Fans of the legendary Disney artist Mary Blair will want to check out the all-day celebration honoring her work Wednesday at the Hilbert Museum of California Art, including a costume contest with prizes and an evening lecture on her works.
This event, which is free, is timed to precede the D23 Disney fanfest in nearby Anaheim starting Friday, Aug. 9, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over.
Visitors who dress up like a character from one of the films or attractions that Blair helped design will be eligible to win Disney gift cards or art books.
Detail from a plein air painting of Disney artist Mary Blair, as painted by her husband, Lee Blair, also a Disney artist. In the collection of the Hilbert Museum. (Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mary Blair, Concept art for façade of “It’s a Small World,” c. 1962-63, gouache on board. (Photo Courtesy of the Hilbert Museum)
Concept art for the Walt Disney animated feature “Peter Pan,” c. 1952, gouache on board. (Courtesy of the Hilbert Museum)
Concept art for the Walt Disney animated feature “Cinderella,” c. 1949, gouache on board. (Courtesy of the Hilbert Museum)
Mark Hilbert, founder of the Hilbert Museum of California Scene Painting at Chapman University, stands next to a painting of Disney artist Mary Blair, painted by her husband, Lee Blair, also a Disney artist. (Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Concept art for the Walt Disney animated feature “Alice in Wonderland,” c. 1950, gouache on board. (Courtesy of the Hilbert Museum)
Rebecca Gacek, of Laguna Beach, checks out the Mary Blair exhibit at the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange. The museum is displaying the legendary Disney illustrator’s work that includes the exteriors for “It’s A Small World,” and stills for “Alice in Wonderland,” “Cinderella” and “Peter Pan.” (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Concept illustration for It’s a Small World from 1963 by Mary Blair at the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Homeschoolers from Adventure Club Homeschooling Co-op as check out the Mary Blair exhibit at the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Detail from a plein air painting of Disney artist Mary Blair, as painted by her husband, Lee Blair, also a Disney artist. In the collection of the Hilbert Museum. (Photo by Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Blair helped design films and attractions such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Peter Pan,” “Cinderella,” “Lady and the Tramp” and “It’s a Small World.”
The Hilbert Museum is located in Old Towne Orange, a few miles from Anaheim, adjacent to Chapman University. It is currently hosting an exhibit, “Mary Blair’s Wonderland: Imagining Disney’s Alice,” which continues through Sept. 7.
Museum Director Mary Platt, who curated the exhibit, will give a 40-minute talk on “The Magic and Flair of Mary Blair,” at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the museum’s Cinematic Arts Galleries in the North Wing.
“She was the first female artist to break into the all-men’s club at Disney — and her bold, groundbreaking use of color continues to inspire scores of designers and artists today,” Platt said in a prepared statement.
The museum is always free to visit but reservations are strongly recommended at hilbertmuseum.org
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