Background Artist: The Life and Work of Tyrus Wong
A Book Reading and Conversation with Author Karen Fang
Friday, October 11, 2024 | 6:30 PM | FREE
You might not know the name Tyrus Wong, but you probably know some of the images he created, including scenes from the beloved Disney classic, Bambi. Yet, when he came to this country as a child, Tyrus spent a month alone at Angel Island. How did he go on to have a long and prosperous career drawing animation cels, storyboards, and greeting cards that shaped the American imagination?
This reading and book launch shares the inspiring story of Tyrus Wong’s remarkable 106-year life, from the paintings and fine art prints he made working for Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration, to the unique handmade kites he designed and flew on the Santa Monica beach. Showing how Tyrus found American communities that nurtured his artistic talent, author Karen Fang will cover everything from Tyrus Wong’s work as a studio sketch artist for Warner Bros. to the best-selling Christmas cards he designed for Hallmark and other greeting card companies.
Join us for the launch of Background Artist: The Life and Work of Tyrus Wong, to celebrate a multi-talented Asian American artist and pioneer.
Q&A and discussion will be facilitated by Le Tang, a Lead Story Artist at Pixar Animation Studios.
Meet the Author
Karen Fang is a film scholar and visual culture critic who writes and speaks for museums and film festivals around the world. Known for previous books about Hong Kong cinema and nineteenth-century British interest in exotic objects, Karen often writes about the intersection of Eastern and Western aesthetics. Her work has appeared in Smithsonian Magazine, Hyperallergic, Nikkei Asia, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. She is also a prominent contributor to The Engines of Our Ingenuity, a long-running, widely distributed public radio series about science and innovation, where her episodes always focus on the visual arts. A Sunday painter, Karen’s favorite media are watercolor and pen and ink.
Meet the Discussion Facilitator
Le Tang is a Vietnamese-American artist and storyteller, with over 18 years in the animation industry. He started his career in animation at Lucasfilm Animation as a Story Artist, and from there moved onto such studios as Nickelodeon, Dreamworks, and Disney. He is currently at Pixar Animation Studios as a Lead Story Artist, having worked on such films as Toy Story 4, Onward, Elemental, and Inside Out 2.
