Online Screening Seminar Covers CalArts Animation History

Artist and longtime School of Film/Video faculty member Michael Scroggins invites members of the CalArts community to learn about the Institute’s history through the prism of animated films. This semester, he’s teaching his course CalArts Animation: The Early Years, one last time before his retirement from CalArts. 

The Tuesday night online screening and discussion seminar provides an overview of animation made at CalArts during its first few decades, as well as tracks the development of alumnx and faculty artists covered in the course, from Jules Engel and Adam Beckett (Film/Video BFA 73) to Joyce Borenstein (Film/Video MFA 74) and John Musker (Film/Video 77) and beyond.

Nearly half of the filmmakers are scheduled to join the class online to present their work, including Larry Cuba (Film/Video MFA 74), Sky David (Film/Video MFA 74), Chris Casady(Film/Video BFA 76), Paul Demeyer (Film/Video MFA 77), Jerry Rees (Film/Video 77), Peter Chung (Film/Video 81), Gary Schwartz (Film/Video MFA 81), Christine Panushka (Film/Video MFA 83), Joanna Priestley (Film/Video MFA 85), David Daniels (Film/Video MFA 83), and Drew Neuman (Film/Video BFA 82).

Scroggins received his MFA from CalArts where he studied video under the tutlelage of artists Nam June Paik and Shuya Abe, with whom he worked on the construction of the historic Paik/Abe Video Synthesizer. He joined the School of Film/Video in 1978, and has exhibited or screened animation works at the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, Union of Filmmakers in Moscow, Seibu Ginza in Tokyo, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. More recently, he’s been working on immersive virtual reality projects.

The Spring 2022 schedule for CalArts Animation: The Early Years follows, with confirmed guests in italics. The appearances are subject to change.

Week 1: Jan. 25
Jules Engel’s compilation: “CalArts: 20 Years of Experimental Animation, 1970-1990,” Part 1

Week 2: Feb. 1
Jules Engel’s compilation: “CalArts: 20 Years of Experimental Animation, 1970-1990,” Part 2

Week 3: Feb. 8
Kathy Rose (Film/Video MFA 74) / Adam Beckett

Week 4: Feb. 15
Larry Cuba / Glen Keane (Film/Video 74)

Week 5: Feb. 22
Sky David / Joyce Borenstein

Week 6: March 1
Chris Casady / David Wilson (Film/Video MFA 76)

Week 7: March 8
Paul Demeyer / Henry Selick

Week 8: March 15
Jerry Rees / Brad Bird (Film/Video BFA 76) / John Musker

Week 9: March 22
Peter Chung / Mark Kirkland (Film/Video BFA 78)

Week 10: March 29
Spring Break

Week 11: April 5
Gary Schwartz / Robert Jahnke (Film/Video MFA 80)

Week 12: April 12
Christine Panushka / Nancy Beiman (Film/Video BFA 79)

Week 13: April 19
Joanna Priestley / Lisze Bechtold (Film/Video MFA 76)

Week 14: April 26
David Daniels / Ellen Woodbury (Film/Video MFA 84)