In celebration of Black History Month, The Animation Guild and Black Artists Group will present a free online event exploring the contributions of Black animation pioneers.
The Animation Guild (TAG) and Black Artists Group are teaming up to present a free virtual conversation, “Drawing Ourselves: Being Black in Animation” on February 16. The program will explore the contributions of Black animation pioneers in celebration of Black History Month.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 7pm PST
WHERE: Online Zoom webinar - register HERE, or on Facebook Livestream
The panel will feature four esteemed panelists. The discussion will focus on celebrating each of the panelist’s personal journeys and will be moderated by Animation Guild member and supervising animation director Kimson Albert and The BlkWmnAnimator Deborah Anderson.
The Panelists:
- Carole Holliday, BWA Lifetime Achievement Award winner and a multi-hyphenated artist whose creative contributions span from Oliver & Company to most recently Marvel’s Spider-Man and Friends.
- Ron Myrick, a longtime veteran in the field of animation working as a director and producer, who says the industry has been a source of many joys, much passion, and at times pain.
- Everett Downing Jr., an Academy Award-winning director with nearly 20 years of experience in feature film animation who is now co-producing an animated series called My Dad the Bounty Hunter at Netflix.
- Sidney Clifton, an Emmy nominee with over 20 years of experience as an executive and producer in the animation industry and founder of The Clifton House, a writers’ and artists’ retreat space.
After the murder of George Floyd last year, many Animation Guild members recognized that as a union, there needed to better engagement with Black artists with more productive opportunities for dialogue. The guild also committed to creating a welcoming environment to encourage Black artists to participate and take on leadership roles in union activities. Paving the way, TAG facilities manager Jupey Krusho, along with several engaged union members, initiated the Black Artists Group.
“The effects of racism do not stop at the animation studio door,” explained TAG business representative Steve Kaplan. “And we need to forge pathways into leadership positions for Black artists and writers in order to truly see change in our industry. We hope this event will spotlight and raise the voices of several pioneering Black animation artists as they share their experiences.”
Source: The Animation Guild
