Red Dot Auction VIII--Tickets Now Available!

Save-the-date! The eighth annual Red Dot Auction is scheduled for Friday, May 11 from 7 to 10 PM!  Tickets, $25 for main event and $100 for the Preview hour (5:30 to 7 PM) are available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. You’ll find the cure for “Empty Wall Syndrome” at the Red Dot Auction. Over 100 artists from around the globe have contributed one or more 12” square canvases and 3D art objects to this special fundraising event. What differentiates The Red Dot Auction from other silent art auctions is that the contributing artists have signed their artwork on the reverse of the canvas. Consequently, attendees at the event will not know who the artist is when bidding, they’ll only have their heart to follow.

“The artists who are participating come from all levels of notoriety, skill, and accomplishment, from students to emerging to established artists; we reached out around the world hoping to capture the imagination and appreciation of these artists. We are thankful that they were willing to help us achieve our goal of promoting creativity by providing a nurturing environment where it may grow and blossom,” said Craig Kausen, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center.

Watch this space for a special announcement, coming soon!

Which Artist's Work Will You Go Home with at the Red Dot Auction?

With less than two weeks until the Red Dot Auction, we wanted to share with you the stories of the artists who have donated art work (or in some cases, more than one) to this year's Red Dot Auction. This fundraiser, now in its sixth year, benefits the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Today we feature artist Bruce Berglund.Bruce Berglund started drawing by the time he could hold a pencil. One day Bruce's mother noticed him ignoring a new coloring book she had just given him. When she asked why he wasn't using it, Bruce commented, "I don't want to color someone else's drawings". He started oil painting at age 12 and at college he pursued Advertising, and Graphic Design achieving degrees in both. In 1985 Bruce relocated to Southern California where his steady illustration work won him notoriety as one of the top illustrators in Orange County. Bruce went on to open his own design studio (Berglund Advertising Design) in Costa Mesa in 1989. A portion of his current commercial portfolio including: illustrations, logo designs, advertising and web concepts can be seen on his newly launched website: www.BerglundAdvertisingDesign.com. To view his oils (not yet displayed on his website), contact Bruce directly at: 714.545.4948.

Will you go home with Bruce's work at this year's Red Dot Auction? Be there to find out. Ticket's available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Pre-bidding is now available at Heritage Auctions, click here to place your bids.

...There's a New Rabbit in Town

"What's Up, Doc? The Animated Art of Chuck Jones" opens Saturday, February 14th in Fort Worth, Texas a their Museum of Science and History.Chuck's daughter, Linda Jones Clough, and his granddaughter, Valerie Kausen, will be special guests on opening day. The exhibit, organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibits with the collaboration of the Museum of the Moving Image, New York; Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Beverly Hills, and the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, Costa Mesa, explores what it takes to make a cartoon and how Chuck Jones's unique perspective on film-making, his comedic genius, precision timing, and intense focus on character shaped and guided the evolution of the animated film. It is a not-to-be-missed exhibit.

For more information, visit the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History website by clicking this sentence.

Drop by the Center for Drop in and Draw this Saturday!

This week along with drawing, we will be making fun cartoon mobiles at Drop in and Draw on Saturday January 10th! Feel free to drop by anytime from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Drop in and Draw is a free event for all ages!

Saturday Morning Cartoons!

Saturday Morning Cartoons is at the Center for Living Peace (4139 Campus Drive, Irvine, CA) this Saturday January 3rd! We will be there from 11:30am to 12:30pm drawing and watching cartoons, but you have to register prior to Saturday at www.goodhappens.org. Don't miss out!

Creativity Season 2014 The "UN"GALA--A Looney Masquerade!

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity presents Creativity Season: The 'Un'Gala, A Looney Masquerade where "character required, costume optional" is the motto. Join us Saturday, October 11, 2014 from 6 to 10 PM for an 'un'gala like none you have ever been to before with Silent and Live Auctions, Creativity Stations (Mask Making, Performance Poetry by Jacqueline Suskin, Caricatures by Naylene, Photo Booth, Hands-on Animation, Guitar Playing, Mural Painting to Beautify the Orange County Zoo), and Creative Culinary Delights provided by 24 Carrots, CeCe Le Creme, Susan Heaton--Authentic Chef, and other local Cuisine Artists! Buy your tickets by October 10, 2014 for $50 per person or $75 per at the door the night of the event. A limited number of VIP tickets for $100 per person are available. VIP tickets include hosted bar and a gift bag. But that's not all, folks! Buy your tickets before Wednesday, October 8th, and be automatically entered to win a Chuck Jones "In Character" cel art edition or a Fabio Napoleoni "Seriously" fine art edition on paper. Go VIP and if you win the raffle a Kindle Fire will be included!

Become a Benefactor of Creativity Season by donating $10,000 to $500 and receive a special gift! All sponsorships offer additional entitlements which may include program book recognition, audio visual inclusion, and event signage. Please call 949-660-7791 x 107 for more information on these benefits. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tax I.D. #45-2982522

Buy your tickets here by clicking on this sentence. Visit our online silent auction and bid on fun, delicious, and beautiful stuff!

Special Guests @ Chuck 102Gether!

Chuck 102Gether at the Alex Theatre, Sunday, September 21 from 3 to 5 PM!

A Film Festival celebrating the collaborative creativity of the Golden Age of Looney Tunes!

Need another reason to attend besides being able to see these great cartoons on the big screen as they're meant to be shown? Here's a partial list of guest panelists:

GEORGE DAUGHERTY, creator of "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" will be the afternoon's Master of Ceremonies. 

ROB MINKOFF--Director of "The Lion King" and "Mr. Peabody & Sherman"

TOM SITO--Key figure in the Disney Renaissance and one of the 100 most influential people in animation

LEITH ADAMS--Longtime Executive Director of the Warner Bros. Archive

JEFF DEGRANDIS--Now at Dreamworks, formerly a supervising producer at Nickelodeon

ERIC GOLDBERG--Animator of the Genie in "Aladdin" and director of "Fantasia 2000" and so much more!

Other special guests may include: JUNE FORAY, AURIL THOMPSON, and MARTHA SIGALL (their health permitting.)

Tickets from $10 available at AlexTheatre.org!

The Playful God of a Manic Valhalla

In tomorrow's New York Times, a wonderful art review by Ken Johnson of the exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image, "What's Up, Doc? The Animation Art of Chuck Jones".

Chuck 102Gether! A Tribute to Collaborative Creativity!

102Gether is a film festival tribute to the teams that created the Golden Age of Warner Bros. cartoons. For the first time ever, the families of many of the great directors, producers, writers and more of the era will come together, including the families of Robert Clampett,  Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson, as well as Leon Schlesinger, Mel Blanc, Michael Maltese.  Also expected to appear are living members of the Warner Bros. team, June Foray, Auril Thompson, and Martha Segal.                                               Cartoons from each director will be shown on the big screen. M.C. for the evening: Bugs Bunny on Broadway/Bugs Bunny at the Symphony creator and conductor, Maestro George Daugherty.  Q&A with representatives of each family on stage following the program.

BUY TICKETS HERE!

Doors open: 2:30 p.m.

Meet and greet in the lobby: 2:30 to 3:00

Program begins: 3:00 p.m.

Running Time: 120 minutes +

Intermission: Fifteen minute intermission at 4:00.

Age Suitability: All ages.

Photography and video recording: allowed for live portions of program.

Coming September 21: Chuck 101 at the Egyptian Theater!

Chuck Jones Tribute

Family Matinee! Voice Actress June Foray In Person!

THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH

Sat, Sep 21, 2013 • 1:00pm

Come early with your family and draw your favorite cartoon characters!

The classic children's adventure novel comes to life in this Chuck Jones musical! Butch Patrick (“The Munsters”) plays Milo, a bored city kid who receives a mysterious gift of a magical tollbooth. Entering it, he finds himself transported from a live-action universe to a psychedelic animated one, then thrust into a series of far-out adventures. Voice-over legend June Foray, who voiced animated characters in the film alongside Mel Blanc, will appear for a discussion following the film. Stay afterward for a slice of cake to celebrate her birthday!

Chuck Jones Tribute

Family of Chuck Jones In Person!

Chuck Jones Birthday Celebration

Sat, Sep 21, 2013 • 8:00pm

As a fundraiser for the Chuck Jones Creativity Center, we celebrate the Oscar winner’s birthday with an evening of his most memorable Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes, and discussions with his family members, creator/conductor of “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony” George Daugherty; David Wong, producer of "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony; author and critic, Leonard Maltin, and John Shulman, former general counsel and Executive Vice President of Warner Bros. 

Tickets available at the box office or online at American Cinematheque.

"What's Up, Doc? The Animated Art of Chuck Jones" Exhibit Opens at LSU, Baton Rouge!

 Robin Miller, writing in Sunday's "The Advocate" (the daily newspaper in Baton Rouge, Louisiana), interviewed Craig Kausen, chairman of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and Chuck Jones's grandson. She begins the interview: 

"You stand among Bugs and Daffy and Porky and Pepe.

"Ah, yes, The ever-romantic Pepe Le Pew, who has been a part of your life since, well, when? Since you can remember — really remember — laughing? Since you first watched the fuse blow up in Wile E. Coyote’s face while the Roadrunner zooms by?

"Or could it be the realization that though the characters and gags haven’t changed through the years, your understanding of them has? That’s when it hits you, when you realize Chuck Jones’ Looney Tunes characters are a part of your life. No, it runs deeper than that. They’re as much a part of you as they are Craig Kausen." To read the entire article, click here.

Chuck Jones Filmography Update

We've been busy adding films and details to the Chuck Jones filmography. If you haven't been there recently it's well worth your time. Take a moment from your busy day or better yet take 6 1/2 minutes from your busy day and watch this cartoon! Let us know which Chuck Jones cartoon is your favorite and why. And maybe you'll find yourself featured on these pages. You can email us at mail@ChuckJones.com.