Original works from Dice Tsutsumi, Robert Kondo, Kal Athannssov and other prominent industry creatives open for bids through June 14; all proceeds being donated to EJI.
With this past Tuesday’s announcement, three San Francisco Bay Area creative leaders – Baobab Studios, KuKu Studios, and Tonko House – introduced their new Bay Area Animation Alliance (BAAA), a community for animation professionals designed to inspire local creativity while raising the bar for independent animation worldwide.
What you may have missed is that they also officially launched one of their first public initiatives: an online charity art auction to combat racial inequality. Proceeds from the auction, with runs through June 14, will be donated to the Equal Justice Initiative. EJI’s mission is to end mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the U.S., to challenge racial and economic injustice, and to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
Leaders of the three studios, their staffs, colleagues, and friends, have curated a beautiful selection of 50 original art pieces now available for bidding; works from Dice Tsutsumi, Kal Athannssov, Darren Marshall, Robert Kondo, Glenn Hernandez and many others are now displaying online.
Three new pieces from the auction have been shared exclusively with AWN:
Cody Gramstad (Art Director from Baobab Studios)
“Be Kind”
Artwork Size : 5” x 7”
Mixed Media (digital, color pencil, acrylic paint, construction paper)
Description: When things are feeling dark, one act of kindness can brighten someone’s day
Robert Kondo (Tonko House CEO)
Pig Block
2.25 x 1.125 x 1.125”
Acrylic Paint on Wooden Block
Painted over a small (2.25 x 1.125 x 1.125”) children’s wooden block toy. Gently played with and
donated from Robert’s 4 year-old daughter. Signed on the bottom.
Special edition plush of Chloe the Bunny from ‘Invasion’
Emmy not included
Baobab Studios
Character designer: Guillermo Real
Baobab Studios CEO and co-founder Maureen Fan shared with AWN, “Now is a difficult time and many individuals and studios are trying to determine what they can DO to help other than just voicing support. We want to ACT on our beliefs and use our strengths to help. I'm so inspired by how our artists rose to the challenge - many of them making multiple pieces. I especially enjoy hearing the story behind what they created - what each artwork represents to them.”
Fan reiterated that 100% of the proceeds from the auction are being donated to the EJI. Visit https://www.baanimationalliance.org/events for more information and to bid on the artwork.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
