Some Reflections on Winter Quarter March 11, 2008
Posted by Deborah in : Deborah's Thoughts , add a commentGary Goldman and the Bluth Collection
In January, almost as soon as we got back from the holidays, Gary Goldman arrived. He has been Don Bluth’s partner since before they both left Disney and was the co-donor of the amazingly huge Don Bluth Collection of Animation. He was beginning his time as Artist in Residence and was planning to use the Bluth Collection for his classes. He wanted to use materials mainly from Banjo the Woodpile Cat and from Dragon’s Lair. We were thrilled to have him here and even though it wasn’t always easy to find the materials he needed, it was a pleasure to have him here at SCAD. He borrowed a number of drawings and with our work study student, Severin’s assistance, made more copies than I think were usually allowed for a Professor. I hear the students in his class learned a lot and developed a new respect for the classical animator. With the quarter drawing to a close, we are sad to see him leaving again so soon.
The Comic Book and Graphic Novel Collections
SCAD Professor Catherine C. Cupps donated a large collection of graphic novels and comic books to the department late last fall, and they are now in the department awaiting cataloging. There are some great titles in the collection and even though they are not yet cataloged, they are listed.
Esteban Fuertes also sent another installment of his collection, which arrived in January. He was a collector of both comics and graphic novels, with only DC and Vertigo titles. This collection is also not cataloged, but is listed, and if you have an interest in a particular title, we are happy to see if we have the issues for you.
Student Publications
We received a fun donation of zines and mini-comics produced by SCAD students. They are mostly self published and were donated by the SCAD Chapter of the Society for Collegiate Journalists. The publications have been cataloged in our system (call number MS 032). We hope this becomes an ongoing tradition.
Visual Resources Center Uses Special Collections Materials to Promote Black History Month
While our collection of Benny Andrews, MS 011, is not large, it does have some very nice images of his work. Benny Andrews (1930-2006) was a Georgia artist whose unique folksy style showed an unexpected sophistication. For Black History Month, the Visual Resources Center has added several of our images to their database. Visit their blog and take a look at what they added.
Photographic Images
The history of photography in Savannah is largely unwritten, but we would like to change that someday. We have added a number of stereoviews of Savannah to our collection through EBay purchases. We have also added a number of cabinet photographs from various Savannah photographers. Stereoviews are usually landscapes and street scenes with a unique quality of being able to appear three dimensional when viewed through a special device. Cabinet photos are usually albumen prints of portraits mounted on hard cardstock and often carrying an advertisement for the photographer or studio that took the image. Both gained popularity in the latter half of the 19th century.
Myrtle Jones
We are very pleased to announce our first collaborative project with the Visual Resources Center (VRC). We are selecting a number of slides from the Myrtle Jones Collection to be added to the SCAD Digital Image Database. Gretchen will be working closely with the VRC to describe the images and help make them available. Myrtle Jones (1913-2005), a local artist well known in Savannah for her landscapes and portraits, was also an excellent photographer. Her photos were for her own use in research for her painting, but when we saw what a perfect snapshot in time they represented, we knew they had to be shared. Images include Forsyth Park, neighborhoods and buildings, street scenes, and the river front. Look for these in the SCAD Digital Image Database soon.
Class Visits
We are always excited to share the Don Bluth Collection with all who would like to see it. The materials were donated to SCAD to be a resource for all students. The collection contains materials for animation, illustration, concept art, character design, sequential arts, storyboarding, advertising, and many other disciplines. The backgrounds are often so beautifully done that they could be proudly hung on anyone’s wall. Ray Goto, Professor in Sequential Art, has been a vocal advocate for the collection. We appreciate that almost every quarter, he brings his classes in to see and be inspired by the collection. We would love to see other professors bring their classes in as well. Please call or stop by if you are interested. We are sure we can find more than enough materials to share.