Getting Animated: Denver Digerati and PlatteForum’s ArtLab Teen Interns

ArtLab’s final animation projects are currently viewable on the giant screen at 16th & Arapahoe Street in downtown Denver.

In response to many requests for more digital art skills from PlatteForum’s ArtLab high school Interns, we recently partnered with local non-profit Denver Digerati, an organization specializing in the exhibition and education of digital motion art and animation, to co-create a six week curriculum so ArtLab interns could learn the the fundamentals of animation.

Artist and educator Sharifa Moore, Deputy Director of Denver Digerati, partnered with artist Leilani Abeyta to create the series curriculum and co-lead the workshops. Leilani is a graduate of ArtLab and former student of the Maryland Institute of Contemporary Art. Together they led interns through six sessions created to introduce the many facets of animation processes and software. Interns learned how to use Adobe Photoshop and After Effects, as well as hand drawn and photographed stop-motion animation techniques.

Animation still by ArtLab intern Emmanuel

Digital Access

The workshop series took place entirely online due to Covid-19, a feat which was made possible by PlatteForum Board Member and past Resident Artist, Autumn T. Thomas and her employer the Gates Corporation. Thanks to their generous gift of 10 more Surface Pro computers for PlatteForum, all 18 of our ArtLab interns had access to a touch screen laptop. Interns were able to keep the computers for the duration of the workshop series so they could continue experimenting and honing their new skills at home.

More than Art

Along with teaching animation skills, the workshop series was also focused on self-advocacy and creativity. Interns were learning how to trouble-shoot advanced online design programs, how to advocate for themselves and for what they wanted to learn, and how to think creatively with new media. Sharifa and Leilani ensured that students could experiment at any level they found comfortable. Some interns got into the nitty gritty of Adobe After Effects, while others created hand drawn or photographed images that were combined into stop-motion animation projects. Interns were encouraged to utilize as much or little technology as they wanted and this flexibility contributed to the success of the final projects, which are now on view in downtown Denver and on PlatteForum’s youtube channel.

Follow Denver Digerati on IG @denverdigerati to learn more about their work!