The nonprofit fine arts education organization Ryman Arts was founded nearly twenty years ago by famed Imagineer and Disney Legend Marty Sklar and his wife Leah (among other Disney-adjacent luminaries) in honor of legendary artist Herb Ryman, one of the key figures in the design of Disneyland and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The foundation provides free art classes with master instructors to a diverse group of Los Angeles-area high school students, and beginning last year (after the 2017 passing of Marty Sklar), it also bestows the Sklar Creative Visionary Award to individuals “whose distinctive contribution to the creative community and whose leadership in the art world [have] made a significant impact.”
Last fall, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the inaugural Marty and Leah Sklar Creative Visionary Award ceremony for its first recipient, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. And over this past weekend, I was given the wonderful opportunity to be present for the second award ceremony– this time in honor of renowned animator, filmmaker, and co-founder of the prolific, highly acclaimed Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli: Hayao Miyazaki.
Hosted at Hollywood’s NeueHouse creative coworking space, the Ryman Arts event began with a VIP reception and “The Miyazaki Effect” panel discussion of Hayao Miyazaki’s legacy by animation historian Charles Solomon, animator and filmmaker Jorge R. Gutierrez (The Book of Life), Academy Museum of Motion Pictures assistant curator J. Raul Guzman, and Disney writer/director Don Hall (Big Hero 6). Together the group discussed their favorite entries in the Studio Ghibli filmography, how they were each influenced by Miyazaki’s work, and the tremendous impact of that work on world culture.
Following the panel, guests were welcomed into a lobby area showcasing Ryman Arts students’ work inspired by Miyazaki, plus actual Studio Ghibli concept and production art, a My Neighbor Totoro bench photo op, and a display of items that would go up for auction later on in the evening, including a Tororo animation cel autographed by Hayao Miyazaki himself. This piece would eventually sell for the top bid of $8,000 as the final item on the block that night.
Other items auctioned off included a VIP trip to Walt Disney World, a guided tour of Walt Disney Imagineering, a visit to Cape Canaveral in Florida to watch a SpaceX launch and have lunch with an astronaut, and even tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway. Then it was time for the actual award ceremony. We were first shown a video of Ryman Arts students visiting Studio Ghibli’s headquarters in Japan and meeting “Miyazaki-san” (who unfortunately could not make it across the Pacific to accept the award in person) and then a representative from Ghibli accepted the award on his behalf. Hayao Miyazaki appeared via a brief video clip to thank Ryman Arts for the recognition, and the evening came to an end. Naturally, all proceeds from admission fees and auction winnings went to support Ryman Arts.
To learn more about Ryman Arts and its achievements in helping young people pursue their goals in creative fields, be sure to visit the foundation’s official website. Hayao Miyazaki is currently at work on his next animated feature film How Do You Live? after recently coming out of retirement. Laughing Place is a proud sponsor of Ryman Arts.
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