Autism Resource Mom at the Center

Autism Resource Mom, a local Orange County organization that provides support, guidance and hope for parents of children with autism, held a year-end creativity workshop for their children (and themselves) at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity on Monday, December 5th. Debora Smith, founder of ARM, had this to say about the evening:"I’m happy to report that AUTISM RESOURCE MOM’s holiday event was yet another huge success! I’m thrilled we were able to sneak one more of these in before the end of the year. Our families were in agreement—they absolutely loveDenise and her artist assistants.

"What I enjoy about the evening is watching our kids “get lost” in their creations and in doing so, feel comfortable enough to let their guard down a bit. And I know their anxieities are lessened because the kids are talking with peers, talking with other adults, making social connections. It’s quite remarkable. 

"In the Post-Event Survey, one question reads: What are the top 3 things you liked about tonight’s Art & Creativity Workshop? Here are some responses:

The giggles, the creativity and no judgement

So creative, very organized and fun

It was fun, relaxing; kids could move around as needed, not restrictive

The helpers were fun and encouraging, the flexibility, different projects to choose from

That our kids are very creative and need a space and opportunity to expand it; and socially this is a great event

Very laid back, awesome venue, great selection of activities at the different stations

"The final headcount was: 26 parents/kids; 2-man video crew for Autism Resource Mom; 1 reporter from the OC Register; 3 CJCC awesome artist helpers and last but not least, the one-and-only Denise Dion-Scoyni [the lead teaching artist at the Center]!

"On behalf of our entire organization and all our families, we are profoundly grateful to everyone at Chuck Jones Center for Creativity for working with us to make this possible. It’s becoming one of our signature events—and I think that’s pretty cool."

More information about ARM available here.

12 Principles of Animation: 1 - Squash and Stretch

Our brand new Animation workshop will feature 12 monthly classes featuring instruction on animation techniques. Animation Professional John Ramirez will lead a workshop discussing one of the most important principles in animation, the "Squash and Stretch". It gives a sense of weight and flexibility to drawn objects and it can be applied to simple objects like a bouncing ball, or more complex constructions like a character. A figure stretched or squashed to an exaggerated degree can have a comical effect. Many organic objects in animation have a degree of squash and stretch.Join us every 3rd Saturday of every month for a new principle! Cost: $57 per workshop, includes materials.

To register for this class, contact Sasha Advani (949) 660-7793 x107 or Sasha@ChuckJonesCenter.org

Artist John Ramirez to Lead Chuck Jones Center for Creativity Workshops at Dayton Art Institute

Artist, animator, art director, and designer, John Ramirez, will be leading two workshops at the Dayton Art Institue, Saturday and Sunday, August 18 and 19. Ramirez, who was mentored by and worked alongside Chuck Jones, will be at the Dayton Art Institute as part of their Super Hero Summer where he will offer two classes devoted to encouraging thinking beyond the obvious and growing beyond expectations all the while developing important skill sets in drawing. For details about the workshops and to enroll your budding young artists, visit Dayton Art Institute.