Art, B.F.A. Animation Concentration

animate (v.)

from anima “life, breath”

Animation is the art of crafting sequential images to create the illusion of movement. As animators, we have the power to breathe life into something as basic as a bouncing ball, or something as complex as a three-dimensional character.  

Here at UNCG, students can explore a wide variety of artistic avenues across the field of animation ranging from concept art, character design, and storyboarding, to traditional 2D hand-drawn work, to advanced 3D modeling and CGI animation.

A program of relevance, we recognize that from its inception, the medium of animation has been wrought with racist and painful depictions of people of color. In establishing our curriculum for the new animation concentration, we are committed to bringing these representations to light and examining the impact they have had in adding to the systemic oppression of BIPOC. We are dedicated to exposing these inequities and amplifying voices that have been traditionally silenced by the medium, to work towards a future for animation that is fully inclusive.   

Program Distinctions

Lead faculty, Dan Hale is the Visiting Assistant Professor of Animation. He received his B.A. in Media Studies from UNCG and his M.F.A in Digital Production Arts from Clemson University. Dan’s films have been screened in juried exhibitions from Athens, Greece to Oaxaca, Mexico, but he’s still most proud of his very first film showing in a Greensboro basement back in 1999.  

If you have questions, or are interested in learning more about the Animation program, please email Dan at dghale@uncg.edu.

The Student Experience

Animation students have the opportunity to explore a wide variety of artistic avenues ranging from concept art, character design, and storyboarding, to traditional 2D hand-drawn work, to advanced CGI 3D modeling and animation. Our final capstone will be a year-long collaborative effort to traverse the full pipeline from idea inception through final stages of compositing to create a production-quality animated short film.

After Graduation

Graduates enter into the field of animation, concept art, motion graphics, communications, and media art.