First Friday announces first major partnership of 2013
with The Chuck Jones Experience
While arts programs continue to be at-risk of being cut, community event brings free art lessons to kids of all ages
In the first portion of a major partnership between First Friday Las Vegas, the popular downtown arts festival, and The Chuck Jones Experience, the First Friday team proudly announces the official KidZone presented by The Chuck Jones Experience. Each month, the area located on Casino Center and Colorado Avenue, will be a place for kids of all ages to experience new activities and participate in free art classes and workshops throughout the year put on by amazing animators including: Mike Peraza, the Art Director of Disney’s The Little Mermaid; Stephen Reis, Assistant Director of The Simpsons; and James Coleman, a 22-year animator with Disney, whose work includes Academy Award-winning Beauty and the Beast.
“When we saw what the team at First Friday was doing each month, we knew we wanted to be a part of it. The Chuck Jones Experience is about the adventure of animation, exploring one’s creativity and keeping this art form alive and growing for years to come – First Friday is a perfect outlet for future artists,” said Managing Director of The Chuck Jones Experience Neil Cantor.
Celebrating the work of animator Chuck Jones, the experience celebrates the prolific animator who created beloved characters like Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, Daffy Duck and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, and now the same wonder of his cartoon world will be seen at First Friday throughout the KidZone and in future marketing aspects. The partnership will continue to grow throughout 2013 and will eventually hit the streets of Las Vegas to bring the art world into the community throughout the month, not just during First Friday official events.
“In a time when art education is suffering in schools, First Friday is beyond excited to provide free lessons to the kids of our community and hopefully jumpstart an appreciate for art early in their lives,” said First Friday Las Vegas Managing Partner Joey Vanas. “The work these animators are responsible for creating is unparalleled and the lucky kids learning from them are truly receiving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they are, unfortunately, threatened to be missing in schools. First Friday is proud to fill the void for our kids.”
For more information on First Friday Las Vegas, please check the website www.firstfridaylasvegas.com, on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/firstfridaylasvegas or on Twitter @firstfridaylv.
ABOUT FIRST FRIDAY LAS VEGAS
First Friday Las Vegas has been a mainstay of arts and culture in downtown Las Vegas for more than a decade. In 2011, the festival welcomed a new ownership group, First Friday Las Vegas, LLC, comprised of Zappos.com executives Tony Hsieh, Fred Mossler and Steve Hill, as well as downtown developer Andrew Donner and executive producer Joey Vanas. The outdoor event which averages 20,000 patrons each month, features several areas throughout Downtown Las Vegas such as KidZone presented by The Chuck Jones Experience, The Hub and Down 3RD that showcase artists and vendors of all calibers and genres. Stages throughout the festival feature live music and entertainment, food vendors and food trucks offer a plethora of choices in cuisine, and monthly themes and special additions such as art and yoga classes round out the unique monthly event. Truly unique to the community, First Friday Las Vegas is one of the largest First Friday festivals in the U.S.
ABOUT THE CHUCK JONES EXPERIENCE
The Chuck Jones Experience is a destination unlike any other attraction on the Strip or in the world. Whether a seasoned animator reflecting on the history of the craft, a bright-eyed child discovering Chuck’s work for the first time or a parent yearning to voyage into the past, The Chuck Jones Experience—much like the man it proudly celebrates—is prepared to satisfy all of its audiences with a subversive wit all its own. The Chuck Jones Experience guides visitors through an interactive landscape that features life-size replicas of A-List talent—including those lovable stars Bugs Bunny, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, The White Seal and Daffy Duck. More than a museum, a classroom or a walking tour, The Chuck Jones Experience is a place to play, dream and explore. It is the celebration of a major force in film and television storytelling—a man unafraid to dismantle the status quo, to spread boundless joy and humor, to inspire children and to spin unforgettable examinations of the human (or rabbit) condition. The Chuck Jones Experience invites visitors to flex their creative muscles in a real foley (sound effects) station, perform voice-over work at the recording booth and even learn to “ink and paint” real animation cels. Whether only a stick-figure specialist or the skills to rival Chuck Jones himself, The Chuck Jones Experience imposes no limits on the imagination or ability to create. For more information, please visit www.chuckjonesexperience.com.
