Field Trip!!

It All Started Here! New York's 103 year relationship with the Animation Industry
Arts Exchange Gallery, 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY

“Within a decade after the invention of the motion picture camera, New York became the nation’s center for film production as well as animated cartoons for theaters. The first true character with a mind of its own was Gertie, the Trained Dinosaur, animated in 1914. Gertie was but one of a long line of cartoon stars that would follow. Each succeeding decade introduced new characters, from Koko the Clown and Felix the Cat in the 1920’s to Skrat, Manfred, Sid and Diego from the feature film Ice Age.” -Arts Westchester

On Tuesday, February 3rd, the entire Multimedia department took a trip to the Arts Exchange Gallery in White Plains to see an exhibit on New York’s historical relationship to the animation industry. Many iconic characters dating from the early 1900s through 21st century were created right here in New York, many of them in Westchester County. Today we have Blue Sky Studios of Greenwich, CT (formerly located in White Plains) and many other large animation studios located right here in Westchester and New York City. These studios are responsible for blockbuster films such as “Ice Age” and “Horton Hears a Who!” as well as many of the animated shows seen on Nicktoons, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network. One of the show’s curators, renowned animator J.J. Sedelmaier, works here in our area.

Multimedia Instructors accompanied 84 students to visit the Arts Exchange Gallery. The group took a guided tour through the two-story space. The first floor exhibit featured early animation including Gertie, the Trained Dinosaur, Betty Boop, and Mighty Mouse, to name a few. Upstairs, the gallery focused on modern animation and featured a room dedicated to Blue Sky Studios. The level of interest exhibited by our students during the trip was very impressive. Many were taking notes and asking questions to be answered by the tour guides. Some students were even using their cell phones to input information. For each class, the students will be required to complete an assignment related to the trip and the information gathered.

Instructors will be stressing the historical impact that New York State has had on the animation industry. It is widely assumed that most animation originated on the West Coast, but in reality, almost all of the big studios started right here!

This trip was a very positive experience both for students and faculty. It will be exciting to see the impact that this has made on our students and to view the presentations they are working on in the coming weeks. Several students were even inspired to create new artwork immediately following the trip.