'Toons producer Fred Armstrong focus of this month's GO ART! salon
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) continues its popular Salon Series with “The ‘Toons Producer: Fredrick Armstrong” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
The program takes place at GO ART!, Seymour Place, 201 E. Main St. in Batavia and includes supper and beverages.
A "Going to the Movies" themed menu will be served: popcorn, assorted grilled pizzas (white veggie, red with three cheeses, red with mushrooms and pepperoni), antipasti, garlic bread, and old-fashioned ice cream bars.
A contribution of $25 for non-members and $22 for GO ART! members is requested. A discounted rate is available for those wishing to also attend the April 5th Salon, "The Comic Illustrator: Lauren Barnett."
Reservations are required and can be made by phone at (585) 343-9313, e-mail at info@GOart.org, or by stopping in to GO ART! in Downtown Batavia (open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays). The GO ART! Salon Series is sponsored by the Bank of Castile.
Havens for those who craved intellectual conversation and stimulation for centuries, salons became fashionable when French kings showed their art treasures in the reception room of the Palace of Louvre.
This month's salon the president and founder of Animatus Studio & The Animation Workshop in Rochester. Armstrong will present several short cartoons produced at award-winning Animatus Studio along with some clips of his “live action” acting roles.
Interspersed among the videos, Armstrong will entertain attendees with the background on each of the animations and his journey into the field of animation and film.
Bio: For more than 35 years, Armstrong has worked on feature films, documentaries, industrials, commercials and music videos. He began his professional film career in 1975 creating animated segments for a local retail store, the House of Guitars.
In 1980, he moved to New York City where he apprenticed and worked as an Oxberry animation cameraman under Francis Lee of Film Planning Associates. In 1989, Armstrong founded Animatus Studio, Rochester’s only full-service animation studio that specializes in 2D and Flash animation. He also founded The Animation Workshop in 1992, which continues to teach the joys of animation to students of all ages.
Continuing to work in live action as well as animation, Armstrong produced and co-directed “The End of the Line - Rochester's Subway.” This award-winning documentary tells the story of the smallest city in America to build and abandon a subway. It has aired on PBS and The History Channel and was recently re-released on DVD with 45 new minutes of material and extras.
Animatus Studio has been a sponsor of the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival (formerly the Rochester High Falls International Film Festival) since its inception in 2001. Armstrong has also acted as animation program director for the 360 | 365 GEH Film Festival.
He was instrumental in bringing filmmakers such as Faith Hubley (Oscar winner), Vicky Jenson (director of Shrek,) and voice talent Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson) to the festival. Through collaboration with the 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival, Animatus Studio has also hosted animation workshops for disadvantaged and at-risk youth for the last eight years.
He is currently vice president of RAVA (Rochester Audio/Visual Association), a renowned organization of professional filmmakers and media industry people founded in 1956.
Over the last three decades, Armstrong has also worked on hundreds of live action film shoots as a key grip, where he specializes as a crane and dolly operator. He has even been an actor in many commercials and several feature films.
He recently taught “Business in Animation” as an adjunct professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Today, he continues to be involved in all aspects of filmmaking and animation for commercials, documentaries, music videos and businesses throughout the region.
The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) is a private nonprofit organization, which believes that art and culture enriches, inspires and educates, while strengthening a community's identity.
Therefore, GO ART! initiates a broad range of opportunities for artists and cultural organizations, and facilitates cooperative efforts among the cultural, business, service and educational communities for the people who live in and visit Genesee and Orleans counties. GO ART! exhibits are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.
