Stockbridge, MA.- The Norman Rockwell Museum will present a weekend of star-studded events based around its new, interactive exhibition “’Ice Age” to the Digital Age: The 3D Animation Art of Blue Sky Studios,” which looks at the artistry and technical genius of one of the world’s leading animation studios. Blue Sky Studios is the creator of such blockbuster films as the “Ice Age” series; “Robots;” and the recent hit “Rio,” which is the second highest grossing film released so far this year. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum from June 11th through October 31st.
On Friday, June 10, the Museum will present an ICE/HOT Preview Party for “’Ice Age’ to the Digital Age,” from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Meet Chris Wedge, Blue Sky Studios’ VP of Creative, who co-founded the company in 1987. Award-winning illustrator Peter de Sève, the lead character designer for Blue Sky Studios’ “Ice Age” series, will be the guest of honor for this evening of cocktails; hors d’oeuvres; a raw bar; wine tasting; music from the Bossa Triba Quartet; and dessert at the Museum’s historic Linwood House, which overlooks Norman Rockwell’s Stockbridge studio and the Housatonic River. Members of Blue Sky Studios creative team will join Norman Rockwell Museum for the official exhibition opening of “’Ice Age’ to the Digital Age,” to be held on Saturday, June 11, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Celebrate the art of animation with this first-ever look behind the scenes at Blue Sky Studios, where cutting-edge creativity and technique brings imaginative characters and stories to life. Commentary will be provided by Blue Sky Studios’ VP of Creative Chris Wedge, and award-winning illustrator and “Ice Age” character designer Peter de Sève, starting at 6:30 p.m. Learn about the complex and exciting process of creating CG animated films, from initial concept to the big screen. The family friendly opening will include “Rio colada” snow cones, Blue Sky balloon sculptures, wine and caricatures courtesy of winetasting.com, as well as other ICE/HOT fun, party fare and libations.
Go “behind the scenes” with a look at the world of digital animation with the artists of Blue Sky Studios, creators of the blockbuster films “Ice Age” (and its popular sequels), “Robots,” and the recently released hit, “Rio.” This first-ever exhibition brings art and technology together to explore how visual concepts are transformed into believable worlds for the big screen. Rarely-seen original character drawings, storyboards, and background paintings reflect the conceptual process, and a recreated sculpture studio will bring you face-to-face with Blue Sky’s amazing sculptural maquettes. Interactive stations reveal how today’s stunning computer generated imagery is built, from initial concept to finished frame.
Blue Sky Studios is the Academy Award©-winning, feature CG animation studio behind the wildly successful Ice Age franchise. Using their propriety rendering software, CGI Studio©, Blue Sky creates photo-realistic, high-resolution, computer-generated character animation and rendering to create timeless stories for children of all ages. Blue Sky is the studio behind “Ice Age” (2002), “Robots” (2005), “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006), “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” (2008), “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (2009) and “Rio” (2011). Blue Sky Studios is wholly owned by Twentieth Century Fox.
Norman Rockwell Museum is the preeminent museum of American illustration art. Dedicated to art education and art appreciation inspired by the enduring legacy of Norman Rockwell, the Museum stewards the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell art, and presents the works of contemporary and past masters of illustration. The Museum’s holdings include Rockwell’s last studio, moved from its original location to the Museum grounds, and the Norman Rockwell Archives, a 200,000-object collection undergoing digital preservation through ProjectNORMAN, “A Save America’s Treasures Project.” The Museum is also home to the new Rockwell Center for American Visual Studies, the nation’s first research institute devoted to the art of illustration. In 2008, Norman Rockwell Museum became the first-ever museum recipient of the National Humanities Medal, America’s highest honor in the field. Founded in 1969 with the help of Norman and Molly Rockwell, Norman Rockwell Museum is dedicated to the enjoyment and study of Rockwell’s work and his contributions to society, popular culture, and social commentary. The Museum, which is accredited by the American Association of Museums, is the most popular year-round cultural attraction in the Berkshires. The Museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Rockwell’s work, including 574 original paintings and drawings. Rockwell lived in Stockbridge for the last 25 years of his life. Rockwell’s Stockbridge studio, moved to the Museum site, is open to the public from May through October, and features original art materials, his library, furnishings, and personal items. The Museum also houses the Norman Rockwell Archives, a collection of more than 100,000 items, including working photographs, letters, personal calendars, fan mail, and business documents. Having spent its first 24 years at the Old Corner House on Stockbridge’s Main Street, the Museum moved to its present location, a 36-acre site overlooking the Housatonic River Valley, in 1993. Internationally renowned architect Robert A. M. Stern designed the Museum gallery building. Visit the museum’s website at … http://www.nrm.org