The Walt Disney Family Museum (WDFM) presents an inspirational journey through the life of Walter Elias Disney. Their mission is two-fold: to inform present and future generations about the man and, through his story, to inspire them to heed their imagination and persevere in pursuing their goals.
This is the sixth year in a row that the WDFM have taken part in The Big Draw Festival as Sponsor Partners! We were thrilled to steal a few moments with Tracie Timmer to find out a little more about what's in store for their #BigGreenDraw...
Interview: Matilda Barratt in conversation with Tracie Timmer.
It’s great to have you guys on board The Big Draw bus for another year! A great deal has changed since last year’s Big Draw Festival… How has this year been for you and The Walt Disney Family Museum? Has it forced you to explore new approaches to your programming?
This year, while challenging, has pushed us to think outside the box when it comes to our programming, and has actually opened a lot of doors that we never would have known existed prior to the pandemic. Our virtual programming has now become an incredibly important part of keeping the museum accessible and relevant to our audience during our extended closure, with the added bonus of helping us grow our existing audience due to the versatility of the virtual platform. We now have people joining from all over the country and the world who never would have been able to access our programs when they were exclusively held on location in San Francisco. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to expand the diversity and range of both our programs and our audience.
Working backwards a little, could you tell our readers a bit about The Walt Disney Family Museum and its history?
We were established in October 2009 by Walt Disney’s daughter, Diane Disney Miller and her son, Walter Elias Disney Miller. Diane and Walter wanted to create a space that would be a legacy to Walt—where guests could learn about the young man from small-town Missouri, the caring father and grandfather they knew, and the legendary animation mogul. Diane referred to the museum as her “book,” and it houses the Disney family history and their personal heirlooms, a huge collection of archival material from the earliest days of The Walt Disney Studios, a scale model of Disneyland, and much more.
[Photo taken at WDFM events in 2018. Courtesy of The Walt Disney Family Museum]
We use the term ‘visual literacy’ a lot - regarding its relevance across a breadth of different professions as well as its vital role in day-to-day life. I’m interested to know what it means to you? Do you think Walt Disney himself might have had strong views on the concept of being ‘visually literate’?
I’m an artist and a very visual learner, so visual literacy has a big impact on how I relate to and perceive the world around me. I can’t speak for Walt, but I think storyboards are a great example of visual literacy being applied to the process of filmmaking. Storyboards are at the heart of every Disney animated movie and one of the earliest pieces of the film’s development, and storyboard artists have to make their ideas, gags, and plots clear through only the use of rough, simple visuals. Walt and his Studios pioneered the use of storyboards in their production process, and now it’s something that is used across not only animation but live-action films as well.
What role do you think that art institutions, galleries, museums, etc. will play in our post-lockdown world?
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is how important art is to our mental health. It’s difficult to imagine a lockdown with no films, no tv, no art projects, no music, no books. I think that in a post-lockdown world, people will be craving the immersiveness of art once again. Hopefully museums can become a safe space where people are able to enjoy learning about art and immersing themselves in it, and can use it to escape from some of the difficulties that the pandemic has brought.
[Photo taken at WDFM events in 2018. Courtesy of The Walt Disney Family Museum]
I’m very excited to hear more about this new museum app that WDFM has been working on…
The goal of this project was to create an app to improve the accessibility of our galleries, particularly for non-English speakers and guests with disabilities. We also wanted to create more interactive content for guests that they could access to make their visit easier, more efficient, and fun.
The biggest benefit and impact of our app thus far is that people are able to access much of our museum content from the comfort of their homes during our current closure. Given the circumstances, the app could not have been released at a better time. We added virtual experiences, including our virtual tour and virtual special exhibition—which were not part of the original plan, but have further enhanced how our museum can be accessed during our closure. Once we reopen, we plan to use the app to offer other improvements to minimize guests’ physical interaction with touch screens and headphones in our galleries, and offer a way for people who might be at a higher risk to still visit our galleries virtually. We also hope to implement additional features in the app as it matures, such as push notifications.
Our Festival theme this year explores humans' relationship with our living environments and ecosystems, encouraging drawing as a means of positive activism. What is your opinion on the role of art in communicating a message and bringing about change?
Art is one of the best possible ways to enact change in the world, through all kinds of mediums and outlets. Everyone appreciates art whether they realize it or not, and we are absorbing art constantly through billboards, print ads, window displays, etc—things we may not even consciously recognize as art. There is no better way to empower and educate the public than through art, and there are so many different avenues to do so.
Furthermore, how does this year’s theme ‘A Climate of Change’ resonate with The Walt Disney Family Museum? Why do you think it’s important?
Climate change affects us all, and we all must take part and work together in reversing it. As a business, it is more important than ever that we make strides in both operating sustainably and encouraging our patrons to do their part as well. The Big Draw is a fun, creative way to spread the word and get our audience involved in thinking about sustainability, both while creating art and operating in our daily lives.
[Photo taken at WDFM events in 2018. Courtesy of The Walt Disney Family Museum]
Having taken part in The Big Draw Festival previously, do you have any words of wisdom for someone considering getting involved?
My advice would be to have fun with the theme—there are really so many options and ways to incorporate the theme into whatever your business might be. This year in particular was a really great way to get our team thinking about sustainability and ways we can incorporate it outside of just this single event. Past year’s themes have always encouraged a wealth of creativity and fun activities, and they are a really wonderful way for institutions to connect with the public in new and interesting ways.
Finally, what do you have in the pipeline for this year’s #BigGreenDraw Festival?
This year we have a slate of fun and sustainable virtual events. We start the day with a lesson in drawing animals from a former Disney animator and wildlife artist, Aaron Blaise. Next we travel to South Africa to visit Panthera Africa, a sanctuary that is devoted to saving big cats from the harms of cub petting, canned hunting, and poaching. Attendees will get to watch lions, tigers, and cheetahs paint their own works of art. Then we’ll join Dr. Jane Goodall’s organization Roots & Shoots for a fun, educational workshop where attendees can build a Tree of Hope at home. We also have a fun storytime and workshop with author and illustrator Gianna Marino about her book We Will Live in This Forest Again, which details the dangers of wildfires and how we can prevent them. Then, join the Youth Art Exchange and instructor Haya Tawatao for a fun workshop teaching guests how to build their own marionette out of sustainable material that anyone can find at home. We will finish the day with a workshop with our own WDFM staff, where guests will learn about the environmental issues Walt was considering with building his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), and how to create your own sustainability-friendly theme park map.
Thank you Tracie!
If you were inspired by this interview with Tracie and would like to find out more about The Walt Disney Family Museum, head to their website here.
Registrations are now open for The Big Draw Festival 2020: A Climate of Change! Find out more about the benefits of becoming an organiser here and other ways to support The Big Draw's mission here.
