The celebration of all-things Gumby as well as stop-motion animation will take place on the grounds of Citrus College in Glendora.
GLENDORA, CA – There’s going to be something for everyone, young and old, from Gumby fans to animation aficionados at the Citrus College Gumby Fest Stop Motion Festival, Sept. 18-20, at the college, 1000 W. Foothill Blvd., Glendora, CA 91741.
Gumby turns 60 this year, so it’s a great time to celebrate the pop culture icon. Not only is Gumby Fest 2015 full of free family activities, it also provides an inside look into the animation industry from leading film and television professionals. Fans, animation hobbyists and the next generation of animators will enjoy many free panel discussions.
The Festival will be staged at the college’s Performing Arts complex that includes the 1,400-seat Haugh Performing Arts Center, the Little Theater, rehearsal halls, computer labs, classrooms, a large technical theater sound stage, dance studio, and a state-of-the-art audio recording complex, as well as other campus locations.
Gumby Fest 2015 will raise funds for the Citrus College Foundation to benefit Visual Arts Department students.
Among the free fun will be the Gumby Museum with original stop-motion puppets, sets, props and amazing photos from the rich 60-year history of Clokey Productions/Premavision which also created Gumby and Davey and Goliath. This is a unique behind-the-scenes look at how Gumby came to life through stop-motion animation. The museum display will be at the college’s Hayden Memorial Library Art Gallery from Sept. 1 to Oct. 16.
Everyone is invited to Gumby’s 60th Birthday Bash on Saturday at 4 p.m. along with the awards ceremony for the stop-motion animation contest hosted by Gumby Fest 2015. The Grand Prize is The Clokey Award, named after Gumby creator Art Clokey.
Other activities include screenings of Gumby and Davey and Goliath episodes along with stop-motion animation contest submissions, a community fair, Gumby collectibles, food trucks, bounce-houses for kids, live rock bands and children’s craft projects.
Film and animation industry professionals will speak at free panels: “How I Got Into The Industry/ What It Takes To Be An Artist,” “3-D Printing for Stop Motion,” “Putting it all Together: The Components To Produce A Stop-Motion Animation,” “In the Art Studio,” “Women in Animation,” “Running an Animation Studio,” “Cultivating a Creative Community,” “Stop Motion University: Colleges Offering Stop-Motion Animation,” and more.
The fun begins Friday, Sept. 18 in the Haugh Performing Arts Center with Cinema Vivant, presented by The Hot Club of San Francisco who plays gypsy jazz swing against a backdrop of three early stop-motion animated films. Tickets are available at www.haughpac.com.
Maleficent director Robert Stromberg is among animation and film industry professionals featured in presentations at the Haugh Performing Arts Center. His appearance is slated for 3 p.m. on Saturday. He won Art Direction Academy Awards for Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.
Other presentations on Saturday include Gumby Through the Years by Joe Clokey, son of Gumby creator Art Clokey at 11 a.m.; The World of Visual Effects with visual effects guru Harry Walton (Indiana Jones, The Abyss, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Star Trek, The Terminator and more) at 1 p.m.
Sunday’s Haugh events start at 11 a.m. with Creature Feature: Puppets from Jim Hensons’s Creature Shop with Senior Puppet Builder Julie Zobel (Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, Muppets Tonight, Where the Wild Things Are, George of the Jungle, Dr. Doolittle).
At 1 p.m. will be Film Focus: “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (And The Gumby Connection) with animators Tim Hittle, Anthony Scott and Harry Walton. Scott, Hittle and Walton all had their start in the Gumby Studios in the ’80s, and worked together on Nightmare. They will share clips and behind-the-scenes moments and important scenes from the film.
Tickets for all Haugh presentations are $10 per adult and $5 per child. Limited Edition All-Access Passes are available for $25 (one day) and $40 (two day). Tickets and All-Access Passes are available at the Haugh Box Office,Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m to 4 p.m. For information, visit www.haughpac.com.
Tickets are $5 for Art studio workshops exploring several facets of stop-motion animation:
- · “Flippin’ Out” – create a simple animation flip book.
- · “Clayin’ Around With Gumby & Pokey” – hand paint and glaze a bisque ware Gumby or Pokey.
- · “Set the Scene” – paint your own stop-motion animation backdrop.
- · “Screen Printing A Character” – Create a multi-colored screen print and learn about limited editions.
- · “Photograph Your Character” – Learn about lighting, backdrops, selfie techniques to create amazing photos.
- · “Creating a Bendable Armature” – Use wire to create an armature for a stop-motion clay figure.
- · “Make Your Own Stop-Motion Animation” – stop-motion workshop using DragonFrame and iPad stop-motion apps ($10 fee includes flash drive with your animation).
Source: Citrus College Gumby Fest Stop Motion Festival
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
