Amy Kravitz
Encyclopedia
Amy Kravitz is an independent filmmaker and teacher specializing in abstract animation
. She is currently a Professor in the Film Department at the Rhode Island School of Design
.
As a young girl, Amy Kravitz began making and teaching animation in Yvonne Anderson's famed Yellow Ball Workshop. Amy went on to obtain a B.A. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University
, and received an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts
. During her studies at CalArts, she was mentored under Sky David and Jules Engel
. She taught Animation at Harvard and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, before becoming a professor in the Film Department of the Rhode Island School of Design
where she has taught Experimental Animation since the 1980s, and from time-to-time has served as the department chair.
Her film work includes River Lethe (1985), The Trap (1988), and Roost (1999). She states that her approach to filmmaking is "direct and visceral." Her films have been screened worldwide and have received numerous prizes and awards.
Amy's out-of-the-ordinary work as a teacher has been highly praised by her students and others in her field. Her long classes involve week-to-week problems and questions that students explore as a means to reveal and understand their perception of the world, instead of merely imparting a collection of animation techniques. Her students develop highly personalized relationships to the medium that bring out their own individual talents and points of view. Many of Kravitz's students have gone on to successful careers in traditional animation
, computer animation
, and interactive art
.
Abstract film
Abstract film is a subgenre of experimental film. Its history often overlaps with the concerns and history of visual music. Some of the earliest abstract motion pictures known to survive are those produced by a group of German artists working in the early 1920s, a movement referred to as Absolute...
. She is currently a Professor in the Film Department at the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
.
As a young girl, Amy Kravitz began making and teaching animation in Yvonne Anderson's famed Yellow Ball Workshop. Amy went on to obtain a B.A. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and received an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
. During her studies at CalArts, she was mentored under Sky David and Jules Engel
Jules Engel
Jules Engel was a Jewish-Hungarian American filmmaker, painter, sculptor, graphic artist, set designer, animator, film director, and teacher...
. She taught Animation at Harvard and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, before becoming a professor in the Film Department of the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
where she has taught Experimental Animation since the 1980s, and from time-to-time has served as the department chair.
Her film work includes River Lethe (1985), The Trap (1988), and Roost (1999). She states that her approach to filmmaking is "direct and visceral." Her films have been screened worldwide and have received numerous prizes and awards.
Amy's out-of-the-ordinary work as a teacher has been highly praised by her students and others in her field. Her long classes involve week-to-week problems and questions that students explore as a means to reveal and understand their perception of the world, instead of merely imparting a collection of animation techniques. Her students develop highly personalized relationships to the medium that bring out their own individual talents and points of view. Many of Kravitz's students have gone on to successful careers in traditional animation
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
, computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
, and interactive art
Interactive art
Interactive art is a form of installation-based art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some installations achieve this by letting the observer or visitor "walk" in, on, and around them; Some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork.Works of...
.