MINDY JOHNSON

Doors open at 5:00 pm | Talk begins at 5:30 pm

Mindy Johnson is an award-winning author, musician, filmmaker, educator, and animation historian with expertise on women in early animation. Her groundbreaking book Ink & Paint –The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation, (Disney Editions) redefines our collective history. Recipient of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - AMPAS/Oscars.org Film Scholar Award and the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Educators Forum Grant, Johnson’s research continues into the earliest women of animation with several forthcoming books and film projects. Most notably, she recently unearthed the oldest surviving hand-drawn animated and directed films by a woman, Bessie Mae Kelley. Her critically acclaimed debut Tinker Bell – An Evolution (Disney Editions) was honored with rare consecutive Family Choice Awards. She is a contributing writer for the epic volume The Walt Disney Film Archives –The Animated Movies 1921-1968, (Taschen) as well as the celebrated collection Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s Renaissance Man, (Disney Editions).

Johnson’s creative work extends to a wide range of film projects including associate producing the award-winning documentary Pencils vs. Pixels (2023). In addition to a background in network television and film production, Johnson is an award-winning playwright, songwriter, musician, and contributing artist on several internationally acclaimed recordings. 

When she isn’t speaking, researching, or writing on a myriad of subjects, Johnson also teaches film/animation studies, women’s animation history, and screenwriting and intercultural film at CalArts, UCLA, and Drexel University.

Mindy Johnson's Artist Talk is part of the 2024/2025 VASD Program Series. Go here to learn more about this year's artists and events.

Host or Publisher The VASD Program at RMCAD