Disney films have historically been built of images of women - those iconic, if deeply problematic Disney Princesses. Yet the animation world has historically been overwhelmingly male dominated, and when women have fought their way into this space their work has often been uncredited and their careers short.

Mary Blair (1911 - 1978) was a remarkable exception to this rule, an artist, illustrator and designer who played a key role in shaping some of Disney’s most iconic images. Through her work as a concept artist and art director on classics such as Dumbo, Cinderella, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland, Blair pushed the boundaries of the genre. Blair’s influence pulses through contemporary animated film and although you might not know, you’ve almost definitely encountered Blair’s work already. Her distinctive style and unique use of colour helped elevate animation to the status of art, laying the groundwork for our current Golden Era of the form.

In this richly illustrated lecture, archive activists Invisible Women will present the story of Blair’s life and career, contextualising her work within the history of US animation and Disney Studios. We will dive into the many influences that fed into Blair’s creative practice, discussing how surrealism, classical ballet, contemporary fashion design and gothic architecture fed into her spellbinding imagery. We will also explore how a fateful government funded propaganda trip to South America had a lasting impact on her artwork, and how her personal demons - including struggles with relationships, mental health and addiction - brought an edge of darkness and melancholy to her fairytale worlds.

Most of all thought we will showcase and celebrate Blair’s magical artwork, offering an inspiring primer to a legendary artist. Prepare to be enchanted!

ABOUT OUR LECTURER
Invisible Women is an archive activist film collective which champions the work of women and filmmakers with marginalised identities from the history of cinema through screenings, events and editorial.

Since their first event in 2017, the collective have screened film programmes sourced from collections around the world at cinemas, festivals and galleries across the UK and Europe. They have presented events and screenings with partners including Edinburgh Art Festival, Flatpack Birmingham, A Kind of Seeing, CinemaAttic, Cinema Rediscovered, London Short Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, HOME Manchester, EYE Filmmuseum Amsterdam, Balkan Can Kino Athens, Sheffield DocFest, Edinburgh International Film Festival, Feminist Elsewhere’s Berlin and BFI Southbank.

In 2021, Invisible Women were invited to be part of Berlinale Talents. In 2022, they presented two shorts programmes, Touched and After Hours, co-curated with T A P E Collective which toured venues across the UK. They are also regular guest curators at Glasgow Film Theatre shaping their ongoing Cinemasters strand.

Alongside screenings, the collective research and write extensively about film history, appear regularly in Q&As, panels and podcasts, deliver workshops and send out a monthly newsletter. They also serve as archive consultants for film projects and are currently developing short film projects as co-producers.

The current members of Invisible Women are Camilla Baier, Lauren Clarke and Rachel Pronger.

Instagram: @invisiblewomen_archives
X: @IW_Archives

This is a recording of a live session hosted by The Feminist Lecture Program in April 2024. The reading list for the class can be found alongside this rental.

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Check out The Feminist Lecture Program's term of live classes on our Outsavvy Page: https://www.outsavvy.com/organiser/the-feminist-lecture-program

Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @thefeministlectureprogram to stay up to date with our archive, live classes and more. If you have any questions, you can DM us on Instagram, or drop us an email at [email protected].

Happy watching!
FLP x