The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), with the support of the TELUS Ottawa Community Board Mention, is hosting the Toon Apprentice Lectures, a unique series of classroom visits teaching high school students that there is much more to animation than Saturday morning. OIAF director Chris Robinson will be presenting the Toon Apprentice Lectures at area high schools throughout May, June and September.
"There's an amazing diversity of Canadian animation that kids rarely get the chance to see on television" said Robinson. "Through the Toon Apprentice Lectures, I'm able to show high school students that animation can be poetic, funny and profoundly creative."
The Toon Apprentice Lecture Series is part of the Ottawa International Animation Festival's outreach initiative to bring free arts programming to local kids and teens. "This is a tremendous opportunity for local schools," says OIAF managing director Kelly Neall. "Parents and students should let teachers know now that they want to get involved."
This year's OIAF outreach program is made possible with a grant from the TELUS Ottawa Community Board. Other components of the program, all free of charge during the Ottawa International Animation Festival that runs Sept. 19 - 23, 2007, include workshops for kids and teens, the Toon Apprentice Day Pass and Animation Celebration, a presentation for local elementary schools.
"For TELUS, partnering with the OIAF in creating the Toon Apprentice initiative is a great way for us to make the future friendly by supporting the next generation of artists," said Janet Yale, TELUS evp, corporate affairs and chair of the TELUS Ottawa Community Board. "We believe that when young people connect with the arts to explore their own creativity our community as a whole benefits."
Further information is available at www.animationfestival.ca. Teachers can book a Toon Apprentice Lecture by calling Jennifer Noseworthy at (613) 232-8769.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
