After five years, The Animation Co-op has been forced to close its doors. Co-founders Kevin Geiger and Moon Seun wrote this open letter:
When we founded The Animation Co-op in the summer of 2003, it was to fill a need that we saw for an interactive community of independent animation artists, brought together by their love of this remarkable art form and a desire to share their experiences, creations and dreams with one another.
For the next five years, from our first informal mixer of 36 people to project pitch sessions and panel discussions exceeding one hundred attendees, The Animation Co-op actively supported the creation and promotion of new animated works. By providing venues for collegial expression and interaction through our online project database and in person at nearly 20 chapters worldwide, The Animation Co-op was a hub of inspiration, resources and energy for independent animators.
Of course, expended energy never truly disappears -- it just takes a different form. Likewise, it is time for The Animation Co-op as we have known it to disperse into the community. Every person who has attended one of our events, pitched a project, or simply checked into our website now and then carries a bit of that flame with them.
We offer our sincere thanks to all those who made The Animation Co-op what it was, and extend our best wishes for what will be.
Kevin Geiger & Moon SeunAnimation Co-op Co-foundersJanuary 18th, 2009http://www.animationcoop.org/
