Family Day: Animating the Everyday

In collaboration with UChicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) and with guidance from local animator Lisa Barcy, families will explore the history of technology and animation as they construct their own zoetrope. Step into the galleries to view contemporary works featured in the Smart’s current exhibitions, then step back in time by viewing ancient invention replicas provided by ISAC. Drawing from these themes, Lisa will provide hands-on animation demonstrations and guide families in constructing a zoetrope, one of the earliest pre-film animation devices designed to create the illusion of motion. By comparing advanced technologies with ancient everyday devices, families will consider how people across time have used innovation to understand movement and the passage of time.