Animated Film Submissions Accepted through March 16
Lyndonville, Vermont — The Sixth Annual Vermont Animation Festival, hosted by Northern Vermont University in partnership with Catamount Arts and the Vermont Curators Group, will be held virtually March 26-28.
A full slate of activities is planned for beginner and experienced animators, including workshops, a film screening, and an artist talk by keynote speaker and Vermont-bred/Boston-based Experimental Animator Alan Jennings. Submissions of animated films of all lengths will be accepted through March 16 for festival viewing and judging; films from students and emerging animators are especially welcome. Complete festival information, including submission details, is available at VTAnimationFestival.org.
“Animation is often described as magical,” said Kate Renner, NVU-Lyndon visiting assistant professor and director of the Vermont Animation Festival. “Part of this magic is the potential for animation to bring people of all ages and backgrounds together during a year when community connections can be harder to come by. The festival will bring new animated shorts by New England artists to residence halls and households all over the country.”
This year’s festival includes a more involved partnership with Catamount Arts, Renner said, offering the opportunity to present more community-based workshops along with a venue to highlight Jennings’s work.
“We are thrilled to continue this longstanding partnership with NVU and are excited, not only for the workshops and student films, but for the keynote address given by guest artist Alan Jennings,” said Catamount Artistic Director Molly Stone. “In addition, Catamount Arts will host some of Alan's experiential animation pieces in the first virtual Fried Family Gallery exhibit of work at CatamountArts.org with support from the Vermont Curators Group.”
The Vermont Animation Festival was created in 2015 by former NVU faculty Robby Gilbert to showcase the unique voices of artists in New England working in animation and moving images. The festival provides a forum for regional artists, including NVU Animation and Illustration students, to showcase their work and workshops to engage the community.
“The Vermont Animation Festival also teaches emerging animators that you don't need a fancy computer set-up to create compelling work,” Renner said. “Students in NVU’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation and Illustration program are taught how to use the industry standards for Animation software, and at the same time they are encouraged to create animated work using pencil, paper, and commonly found materials such as sand.”
To learn more about NVU’s program at its Lyndon campus, see NorthernVermont.edu/AnimationIllustration.
Northern Vermont University is a two-campus institution of higher education that combines the best of our campuses' nationally recognized liberal arts and professional programs. At Northern Vermont University, our goal is to guide curious, motivated, and engaged students on their paths to success and their places in the world. NVU Online offers flexible, affordable, high-quality options for learners pursuing their bachelor's and master’s degrees as well as certificates. NVU offers a full range of associates, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees as well as credit and non-credit certificates and professional development courses. Learn more at NorthernVermont.edu.
As northeastern Vermont's only full-service arts center, Catamount Arts is the cultural, entertainment, and arts home to 40,000 visitors each year, offering foreign, independent, and classic films; exhibitions by local and regional artists; live music, dance, and theater performances; summer camps and arts education programming; a regional box office for over 40 organizations; and a gathering space for community events. Catamount Arts is the proud producer of the KCP Presents Performing Arts Series; First Night North; Circus Smirkus in St. Johnsbury; the EPIC Music Program; and the Levitt AMP St. Johnsbury Music Series.
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