, GA), USA Hollywood (Burbank, CA), USA Northwest (Portland, OR), USA San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) and USA Washington (Silver Springs, MD). Edward Bakst, Founding Chair of the newly created animation department @ Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, initiated establishment of the ASIFA-Colorado chapter. Recently, the first board members of ASIFA-Colorado chapter were elected: Award-winning designer/director, Edward Bakst was elected President of the chapter's board, and is joined by: Dwight Prouty IV, Vice President; Evert Brown, the award-winning animator who brought Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang to life for CBS, ASIFA's Membership Czar; Judy Gardner, independent multimedia producer, Coordinator; Sue Pivoda, RMCAD's Financial VP, Treasurer; Bob Newman, Project Manager at AT&T Broadband, Corporate Liaison; Eric S. Elkins, award-winning editor of the Denver Post's Colorado Kids section, Editor; Tom Ward, principal of the Iwave Studio, Webmaster; and Randall Johnson, an RMCAD animation student, ASIFA-Colorado's Secretary. Over the first few months of existence, ASIFA-Colorado, with support of RMCAD's animation program, has offered to its members and the public four major animated events, presenting films not available anywhere else. On Jan. 19, at the new national charter's launching party, Edward Bakst introduced work of several international animation artists who, as RMCAD's international animation faculty, will be making personal appearances and presentations to ASIFA-Colorado, its membership and the community at large. On Feb. 1, Giannalberto Bendazzi, famed scholar, historian, international juror, author of the "Cartoons: 100 years of Cinema Animation," who came to RMCAD as a visiting faculty scholar, presented an exciting program of Italian animation. In March, maintaining a monthly schedule of exciting events, we welcomed Chris Robinson, Director of Ottawa International Animation Festival. Participating in RMCAD's animation program as a visiting scholar lecturing on the issue of international animation history, Chris presented to ASIFA-Colorado members an international animation program entitled "Best of Ottawa 2000." April ASIFA-Colorado event presented Zbigniew Dowgiello, RMCAD's computer animation master teacher. Dowgiello is a fine artist and computer animator from Poland. He addressed the issue of the power of computer art and its ability to liberate the artist's imagination and vision. Dowgiello's retrospective covered a personal view on the evolution of art from antiquity to the modern times and computer animation. He also presented excerpts from his CGI film work. Over the following months we expect to welcome to RMCAD, and share with the ASIFA-Colorado members, the following artists, scholars and special guests: On May 17, we offer an evening with Edward Bakst, designer/director of animation, Founding Chairman of the RMCAD International Animation Program as well as the Founding President of ASIFA-Colorado. Bakst presented animated work of his own concept development, design and direction, and spoke of his views on importance of imagination, ideas and creativity in animation. On June 21, RMCAD's animation program and ASIFA-Colorado will present two special visitors from Zagreb. Borivoj Dovnikovic is one of the pioneers and fathers of the Zagreb school of animation. He is an artist who has had a great impact on animation. His wife, Vesna, the Secretary General of ASIFA International, will welcome our new charter to the international community. On July 19, ASIFA-Colorado will present Mati Kutt, a great Estonian animator. Mati has joined RMCAD faculty for the summer and is teaching experimental as well as traditional and stop-motion animation. This exciting artist shall remain at RMCAD at least until the Fall of 2001. He will present his very powerful and personal animation and address issues of personal as well as artistic freedom. Also in July we maybe visited by one of the directors of PJ's, presently working for the Will Vinton Studios. He would present a retrospective of clay & CGI work. On Aug. 16, we are eager to present Nancy Beiman, Disney animator and now also an animation faculty member at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In Sept. we are hoping to welcome a visit from a renowned computer animation artist and presently also a faculty at the Washington University. On Nov 15. we are fortunate to welcome Richard Williams, director of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", offering his only Denver presentation @ RMCAD, showing excerpts from his groundbreaking film, as well as introducing his book. For the Fall Œ01, we are awaiting arrival of Gil Albabetz, an award-winning Israeli animator who will also join the animation faculty at RMCAD and share his powerful art, humor and wisdom in a special Dec. presentation to ASIFA-Colorado. He will remain with RMCAD for the term, at least until Jan. 2002. There are many other artists, scholars, festival directors and special visitors with whom we are currently discussing participation in both the RMCAD international animation program and ASIFA-Colorado events. Updates will follow. Over the last couple of weeks, as a result of an ongoing dialogue with the Director of the Denver Film Center and the Executive Producer of the Denver Film Society, we hope to be able to create an exciting collaboration resulting in guest exchanges. This would enable our animation artists and scholars to make presentations at the Tivoli Theater, which is being transformed into the new home of the Denver Film Society and its distinguished international film festival. ASIFA-Colorado is thrilled to be able to introduce to the local community all of these international artists and a great variety of animation work, techniques, styles, ideas, attitudes, approach to creativity and forms of expression. Thus, as promised, ASIFA-Colorado will fulfill its mission of bringing the creative world at large to Denver and its art-, film- and animation-oriented community. We aim to bring together animation artists, lovers, connoisseurs, students and faculty of Colorado educational institutions, thus creating opportunities for collaboration and establishing collaborative relationships beneficial to all sides. The board members of ASIFA-Colorado are reaching out to all educational institutions, professional organizations and societies, inviting them to join in. We belief that only by joining forces and effort can we transform a relative animation desert that is Denver into a thriving and pixilated creative oasis for working professionals and aspiring animators alike. It is only through such an all-around effort that we can attract more creative and larger production ventures, which too often are automatically forwarded to the major animation production centers. ASIFA-Colorado is presently involved in establishing relationships with DFS, ADCD, AIGA, CFVA, CAEA and the local SIGGRAPH, and is reaching out towards other interested cultural and educational institutions in Colorado. The above events, unless otherwise indicated, will take place at the RMCAD Design Center, at 6875 E. Evans Ave. (between Oneida & Monaco), in Denver. Phone: (303)-753-6046 or 1-800-888-ARTS. Website: www.asifa-colorado.org For more information, please phone or e-mail: Edward Bakst at 1-800-888-ARTS or 303-753-6046, or EBakst@RMCAD.edu Evert Brown at 303-449-4421, or Evertbrn@home.com |