Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny are reuniting at the Louisiana Art and Science Museum.
Art After Hours: The Many Faces of Animation celebrates the fascinating history and exciting future of the beloved art form with an event on April 21. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and is being held in conjunction with two larger exhibits, “The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons” and “The Origins of Animation: A Hands-on Exhibit.”
The event covers all aspects of animation, from 1940s drawings to computer imaging and the technology of today. Ken Wesley, an instructor with the University’s Digital Media Arts and Engineering program, is a 20-year veteran in the animation and visual effects industry and is speaking at Art After Hours.
“Wesley will give a talk, which will pull everything together — the history of animation, the movie and computer gaming industry and also, what’s to come in the future,” Director of Interpretation for Art and Museum Curator Elizabeth Weinstein said.
Along with his experience at LSU, Wesley has also worked extensively as a technical director. He worked on films such as “The Hulk,” “Mission Impossible,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.”
Wine and appetizers will be included with museum admission.
“The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons” is currently on an international tour and will be on view at the museum until July 24. There are more than 100 original pieces on display, spanning 1930-1960. These art pieces show the step-by-step process that went into the making of the animations, Weinstein said.
“It’s a multi-generational exhibition,” Weinstein said. “For some people, it will be nostalgic. Most of us remember Saturday morning cartoons as a favorite pastime. We hope it will be really fun.”
The exhibition showcases “cel” animation, in which each frame of the scene is drawn and painted by hand on sheets of celluloid. A six minute cartoon required thousands of drawings and took up to one year to produce, according to a press release.
The exhibit details the extensive animation process and showcases the developing of characters, the finished product and promotional drawings, Weinstein said. The museum has cartoons playing on monitors and a theater was set up with over an hour of cartoon footage.
“The Origins of Animation: A Hands-on Exhibit” allows visitors to make their own animations. Cartoons, the magic lantern, the zoetrope and the thaumatrope are all on display and serve as devices used in the creation of movement. LASM commissioned 12 local artists to make flip books, which are also on display, Weinstein said.
“We’re an art and science museum so animation equates to creativity, optics and human ingenuity all rolled together,” Weinstein said. “When you think of today’s focus on computer technology, it becomes a really appropriate subject for us to make available.”
Throughout this process, Weinstein said she has learned the vast scope of the early film industry and the influence of these animators on society.
Admission into LASM is $9 for adults and $7.50 for students with ID. Students are only required to pay on their first visit, which will provide them with a complimentary one-year membership.

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Courtesy of  The Origins of Animation: A Hands-on Exhibit, LASM