As part of an after-school program at Loyola Academy of St. Louis, artist Sarah Paulsen taught six students stop motion animation inspired by the exhibitions of Japanese art on view in our galleries. Located in the Grand Center Arts District, Loyola Academy is a Jesuit college-preparatory middle school for boys, offering a student enrichment program that includes activities such as chess, art, and music. After touring Living Proof: Drawing in 19th Century Japan and Rough Cut: Independent Japanese Animation, the students worked to create their own animations with original characters and stories. During the program, Paulsen instructed students on drawing and animation techniques, providing students with the experience of conceptualizing a story in the tradition of cut paper. Through this process, students utilized art, narrative, and technology to engage in the world of animation.
Sarah Paulsen is an artist and animator from St. Louis, with art projects ranging from parades and happenings to social justice documentaries and portrait paintings inspired by members in the St. Louis community. Paulsen was recently awarded the 2018 Great Rivers Biennial Arts Award at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
The final productions from Drawn to Life: Stop Motion Animations debuted during a public screening at the Pulitzer on Wednesday, February 21:
The End of Chicken Nugget Man (2018)
Cyborg Electric Revenge (2018)
Immortal Justice (2018)
