Disney News and Interviews From The Mouse Castle: The Walt Disney Family Museum, Paula Sigman Lowery and BEER in This Week's 'Mouse Castle Lounge'

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Walt Disney Family Museum, Paula Sigman Lowery and BEER in This Week's 'Mouse Castle Lounge'

I'm phoning it in on The Mouse Castle Lounge. Well, two of my guests are anyway. This week, I'm happy to welcome back Gabriella Calicchio, CEO of the Walt Disney Family Museum. Last November, I was at her place for the opening of the Museum's Snow White exhibit. This time, Gabriella calls up the Lounge and brings me up to speed on what new exhibitions are in store at WDFM in 2013. The diverse nature of these exhibitions is proof positive of why the Walt Disney Family Museum is beginning to thrive not just as a tribute to the legacy of Walt Disney, but also as a showcase for gifted artists, past and present, who were influenced by his life's work.

Camille Rose Garcia: Down the Rabbit Hole
May 9 to November 3, 2013

Camille Rose Garcia challenges fairy tale archetypes with her vivid gothic reinterpretations of classic characters ranging from Snow White to Alice in Wonderland.

Maurice Sendak: 50 Years, 50 Works, 50 Reasons
Opening May 23, 2013

Maurice Sendak is best known for his seminal children's book Where the Wild Things Are, but had a long and prolific career as a writer and illustrator. He often acknowledged Disney as an artistic influence, particularly Mickey Mouse and Fantasia.

Water to Paper, Paint to Sky: The Art of Tyrus Wong
Opening August 17, 2013

Tyrus Wong's association with Disney was brief but profound. He created the dreamy and evocative watercolor forest backgrounds for Bambi before moving to Warner Bros. where he spent over 30 years as a motion picture illustrator. Still active in the arts at age 102, Wong is a master kite builder who flies his colorful and fanciful creations regularly from the Santa Monica Pier.

Also in the Lounge, I have part two of my conversation with Disney historian Paula Sigman Lowery. We continue our discussion of the evolution of the Walt Disney Family Museum from its virtual origins to its real-life presence in San Francisco's Presidio. Paula tells a great story of how builders and designers told Museum consultant Bruce Gordon that his idea for a curving ramp in WDFM's Gallery 9 simply wasn't possible. Gordon gleefully proved them wrong.

You can't build a ramp in here! Oh, wait....Never mind.

Finally, I'll talk on the phone with Tina, who was attending baseball Spring Training in Arizona with the Angels when suddenly a beer festival broke out.