Animation Comes to Belmont
The next Walt Disney could be a future Belmont Bruin.
Belmont announced a new Animation and Media Arts B.F.A. which allows students, for the first time, to express their artistry through animation on Belmont’s campus.
This is a collaboration between the Watkins College of Art and the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business that is part of an initiative across campus to encourage collaboration across colleges and offer more opportunities for students.
“This transcends our two colleges,” Interim Dean of Curb College David Schreiber said. “Once we start really building out this program, they're going to prepare students to lean into developing animation in a lot of different areas.”
Different art and media classes for this B.F.A. will be available in the new CORD Powerhouse.
Also, Nashville is already a hub for animation, making this B.F.A. needed at Belmont.
“There's about seven studios already in Nashville that are doing animation work,” Mike Meredith, program director for animation and media arts, said. “That's why it's really important for Belmont, so that students can get out and get those jobs.”
Meredith worked in animation for multiple decades before coming to Belmont and has worked very close to campus for the last few years.
“I have spent the past five years being the chair for animation at Lipscomb down the street, but I was really excited to come over here for this,” Meredith said.
And, animation technology is used for more than just childhood cartoons and Disney movies.
“We're going to teach you animation, but the technology that you're using is applicable to so many different fields,” Dean of Watkins College of Art James Pierce said.
Future opportunities for this B.F.A. are not limited only to students in Curb and Watkins.
“Hopefully soon, we'll get to the point where the theater students will be doing the voice acting, and helping with the animation,” Meredith said. “The Curb music will be providing soundtrack and possibly editing and as we move even further, we'll start doing simulations for other departments.”
Both colleges have worked together for years in order to make this B.F.A. possible, but there are inherent differences between the colleges that have provided some challenges.
“One of the challenges is both colleges have different structures… So it's just navigating those differences,” Pierce said.
Despite these challenges, this collaboration was and continues to be successful, with students being able to apply to this B.F.A. now.
“This is a new endeavor for both of us,” Pierce said. “It's been a good partnership so far, and I expect it would continue to be.”
Written by Ava Burns
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