What's Happening - June 2013

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Where art and innovation create inspiration: come hang out with Walt and the Wild Things at The Walt Disney Family Museum here in June! Check out what's happening here throughout the month, including screenings, discussions, workshops, and other exciting activities. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS 

Camille Rose Garcia: Down the Rabbit Hole
May 9 through November 3, 2013
| Theater Gallery
Free for members or with admission
Special exhibition Camille Rose Garcia: Down the Rabbit Hole features some 40 works by goth-inspired lowbrow artist Garcia alongside ten Alice in Wonderland concept paintings by Disney artist Mary Blair from the Museum’s collection. Organized by guest curator Tere Romo, the exhibition celebrates not only Garcia and Blair’s artistry across decades and artistic styles, but also the power of art to draw us into magical worlds that spark engagement and inspiration. 

Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons
May 23 through July 7, 2013
| Diane Disney Miller Exhibition Hall
Free for members. Non-members ticket price: $10 general | Combination ticket which includes general museum admission: $25 adults, $20 seniors & students, $15 children ages 6 to 17.
For six weeks only, the Museum presents Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons, which features 50 works, by legendary author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, accompanied by 50 statements from celebrities, authors, and noted personalities on the influence of Sendak’s work, all in celebration of the 50th anniversary of his universally revered book, Where the Wild Things Are.

SCREENINGS 

FILM SCREENINGS | Where the Wild Things Are (2009) 
Screens through June, daily at 11am, 1:30 & 4pm (except Tuesdays & select times—check our calendar for exceptions) | Theater
Free for members or with Museum admission | Without Museum admission: $7 adult, $5 youth

DISCUSSIONS 

PANEL DISCUSSION | Stealing from Sendak
Saturday, June 1 | 3pm | Theater
Free for members or with Museum admission
For more than 40 years, Maurice Sendak’s books have nurtured children and adults alike. The New York Times wrote that Sendak’s work, “has brought a new dimension to the American children’s book and has helped to change how people visualize childhood.” As an author and illustrator, Sendak influenced not only a generation of readers but also a new generation of picture book artists. This panel discussion brings together six award-winning Bay Area authors and illustrators to explore Sendak’s influence on their own work and contemporary children’s books. Join Ashley Wolff, Christy Hale, Lisa Brown, Jim Averbeck, Maria van Lieshout, and Julie Downing as they discuss how and why they, and so many others, have “stolen” from Sendak.
(Presented in conjunction with the special exhibition, Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons).

TALKS | Disney/Pixar 101
Saturday, June 15
| 3pm | Theater
Members: $18 adult, $14 youth | Non-members: $20 adult, $15 youth
This multimedia event featuring Pixar producer Jonas Rivera and Disney historian Don Peri presents the stories of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and their interconnection with The Walt Disney Company.        

PANEL DISCUSSION | Disney and the Mechanized Magic of Audio-Animatronics®
Saturday, June 22 | 3pm | Theater
Members: $18 adult, $14 youth | Non-members: $20 adult, $15 youth
Join us for a conversation about the incredible story of theme park animatronics featuring Garner Holt and special guests, Bob Gurr and Bill Farmer, who helped transform Walt Disney’s vision for dimensional animated characters into reality.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS 

ANIMATE YOUR NIGHT | Enchanted Tiki Oasis Pre-Party
Friday, June 2
1 | 7–10pm | Museum-wide
Members: $8 | Non-members: $12 | Ages 18+
Welcome to our tropical hideaway, you lucky people you! Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room as we team up with the Tiki Oasis gang for an adventure-filled night of Hawaiiana. Join Charles Phoenix for a time travel tour extravaganza with his Retro Disneyland Slide Show. Enjoy eats from Wexler’s and other food trucks. Sip on exotic cocktails from San Francisco’s own Smuggler’s Cove, while DJ Otto von Stroheim slings records all night long. Top your evening off with the Tiki Room’s signature dessert, the Dole Whip.

LOOK CLOSER | Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons
Friday–Sunday, June 21-23
11am, 1 & 3pm | Theater Gallery
Free for members or with Museum admission
Dig deeper into the work of Fantasia-inspired visionary Maurice Sendak. This gallery talk is in offered conjunction with special exhibition Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons.

CLASSES & ACTIVITIES 

OPEN STUDIO | Illustration and Storytelling in Children’s Books
Saturday & Sunday, June 1 & 2, 8 & 9
| 1–4pm | Learning Center
Free for members or with Museum admission
Drop in to participate in illustration activities and storytelling inspired by children’s books.  

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS | Where Do the Wild Things Go?
Saturday, June 1
| 10am–12:30pm| Learning Center
Members: $55 | Non-member: $60 adult, $45 student (valid student ID required)
Like a movie, a picture book is not just a single picture, but a sequence of narrative and images that tell a story. The text and illustrations work together to create a story arc. The layout of the text and pictures allows the story to build to a climax and resolution. This hands on workshop focuses on how to establish the rhythm of a book. Using text from a simple picture book, participants will learn about creating a story arc, using the page turn to create drama and the importance of the marriage of text and pictures.

About the Instructor: Julie Downing has written and or illustrated over 40 books for children. Her books have received many awards including a Parent’s Choice Award, Bank Street College of Education Silver Medal, and a NY Public Library Best Books award. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and currently teaches Watercolor and Children’s Book Illustration to both graduate and undergraduate students at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her latest book, First Mothers, a biography of all the mothers of the presidents, was published in September 2012 by Clarion Books. She is currently working on a book about best friends, who just happen to be a mummy and a vampire.