Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Chouinard: An Overture

* Nelbert Murphy Chouinard pictured above

On Wednesday, February 8 at 8:30 pm the REDCAT Theater in downtown Los Angeles will present Chouinard: An Overture, an evening devoted to a discussion of the Chouinard Institute, its history and its influence. Tickets can be purchased from the REDCAT website:

http://www.redcat.org/event/chouinard-overture.

Founded in 1921 by Nelbert M. Chouinard (approximately pronounced "shuh - nard"), Chouinard Art Institute remains one of the most influential art schools ever to have existed in this country. The impressive faculty and alumni attests to the school's rightful place on the short list of great art schools of 20th Century America. Giants of the art world studied and taught there and many went on to fame, fortune and great respect in the categories of animation, film, fine art, architecture, ceramics, costume design, illustration and photography.

Students and faculty included such luminaries as Mary Blair, Preston Blair, Millard Sheets, Pruett Carter, Corny Cole, Phil Dike, Phil Paradise, Emerson Woelffer, David Siqueiros, Edith Head, Theadora Van Runkle, John Altoon, Ed Ruscha, Larry Bell, Otto Heino, Terry Gilliam, John Van Hamersveld, Rick Griffin, Bob Foster, Terry Allen, Chuck Jones, Bob Kurtz, Pete Alvarado, Dave Brain, Joe Goode, Hardie Gramatky, Karl Hubenthal, John Hench, Robert Irwin, Ollie Johnston, Bob Mackie, Bill Melendez, Jimmy Murakami, Maurice Noble, Virgil Partch, Woolie Reitherman, Dan Spieigle, William Stout, Frank Thomas and Alan Zaslove, to name a few. Chouinard graduates were readily employed by many of the major animation studios in the greater Los Angeles area and to this day many of those graduates are still working in the industry.

In 1969 Chouinard Art Institute merged with the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music to form The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) with its campus in Valencia, CA.

The number of artists employed in the animation business who attended Chouinard and, in more recent years, CalArts, is staggering. The Animation Guild is proud to represent almost all of those highly skilled artists who work in the animation business.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im sorry. But that photo is just hilarious. The caption should be:

"Baaaaaaaaaaaaaah"

Anonymous said...

Nah, not really hilarious, unless you've never seen studio photography of people from the 1940s before. It's a standard sort of picture and Mrs. C looks happy and friendly.

But on second thought yeah, she's all like wearin funny old glasses and clothes and she's got a funny old lady hairdo and she's like, old, so yeah man, maybe I can see your point. "baaaaaaaah" like a sheep, huh?
Hilarious man! Keep creating!

Anonymous said...

It would be funny in the 40's too.

It has nothing to do with her clothes or glasses. Its her goofy smile, which hilarity transcends time period, race, cultures, and gender.

But please, by all means, turn this into a age-ism rant where you're trying to victimize yourself or villain-ize me.

Because, after all, if someone young pokes fun at someone old, it must be because they're OLD, not because they are making a stupid face.

PS) It's "baaaaah" like a zombie, or mentally deficient person.

PPS) Keep hating!

Anonymous said...

I think it's a sweet photo of someone who appears to have a cheerful disposition. (whether or not that was actually true, I don't know.) There is no need to mock the photo with a caption.

Anonymous said...

If it weren't for Nelbert Chouinard, we'd probably not have some of the Disney classics. At least not at the level they were.

Anonymous said...

Another intellectual high-brow conversation here at TAG Blog...

Besides, everyone knows that pictures taken at the Union party are the truly hilarious ones. You can use the caption "Baaaaaaaah" under every single pic. They make this look like the Mona Lisa.

Anonymous said...

I must admit, it is kind of a silly expression

Anonymous said...

I think I know who wears the "stupid face" around this comments section, commenter #1. Pity you can't take it off once in a while. And if you're going to be stupidly insulting, better get a thicker skin. Colbert or Conan you aren't. Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

You don't know me.

Anonymous said...

Its a 1940's photo of a community philanthropist. If it were done 75 years earlier (and dont say she would have been a baby then), the portrait would have been done in oils and have reflected how portraits were done then.

But I do wonder if Polydent had been made yet at this time.....

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