Join fellow staff members for a special U-M Staff backstage Meet & Greet with Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker James Baxter, followed by his public lecture at 5:30 p.m.
Event Details:
- Meet in the lobby of the Michigan Theatre at 4:30pm
- Look for staff members with teal Michigan Arts Fest t-shirts!
- Receive Michigan Arts Fest swag!
Please Note:
- Backstage Meet & Greet is limited to U-M staff members.
- Can't make it? Let us know so your spot may be released.
Staff Art Meetups are staff-led excursions designed to explore the arts on campus and connect with colleagues who share similar interests. These meetups are being organized throughout October as part of the Michigan Arts Festival.
Questions? Contact your staff hosts: Meaghan Blanchard (mblanch@umich.edu) and Clarissa Santana (cmsantan@umich.edu)
About the Speaker
James Baxter is an award-winning character animator whose work has shaped some of the most beloved animated films and television series of the past four decades. Renowned for his expressive draftsmanship and mastery of performance through movement, Baxter has animated some of animation’s most iconic characters, including Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Rafiki in The Lion King, Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the title character in Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. His work has also appeared in films including The Prince of Egypt, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and Enchanted, among many others.
Throughout his career, Baxter has held creative and leadership roles at Walt Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Netflix Animation, where he currently serves as vice president of animation. Working across both hand-drawn and computer animation, he has helped shape performances in some of the medium’s most recognizable films while also teaching and mentoring artists throughout the industry. His contributions to animation can also be seen in Adventure Time, where the recurring character James Baxter the Horse was created as a tribute to the animator.
Baxter will share stories from his four decades in animation and discuss the craft of character performance, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how movement, emotion, and storytelling come together to create memorable animated characters.
More information on the Penny Stamps Speaker Series can be found HERE.
This program is part of the Michigan Arts Festival Staff Explorer Pass. In partnership with Voices of the Staff, the U-M Arts Initiative is offering limited complimentary tickets for select campus events and extra special experiences for U-M staff members all throughout October! For a list of all Staff Explorer Pass events, visit https://sessions.studentlife.umich.edu/track/event/23512
