CalArts Looks East

Artwork by Phil Rynda (left) and Fran Krause

Two people doesn’t exactly qualify as a trend, but it’s worth acknowledging that CalArts’s character animation program hired two new teachers this fall who are East Coast-educated. Phil Rynda, the lead character designer of Adventure Time, announced last week on his Twitter that he’ll be teaching character design this fall. Though Phil has worked in LA for most of his career, he is a 2003 graduate of School of Visual Arts. Also joining the faculty is Fran Krause, a 1999 graduate of Rhode Island School of Design. Fran has been a fixture on the East Coast scene for the past decade, and combines a DIY filmmaking style backed with solid industry experience (including Superjail! and two pilots for Cartoon Network). He’ll be teaching intro to digital animation and film workshop classes. Both are unique artists who will surely contribute to the program.