Friend of the Center and comic genius, Leigh Rubin, creator of "Rubes" cartoons will be appearing in Wisconsin from October 2nd through October 11th. He is a must see! For more information, visit: http://www.rubescartoons.com/events.html
What Will Your Photobomb Be?
This is a big month for the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity!Along with our participation in this year’s Festival of Children—be sure to stop by on Saturday, September 9 between noon and 4 PM at the Carousel in South Coast Plaza—we’ll have a fun, easy creative activity in progress—we have a great opportunity to win a $50,000 grant from Festival of Children Foundation by participating in their NCAM Photobomb Challenge. But we need your help!
During September, you can upload your favorite photobomb photo or video to indi.com/2017ncamchallenge and select the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. If we are the first charity to win an “Indi Buzz” score of 500,000 we will win the $50,000 grant to spread more CREATIVITY to the children who need it most.
SPREAD THE WORD! This is where you can help:
Upload your favorite photobomb to indi.com/2017ncamchallenge and select Chuck Jones Center for Creativity.
Create “Indi Buzz” around your photo or video by sharing on your social media. The more likes, comments, reposts, etc., the more the score will GROW!
Want to get extra CREATIVE? Use the Looney Tunes characters and/or backgrounds shown in this blog post to enhance your photobomb! Remember to include © Warner Bros. in your photo or video bomb if you do use these images.
You can share as many photobombs as you want. Use #NCAMCHALLENGE when sharing to stay connected.
We hope you’ll take advantage of this great opportunity to help the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity win $50,000 by exercising your genius! Thank you for helping us make a better, more productive and creative world.
June Foray--A Remembrance by Craig Kausen
I truly feel as though we lost part of the family yesterday as June Foray, at the age of 99, passed away.Of all of the people that Chuck worked with throughout his career, June is by far the person that I became closest to. I remember her perfectly at the premiere of "The Phantom Tollbooth" in Hollywood when I was 7 years old and my memories of her and with her only grew from there.
In an interview a couple of years ago, I was asked about June Foray and what came to mind that day was that she always said "yes" to whatever was requested. Can you come to screening? Can you take a call from a fan? Can you do an interview? Every time she said yes. She was the epitome of a living, giving star in Hollywood. Others will recap her accomplishments and certainly there are so many, but my memories of June are all about her sincerity, her passion for everyone she worked with and her genuine loving spirit she shared with everyone.
She and Chuck were dearest of friends and they had a professional love and respect for each other seldom equaled.
The last time I visited June along with my mother, we went to dinner with her, her sister, and brother-in-law at their favorite restaurant in the Valley. We spent time at her house and then all went to dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon. The stories, the banter, the laughter never stopped and it was a wonderful way for me to have a final personal memory of my time with her.
I am sure, just like I still do with Chuck, I will pick up the phone to call her and regardless that she is not physically there, she, along with Chuck, will continue to live on through the wonderful memories (and a lifetime of work) she left behind.
My deepest condolences to all that loved her..
How You Can Change the Life of a Child
Did you know that arts education aids students in skills needed in life and the workplace: flexibility, the ability to solve problems and communicate, the ability to learn new skills, to be creative and innovative?And that youth who participate in arts and creativity learning are:
Four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
Four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
Three times more likely to win an award for school attendance and four times more likely to perform community service.*
Did you know that in spite of the facts, funds for arts education have been slashed? School funding for after-school programs of all types have been cut.
Currently, the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity provides our successful and transformative art-making programs to schools who have the funding, such as Huntington Beach, Irvine and Tustin.
BUT we want to be able to offer our programs to all area schools, especially those serving low-income, at-risk youth, who have no funding for after school programs, such as Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove, Compton and many more. It is up to us to fill this crucial gap in arts education. And that is why we're writing to you today.
We offer seven after school programs designed to nurture creativity in various forms of art-making for young students.
These are the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity After School Enrichment Programs:
Exercise Your Genius
Be a Junior Animator
Paint Like Picasso
Planet X and The Third Dimension
Daffy’s Lasting Impression
Let’s Have Fun Cartooning
Acme Inventors
Programs are one hour in length, for 6 to 8 weeks (determined by each school) and are offered fall through spring. Each program reaches 18-24 students. Our approach is process-driven …. the fun & discovery is in the hands-on activities, not the final product. These programs teach techniques that enhance each student’s ability to visually articulate personal expression. We provide a trained and qualified Teaching Artist, a Teaching Assistant and all materials for a one-hour program for 8 weeks for 18-24 students for the cost of $300. This is only $12.50 per student.
Will you help make a difference? Please donate today.
Yes! I wish to support Back to School Art Enrichment Programs by making a tax- deductible contribution to The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity.
Your generous support will provide the following:
_____ I wish to support two students in one after school class with a donation of $25.00
_____ I wish to support four students in one after school class with a donation of $50.00
_____ I wish to support one student for a 6- week program with a donation of $75.00
_____ I wish to support two students for a 6- week program with a donation of $150.00
_____ I wish to sponsor one after school class for twenty four students with a donation of $300.00
_____ I wish to sponsor twenty four students for an entire 6-week program with a donation of $1800.00
_____ I wish to sponsor twenty four students for an entire 8-week program with a donation of $2400.00
For a donation of $1,000 or more, you may designate a school or school district. Please contact Programs@ChuckJonesCenter to make those arrangements.
The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a public charity founded in 1999 in Orange County California, fosters and teaches creative thinking, the thinking behind problem-solving. Creativity is like a muscle in your brain- it needs exercise to get and stay healthy. The Center serves as a “gymnasium for the brain”. Exercise your genius!
Thank you for your generous support to the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a nonprofit public charity, tax ID #45-982522.
*(Study by Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)
Are You "All In"?
The 1st OCCASIONAL FUNDRAISING POKER TOURNAMENTBenefiting the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
Costa Mesa, CA: Join the Center for Creativity for an evening of poker with optional “Play-In” opportunities on Monday, June 19th from 6 to 11 PM (ish). This is a poker tournament fundraiser with the opportunity to increase your initial chip stack by competing in optional play-in game tournaments.
Play-in games begin at 6 PM and end at 7:45 PM; poker tournament begins at 8 PM. There are three Play-in tournaments and are intended to be double elimination: Ping-Pong, Darts, and Cornhole (timing and expectations of all Play-in tournaments shall be subject to change.)
Win prizes! The final table winners will all win prizes! 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will choose from: 3 Angels tickets to Angels vs. Boston on July 23, 2017, a $180 value; Signed, hand-painted Chuck Jones cel art edition, “All In”, framed, value: a lot!; XS Scuba Gift Package; SoCo Restaurant Gift Cards; Home Cotton Candy Machine as well as other prizes.
Buy-ins are: Poker $100 for 1000 chips; Re-buys $40 (1000 chips); Play-in Games for $40 each game (200 chips each game guaranteed); All 3 Play-in Games for $100. Play-in Games First Place winner receives an additional 1000 chips; 2nd place 500 chips, and 3rd place 250 chips.
The evening includes food and beverages, poker prizes, bragging rights, participation in raffles for more prizes! Transportation by Uber recommended. Registration is limited to 32 players. Register at www.CharityAuction.bid/CJCCPOKER, and registrations closes Friday, June 16. The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, 3321 Hyland Avenue, Suite A, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. ChuckJonesCenter.org.
"At-Hope" Youth Overcome Obstacles
On Tuesday, June 6, the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego hosted a reception for the publication and release of "Presence: An Invitation to Be Your Creative and Authentic Self". This anthology along with related stop-motion animated films were the product of a collaboration between the nonprofit Words Alive! of San Diego County and the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Each year, Words Alive! works with "at hope" youth, youth who have been or are incarcerated, in foster care, or out on parole, helping them achieve and succeed in school. For 18 years, Words Alive has been an ardent leader in the movement to make reading matter for families, children and teens in San Diego County, giving them the necessary tools for success and the ability to transform their lives. A key component to making this happen relies on our partnerships and collaborations with the community. Our longest-standing partner in this effort has been with Momentum Learning (Juvenile Court and Community Schools) through our Adolescent Book Group and writing program. Designed to reinforce the act and practice of reading and writing within a population of teens who face extraordinary circumstances, trained facilitators spend many hours each month delivering a specially-designed curriculum to over 350 students, reigniting their interest in reading. The collection here — letters the students penned themselves to accompany the animated short films they created around the theme of “presence,” represents many months’ work with Words Alive writing instructors alongside our partners at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Always identifying deeper and more meaningful ways to connect to text and to support the students’ storytelling ability, the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and Words Alive developed this opportunity for students to explore creative and transformative avenues of expression and understanding.
It was an awesome partnership! To view a selection of the student films on YouTube, click here. To purchase the anthology, "Presence: an Invitation to Be Your Creative and Authentic Self", click here. The anthology is the most hopeful book you'll read this year, it's highly recommended!
Here's an example of one of the poems you'll discover in the anthology:
"I am mad and frustrated, I wonder if I have to do this, I hear my teacher nagging, I see a blank paper, I want to do something, I am mad and frustrated.
"I pretend to do my poem, I feel my paper, I touch my pencil, I worry I'll fail this assignment, I am mad and frustrated.
"I understand that I should do this poen, I say I can't, I dream I could, I try my best, I hope I finish, I am mad and frustrated." --Dylan
From the Linda Jones Clough Archive: Mammoth Lake
Linda Jones Clough continues to sort through her archive of memorabilia and ephemera to share with us. In this photo, taken in 1941 at Mammoth Lake, we find Chuck Jones, standing far right back row, with members of his Unit A taking a holiday at California's Mammoth Lake. Back row from left: Ben Washam, Harry (last name unkown), Alta Harris (wife of Ken Harris), Beverly Monroe (wife of Phil Monroe) and Chuck Jones. Front row: Rudy Larriva, Phil Monroe, Katherine (last name unknown), and Edeline Washam (Ben's wife). This is a list of the cartoons released in 1941 from Chuck Jones's Unit A: "Elmer's Pet Rabbit", "Sniffles Bells the Cat", "Joe Glow, the Firefly", "Toy Trouble", "Porky's Ant", "Porky's Prize Pony", "Inki and the Lion", "Snowtime for Comedy", "Brave Little Bat", "Saddle Silly", and "Porky's Midnight Matinee".
Storyboard Workshops with John Ramirez!
Learn from the best!In conjunction with the Art Institute of Orange County, the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is pleased to present a storyboard workshop with John Ramirez at the Art Institute of Orange County on Saturday, July 8 and Saturday, July 15, 2017 from 9 AM to 12 PM. The workshop on the 8th is designed for students 13 and younger; the one on the 15th for students, ages 14-19. The workshops are limited to only 24 participants. Reserve your space today by clicking here.
Ramirez's work can be seen in Toy Story II and Beauty and the Beast, among other animated film projects. He is an award-winning theme park and Rose Bowl float designer. He cites Chuck Jones as one of his major influences.
Class to take place at Art Institute of Orange County campus, 3601 W. Sunflower Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92704. Call the Center with questions or for more information.949-660-7793 x 1007. Reserve your space by clicking on this sentence.
Presence: An Invitation to Be Your Creative and Authentic Self
Words Alive, a leading literacy organization, provides integrative literary programming within 16 classrooms in Momentum Learning (formerly Juvenile Court & Community Schools), which includes a book club, writing program and annual arts project. Through this comprehensive programming, students experience attitudinal shifts toward reading, their education and futures, in addition to building upon their vocabulary, critical thinking, literary analysis and soft-skills.Each year through the Teen Services art program, our students have an opportunity to look at literacy through a different lens and find meaningful relationships to books and the world. As part of the arts program, students have an opportunity to make intrinsic connections to written text through a form of art they create.
This year, students will design their own stop animation film through a partnership with the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. With this project, we focused on the theme "presence," and students read and discussed several prolific texts, including Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates), The Crossover (Kwame Alexander) and Letters to a Young Artist (Anna Deavere-Smith) with groups of trained volunteers in the classroom.
Students wrote a letter about themselves to a person or place of their choice. The letter served as a basis for the subsequent art project: the animated films. As a culmination of text, book discussion and art, students will have an opportunity to showcase their animated films at an event, open to the public, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 6 at the Chuck Jones Gallery (232 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101) with an online gallery available on the Words Alive website to follow: www.wordsalive.org.
To learn more about the reception at the Chuck Jones Gallery and to RSVP, click here.
Drawing Like the Pros!
We continue our children's drawing classes during the summer with an 8-week hands-on introduction to the six elements of art. Students will learn drawing techniques inspired by Chuck Jones. No experience necessary.Monday afternoons from 3:30 to 5:00 PM beginning June 5th at the Center, 3321 Hyland Ave., Suite A, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 in SoCo (South Coast Collection)
Click here to order this class.
6/5 Our Creativity: splatter creatures and squiggle game
6/12 Line: line pattern composition
6/19 Shape: building objects by combining shapes, how to draw a Chuck Jones Character
6/26 Value: create pencil composition using gradation from black to white
7/3 Space: cut paper design featuring positive and negative space
7/10 Texture: circles transformed using texture; adjectives are visually described
7/17 Color: primary, secondary and tertiary colors applied to radial design
7/24 Face Vase: a unique composition that includes all the elements together
Red Dot Auction VII Preview Night Photos + More!
Wow! What an incredible couple of days! Thank you to all of our contributing artists for sharing your creativity with the Center and thank you to all of our winning bidders, donors, and sponsors who helped make the seventh annual Red Dot Auction the success it was! Bravo!All of the artists have been identified in the catalog at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Check out who did what work!
We've posted photos from the Preview Night here in the Photo Gallery. More from the Main Event to be posted in the next couple of days. Click this sentence to view the photos. Photos by Stephen Russo.
The Linda Jones Archive: Herblock and Chuck Jones
The Pulitzer Prize-winning and world-renowned political cartoonist, Herblock, was a fan of Chuck Jones. So much so, that he called Jones up one day in the summer of 1978 and introduced himself. They spent several hours on the phone and became life-long friends. This is part of letter that Chuck Jones wrote to Herblock a few days after that initial phone conversation.Dear Herb Block,
I have been told on extremely good authority that there is a time to live, a time to love, a time to die, a time to etcetera -- all indisputably true, all, philosophically speaking, absolutely meaningless, but -- there certainly is always time to be surprised and delighted as I was when you called the other day. I have known courageous people, wise people, intelligent people and brilliantly talented people but seldom people who possess more than two of those qulities and I don't need more fingers than I have to count those who posess all of those qualities. You are in illustrious company, Herb Block: Mark Twain, F.D.R., Walt Kelly, R.L. Stevenson, Vachel Lindsay, Beatrix Potter -- a few more perhaps -- shall I grow more fingers?
...thank you again for the stimulating call -- it justified the entire history of the Bell System. Best regards, Chuck
Cure Empty Wall Syndrome
The Red Dot Auction Relieves All SymptomsWhich Artist’s Work Will You Take Home Tonight?
Spring Gala Fundraiser Announced for Chuck Jones Center for Creativity
Costa Mesa, CA: 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.
“This year, we’ve mixed it up by dividing the auction into six distinct groupings,” says John Gaydos, President of the Council for Creativity which organizes this event in the spring and the Center’s “Play It Forward” fundraiser in the fall, “there’s now areas devoted to Landscape, Portrait, Abstract, Homage, Assemblage, and 3D artworks. The donated artwork is remarkable in its breadth and diversity.”
Participating artists include British POP art star and graphic novelist, Des Taylor; Michael Scharf, producer and creator of the children’s animated program, “Do Re and Mi” starring Kristen Bell; Art Deco-inspired contemporary Orange County artist, Mike Kungl, and Eric Goldberg, longtime Disney animator and director.
The Red Dot Auction will take place on Saturday, May 6h from 7 to 10 PM at the Center located at South Coast Collection (SoCo), 3321 Hyland Avenue, Costa Mesa, California. Admission is $25.00 per person ($35 per at the door) and open to the public. Buy tickets by April 25th and receive 5 free raffle tickets when you sign in at the front desk the evening of the event. To buy tickets online, go to ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot.
A Preview night is scheduled for Friday, May 5th from 7 to 9 PM and will include a tribute to the contributing artists, a musical performance by students of Music Vault Academy, and a Glitter-painting performance by James C. Mulligan. Headlining the evening will be Disney Imagineer, Terri Hardin, live-sculpting a 60th Anniversary tribute sculpture to the Chuck Jones-directed, “What’s Opera, Doc?” which will then be sold, funds benefiting the Center’s programs. Tickets for the Preview Night are $100 per person and are available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot.
The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is a 501(c)3 public charity based in Orange County, CA. Chuck Jones was a creative genius who gave life to Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote & Bugs Bunny along with over 300 animated films. The Center, which he founded in 1999, is an organization that fosters and teaches creative thinking—the thinking behind problem solving. It’s a proven fact that “creativity” is like a muscle in your brain that needs exercise to get and stay healthy. The stronger that muscle is, the better it works in engaging tasks and solving problems. The Center serves as a gymnasium for the brain. We work with disadvantaged youth, school systems without arts programs, people on the autism spectrum, the elderly (many of whom suffer from early onset dementia), and other groups, including corporate clients, who see the value of pumping up creativity in their ranks.
Images of the artwork for The Red Dot Auction are available upon request.
Congrats to Hannah Cruttenden
Today we salute Hannah Cruttenden and congratulate her on her acceptance into the BFA program at Parsons, the New School in New York City. Hannah took art courses at the Center, was mentored by the Center's teaching artist, Denise Dion-Scoyni, and also volunteered at Center events, workshops, and programs. AND, she won a generous merit scholarship! Everyone at the Chuck Jones Center is very proud of you, Hannah, and wish you nothing but the best in your new adventure.
The Linda Jones Archive: Crier in the Wilderness by Chuck Jones, Part 6
Note from Linda: At the time of this article, February 7, 1957, the lead-in stated the following: “Chuck Jones has been Art Director of the Crier from its infancy, and herein tells you how come. He and Dottie dwell in a fabulous glass-and-stone aerie up in Hollywood Knolls, and Little Linda is all grown up and married.” I was, as stated in the article, seven years old in 1944. There was no cafeteria at Valley View School in those days (is there now?), so we all carried our lunch boxes. My lunch box was a big, black industrial size box that held wonderful surprises my mother sent each day…leftover summer squash, carrot sticks, milk (a staple), peanut butter, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwiches (which I love, still), cold lamb chop, potato chips, orange, apple, apricot, celery (with cream cheese)…and often a little note of encouragement, too… she was pretty great… Now, here is part VI… and we’ll explore something else next week.
[PART VI] Why Hills?
The success of the Crier has been of course due to the talent of these people, but I suspect that it could only flourish in a specialized community with a built in rapport between readers, in this case, perhaps a need for three dimensionality. What is it that drives people to the hills? Seclusion? Some hillside communities are so tightly inhabited that the roof of one house supports part of the foundation of another. The conceit of looking down on one’s neighbors? Hardly. Many hill residers’ homes crouch at the bottom of ravines, or back firmly into box canyons. Economy? The cheaper the hillside lot is, the steeper it is likely to be, and the costlier it is to prepare for building. The simple life? Floods, fires, poison oak, gophers, jackrabbits, landslides, transportation difficulties, RFD, black widows and oak blight.
I return inexorably to the feeling Dottie and I have. A love of space and an acceptance of a three-dimensional world, a world in which the work and fun of climbing is equal to the joy and freedom of descending, where it is better to look up at a neighbor’s porch than flatly at your neighbor’s hedge, where a picture window makes sense because it frames a picture, where the roof-tops in the morning tell you there has been a frost, where you can look down on a bird in flight, where you can tell hillsiders from people by the fact that they read the CANYON CRIER.
[Thank you for accompanying me on this little venture… come back next week to see what I have discovered to share with you.]
The Palette and Palate of Tuscany
The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity and LCA Wine at the South Coast Collection are teaming up to offer a delightful and creative evening painting the rich color palette of Italy's' unspoiled and ancient landscape while sipping Tuscan wines and listening to Andrea Bocelli.Bring a friend and imagine yourselves there just as Michelangelo and Da Vinci once were.
Friday, April 28, from 6 to 9 PM | LCA Wine | 3315 Hyland Avenue | SoCo (South Coast Collection)
Space is limited, tickets available by clicking on this sentence. Or call for more details 949-660-7793.
Spellbound, Inc. to Sponsor "Homage" Section at Red Dot Auction VII
We are thrilled to announce that Spellbound, Inc. will be the Sponsor of the "Homage" section at this year's Red Dot Auction, a fundraiser for the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Through the Power Of Many Minds (POMM), Spellbound, Inc. uncovers the hidden gems and new opportunities that will help their clients push their organizations towards new horizons.If you or your company would like to help underwrite this fun, inventive silent auction benefiting the programs of the Center, please visit: https://lnkd.in/g4eCjnh
The Linda Jones Archive: Crier in the Wilderness by Chuck Jones, Part 5
Note from Linda: At the time of this article, February 7, 1957, the lead-in stated the following: “Chuck Jones has been Art Director of the Crier from its infancy, and herein tells you how come. He and Dottie dwell in a fabulous glass-and-stone aerie up in Hollywood Knolls, and Little Linda is all grown up and married.” I was, as stated in the article, seven years old in 1944. We had pool parties often in lovely, poison oak surrounded, swimming pool above the back patio…. yes, above…up the hill through overgrown ivy covered steps, which were especially slippery coming down. I learned to love to swim in that pool and missed it when we moved across the street in 1945. Here is Part V:
[PART V] Cinnamon, Anyone?
It was through the pages of the Canyon Crier that my wife sought wartime bargains. Her wants were relatively simple since the only thing she hoarded during the war years was cinnamon sticks. She had a morbid fear of being without hot-buttered rum, even though it was hot oleo-margarine-rum more often than not. Occasionally a grocer in a flippant mood would advertise cinnamon sticks, and shortly thereafter a slender hooded figure might be observed slinking by the check stand with a bulging paper bag. Since 1945 we have had hot buttered rum perhaps five times, which means that we still have ample supply for about ten thousand years.
Betty Branch, then editor of the Crier (Russell Branch, Publisher), inserted a plea for an artist-cartoonist of the general class of Arno, Adams, or VIP Partch, who would be willing to work for nothing. I applied, knowing full well that I had the disadvantage of not being in the class of Arno, Adams or Partch, yet smugly aware that I held the enormous advantage of being willing to work for nothing, which I knew they were not. My relationship with all of the succeeding Canyon Crier editors has continued in this same unsullied manner, characterized by purity on both sides. Neither checks nor rejection slips have ever passed between me and any editor of the Canyon Crier.
Just how many editors and/or proprietors the Canyon Crier has known I cannot now recall, but four—I think—have been significant Branch, Rose, Bishop and Sharpe, and three of these seem to have an etymological sympathy: Sharpe, Rose, Branch with Bishop thrown in for ecclesiastical class.
[The exciting conclusion of this article next week!]
Words Alive and Chuck Jones Center Collaborate on "Presence" Project
Chuck Jones Center for Creativity has collaborated with the San Diego-based non-profit, Words Alive, to bring an art component to their most recent project. Words Alive works with under-served youth in the schools of San Diego County instilliing in them a love of reading that will last a lifetime. This year, the project is "Presence, an Invitation to Be Your Creative and Authentic Self" and the students will be reading Ta-Nehisi Coates "Between the World and Me" and illlustrating their concept of the project through stop-motion animation. Which is where the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity comes in.
Craig Kausen, grandson of Chuck Jones and Board Chairman of the Center along with Denise Dion-Scoyni, Lead Teaching Artist, and Naylene Justis, a teaching artist at the Center met with the volunteer staff of Words Alive a couple of weeks ago and shared with them the ways and means of producing a short stop-motion animated film. The Words Alive volunteers will then take their new found knowledge and share it with the students participating in the program.
Art produced in the creation of these short, animated films, will be displayed at the Chuck Jones Gallery for a reception honoring the students and their work in early June of this year. Watch this space for details.
The Linda Jones Archive: Crier in the Wilderness by Chuck Jones, Part 4
Note from Linda: At the time of this article, February 7, 1957, the lead-in stated the following: “Chuck Jones has been Art Director of the Crier from its infancy, and herein tells you how come. He and Dottie dwell in a fabulous glass-and-stone aerie up in Hollywood Knolls, and Little Linda is all grown up and married.” I was, as stated in the article, seven years old in 1944. I well remember my father’s “war warden” hard hat…with a webbing inside that fascinated me…but he wouldn’t let me play with it. He went out almost every night, from our blacked out home, with his huge flashlight and his hard hat and a first aid kit slung over his chest. The searchlights interspersed the stars…and they were not for movie openings, but searching for enemy aircraft. Here is Part IV.[PART IV] The Oddments of War
Thus she joined the carpool and the “Canyon Crier” became a factor in our lives. We were at about this time promoted to a kind of restricted B sticker for our gasoline ration I was working on a project to camouflage Signal Hill rather a thankless job since the oil wells could only be disguised as something that looked like another military objective like a ship yard, an ammunition dump or an air-field. I think our final suggestion was to build two other fake Signal Hillses and hope for the best, or to make a gigantic tent big enough to cover all of Long Beach. At any rate we managed to carry on, although I occasionally had to employ the steps, dare the dog, and the Rhus diversiloba (poison oak).
It was through the tiny pages of the Crier that we were informed of the activities of Civilian Defense. Dan Duryea, as I remember it, was Senior Warden in our parts. Ken Harris was block Warden. Kent Winthers was Junior Warden and I was Fire Watcher, since we were almost the sole residents of Passmore Drive at that time. The Finkel house, now owned and beautifully remodeled by Hal and Margo Findlay, was then empty and the only other house was occupied, I believe, by a schizophrenic who thought he was a German spy but never came outdoors long enough to find out. He it was who had bought the confused Doberman thinking him to be a turn=coat (or turn-pelt). The three of us then were the task force that manned Operation Passmore, and even though in the giant logistics of war such minutia are often overlooked, yet it is true that we kept Passmore Drive remarkably free of fire-bombs.
[See you next week, with Part V]
