9.24.2008

b-boy: an art show

b-boy show

You thought that Ottawa was it for now. Not so. And you thought that I'd be doing a big Ottawa wrap-up, right? Well, all in due time, my friends. First things first and this is it for me right now:

The grassy knoll gallery presents:

b-boy — Ward Jenkins

Exhibition Dates // October - November, 2008

Artist Reception // Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
6-9 PM, free, open to the public

Breakdancing Performance // 7-9 PM featuring:
Randm-1, Impulse, and Skywalker of Portland’s
Moon Patrol Crew and guest DJ Computer Fam

Grassy Knoll Gallery //
123 NW 2nd Avenue, 2nd floor
Portland, OR 97209

Contact // Renee Marcotte
1-503-449-7484

Artist statement //

"b-boy" is a tribute to the early boogie boys of the Bronx, the original poppin’ & lockin’ dancers who kept the parties live back in the day, back when hip-hop was in its golden, embryonic stage. Using various ‘lo-fi’ materials and surfaces, such as found cardboard, wood, and linoleum, Ward harks back to the essence of the early ingenuity and innovation of hip hop. During the 70’s and early 80’s, kids used a wide variety of surfaces to dance on and perform stylized acrobatic moves. Using what was available, they proved again and again that the brightest sources of creativity often come from the most humble of places. “b-boy”is a tribute to the beginnings of that movement, before the uninformed media brought it to near-fad status.

All you Portland and/or NW peeps: hope you can make it! It'll be fun to finally meet you all. Don't forget, it's next Thursday!

9.14.2008

Preparing for Ottawa


The business cards are printed, the demo reels are burned, the portfolios are, well they're still being printed up—looks like Ottawa is 'round the corner, yes? Yes. The Ottawa International Animation Festival 2008 is happening this week, from September 17th to the 21st. This will be my fourth time to the Canadian capital, packing all my hoping-to-get-a-job materials with me. Even if I don't snag any gigs during my time there, I know that the networking will benefit me in the long run. (It better.)

I'm curious about the Animators For Hire event, wherein any jobseeker can get a short interview with various companies in the industry. Not sure how it's going to go for me, mainly because I'm probably a hard sell. Honestly, I'm not making it easy for myself: I mean, seriously? A former director who's been in the industry for 12 years, looking for freelance gigs because he'd rather stay in Portland? I'm not like these young kats, fresh, green and wet behind the ears, just itching to get their foot in the door and willing to move anywhere at the drop of a hat. Hopefully, my experience along with my quirky way of looking at things will win these potential employers over. That, along with my dashing good looks. Har har.

I do have the internet on my side. I know that many companies do, in fact, hire freelancers remotely, working back & forth via FedEx and/or ftp sites. Faster computers, faster servers, faster everything has made the World of Animation just a wee bit smaller nowadays. I plan on benefitting from this. (Actually, I have already.)

Oh yeah, I gotta mention this: I'll be moderating a panel on that Saturday, the 20th, called Animation Education Report Card. I've been on two panels before at Platform, but this'll be my first time acting as moderator. I'm actually quite psyched for it. In case you're too lazy clicking on the link, here's the panel specs for ya:

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ANIMATION EDUCATION REPORT CARD
Saturday, September 20, 9:00 am, National Gallery - Lecture Hall


Get the inside scoop on how animation school curricula fares in the real world. Are institutions giving graduates the tools they need to survive and meet the needs of an ever-changing animation industry? Listen in on the debate with representatives from top schools and productions houses from Canada and the states.

Speakers:
Tom Knott, Laika Entertainment
J.J. Sedelmaier, President / Director, JJ Sedelmaier Productions, Inc.
Neil Hunter, Co-coordinator & Professor, Animation Program, Algonquin College - Animation
Leland Burke, Animation Area Coordinator, Massachusetts College of Art

Moderated By:
Ward Jenkins, Animation Director, Drawn!

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To prepare for this panel, I thought I'd open the floor to you guys and see what sort of questions do you think I should ask? What should be addressed that you think is being largely overlooked? Is there anything that frustrates you about the current state of animation education, not to mention trying to get a job in the industry after graduation? Please feel free to ask away here, or send me a message via email (check my profile). They usually record panel discussions at OIAF, so there's a possibility that you can hear what we talk about at a later date. I'll keep you posted. If I like your question, I'll probably give a nod to you, if that's okay. Let me know otherwise.

For the OIAF schedule click here. I may do a follow up post here mentioning what screenings and panels I'll be checking out.

Two years ago on Drawn!, I did only one post on the festival. This year, I plan to do more. (I promise, John!)

So, yes....this week is about getting ready. Looking forward to it! Hope to see you there. If you are going, feel free to contact me and maybe we'll run into each other. I said 'maybe'.

Oh, and I prolly will tweet the entire time I'm there, too. Just so you know.

9.07.2008

so long summer

ezra
It was probably the craziest summer ever experienced in our 14 years together. But we endured. And we enjoyed, believe it or not.

So long, Summer '08. You were a doozy. Thanks for the memories.

9.01.2008

Ballerinas

ballerina

Something I did recently for a potential job. Didn't get it, but that's okay. I now have ballerinas in my illustration arsenal.

Good thing Andrea's a dancer and that we have an 8 year old daughter. Lots of books laying around here on dance -- plenty of reference for me. (For the record: Andrea's more a modern dancer, but has books on all types of dance because she teaches it.)

ballerinas 1

ballerinas 2

Girls are so awkward at this age, especially when it comes to getting ballet poses right. It was fun trying to come up with some scenarios you see here.

Wow, it got real girly around here all of a sudden, didn't it? Oh, well. Enjoy your Labor Day, folks.