As we celebrate The Walt Disney Family Museum’s 10th Anniversary, we are continually looking for ways to share Walt Disney’s legacy with others. Walt came from humble beginnings and used his success to lift up other artists and storytellers at the Studios.
“The first thing I did when I got a little money…[was] I put all my artists back in school,” Walt once said. “Art schools that existed then didn’t quite have enough for what we needed, so we set up our own art school.” This school, of course, was the Chouinard Art School in Los Angeles, California. And Walt’s dedication to arts education continued well into the 1960s when he and his brother, Roy Disney, helped oversee the merger of the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and Chouinard to form California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).
In the spirit of Walt’s desire to provide those around him with educational opportunities, we are proud to offer a myriad of classes and workshops; each studio class introduces first-time students to new art forms, and offers continuing students the opportunity to hone their crafts. This year, classes include After School Animation, Drawing Cartoons, as well as summer classes, such as Intro to Animation, Digital 2D Animation, and The Heroine’s Journey.
That said, The Walt Disney Family Museum understands that raising a family can be an expensive responsibility. To ensure that all children have the opportunity to take advantage of our classes, we are pleased to offer scholarships for qualifying families*. The museum’s Education Studio Manager, Travis Lacina, reiterated the importance of supporting students, saying, “In offering scholarships, we hope to give students who might not otherwise have the chance to explore their creative endeavors, and therefore creates a more diverse environment in the classroom and, hopefully, in the industry.”
With this in mind, all proceeds from the sales of this limited edition, round 10th Anniversary pin** will be applied toward the museum’s scholarship fund. For regular classes that occur year-round, a scholarship can range from around $325–450, whereas scholarships for summer classes cover a full cost that ranges anywhere from $700–900. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone feels that they can take one of our classes, whether or not the financially set up to do so,” Lacina said. “Limiting education because of cost and price is simply limiting education, period.” Join us in supporting a new generation of artists by purchasing a pin today!
*The Walt Disney Family Museum equally considers all students for scholarship awards without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or family structure.
**Applies only to round 10th Anniversary pin; the square pin is NOT included in this scholarship fundraising effort.