... At UPA Studio in New York, she became assistant to Grim Natwick. ... As freelance professional partners, she and Natwick worked on hundreds of TV commercials and the last Mr. Magoo theatrical short. ...
When Natwick retired in 1967, David, then in her mid-40s, could not find work. "In America, animation was a jealously guarded men's field," she said. "So girls should be assistants, inkers, painters—not animators."
The jealousy has declined, but guarding still goes on. Seventeen percent of TAG's membership consists of women. (It was higher back in the sixties and seventies, but then studios closed their ink and paint departments, and the percentage totals fell.)
In the 21st century, more women occupy high creative positions, but the totals are still lop-sided. Now that Cal Arts is 50% female inside the animation department, those percentages are bound to change.
Yes?
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2 comments:
These things do take time.
I'm pretty sure it's not just CalArts that has a more balanced female student body, but animation schools as a whole. Being a recent animation grad myself, I can confirm that the number of women entering animation is indeed growing rapidly, which is always good!
On the other hand, it remains to be seen how long it takes for women to get an equal share of directing/head of department credit.
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