Profile

Christopher Magee is an independent animator who has taught at UArts since 2002. He possesses a BA in Music from Reed College (1990), a BFA in Visual Design/Animation from the University of Oregon (1999), and an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts (2001). Before coming to UArts, he worked as a freelance animator and taught animation at the University of Oregon.

Artist Statement
So far, Christopher has spent his life teaching, making animated films, traveling and studying music. Coming from a multicultural, multi-ethnic background and having grown up in Hawaii and lived abroad in Europe, he counts intercultural education among his key passions, and since 2005 has co-directed an international animation workshop in France. He taught animation in Poitiers, France, during a 2009 sabbatical as part of the University's first full-time faculty exchange, and thus prompted the creation of a bilateral agreement between UArts and the École Européene Supérieure de l'Image (EESI). He actively encourages students to seek study abroad opportunities, believing that this is an integral part of a 21st century education, and also organizes the animation program's annual trips to Annecy, France, and Ottawa, Canada, home to the world's two most prestigious animation festivals.

Working principally in drawn animation, in his personal work Christopher prefers the poetry of the short form, with its opportunities for metaphor and allegory. Recurring themes include ruminations on melancholy, cruelty, humor and the simple fascination with movement. His works strive to combine lyricism with personal vision, and he firmly believes in the role of art as a most necessary unnecessary thing, a mirror for human experience.

Screenings & Awards
"A Walk in the Woods": The Black Maria Film + Video Festival, 2011.

"Cell Phone": Delaware College of Art & Design's "Still Moving" exhibition of independent animators, 2009.

"The Birdcage King": Hiroshima International Animation Festival 2004, Hiroshima, Japan; Golden Horse Film Festival 2004, Taipei, Taiwan; Philadelphia Film Festival 2004, Philadelphia, Pa.; ASIFA East Festival 2004 (honorable mention), New York, N.Y.; Anima Mundi 2003, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Anima Festival 2003, Cordoba, Argentina; Cineme 2003, Chicago, Ill.; Durango Film Festival 2003, Durango, Colo.; ASIFA Northwest Fest 2002, Eugene, Ore.; Moving Art Festival 2002, Los Osos, Calif.

Vimeo Links

• "The Birdcage King"
• "Cell Phone"
• Demo Reel
• General (search by Christopher Magee)