How to: Spend a Morning at the MAC in Spokane

Looking for something to do in Spokane? I 10/10 recommend checking out the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture. With rotating exhibits, there’s always something new to explore.  Plus, the MAC sits in the quaint and quirky Browns Edition Neighborhood, which is a treat to visit itself. The current exhibit is the DreamWorks Animation: Journey from Sketch to Screen…and it is nothing short of incredible. The concept behind this exhibit does exactly what it says, takes you from sketch to screen showing the entire creative journey that has produced some of the best-animated films.

The first section, Character, showcases the process from original concept drawings to fully developed character personalities. The second section, Story, takes you through the process that begins with original inspiration and ends in a final storyline. The final section, World, introduces how detailed the magical environments created are and how characters are incorporated into these worlds.

CHARACTER

The first part of the exhibit you step down into is all about characters and how each iconic movie became from an idea. The first movie I took a closer look at was Shrek which is FULL of so many iconic characters. Interestingly, they were actually worried that because Donkey’s head is so much bigger than his body, his character wouldn’t be believable, and had to pay much more attention to the details like keeping his eyes watery to make him seem real.

Then I headed over to the Trolls section where color, texture, and (of course) hair were all important. Little did I know that they were formed from the very first troll doll that was hand-carved by Thomas Dam in the late 1950s. Below you can see the paper Trolls and how they were textured.

This exhibit showcased all sorts of clay versions of characters from different movies. I was blown away by the incredible attention to detail. These clay characters were exactly what the animation was based on. They show the sketches from Madagascar of Marty’s hoof detail and also paintings of the penguins to distinguish the correct color changes of their beaks when they talk.

STORY

From the Character room, you enter the Story section of the exhibit which is all about how the DreamWorks Animation team brainstorms. Creators collaborate for a long time, pitching ideas, scenes, plot points, and developing dialogue together. They had a mockup of what the brainstorming table looks like, equipped with coffee cups, crumpled papers, and all.

One of my favorite parts in the story room was the wall of 4x6 cards that were filled with sketches from movie scenes. In the middle of this was projected a scene pitch where you can watch what the process looks like once a scene has been formed. Spoiler Alert: they pitch the crash-landing scene from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa…one of my favorites.

WORLD

Then you arrive at the final part of the exhibit, World, where the creativity and detail are truly endless. DreamWorks Animation has transported audiences to ancient Egypt, the fairy-tale kingdom of Far Far Away, modern-day Madagascar, mysterious China, a mythological land of Vikings and Dragons, a prehistoric planet, and far beyond throughout the past two decades.

Each of these worlds has its own particular look, feel, style, and sensibility, but they all feel utterly real and believable. The artists' visions may be influenced by art and life, but their worlds are ultimately distinct. As viewers, we are continuously taken into new, uncharted territory, where we are exposed to a variety of emotions which is pretty crazy when you think about it.

For the Madagascar series, in particular, creators traveled all around the world to create the animated version in the most accurate depiction possible. Luckily, technology has improved so much that things like a volcano erupting can be completely believable while animated.

MAC CAFÉ

The MAC Café is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday and provides Rocket Bakery pastries, bagels, sandwiches, and cookies, as well as Doma Coffee Company coffee drinks. They also have a variety of bottled drinks, chips, and snacks available.

I opted to try a Doma latte which was the perfect mid-morning pick-me-up. This is seriously one of my favorite coffee to find and I was more than happy to indulge. I also had an everything bagel and tulip sugar cookie that was perfection…(I’d drop by just for the café if I were in the neighborhood). Not to mention, the windows were huge with a great view.

INFORMATION

Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

2316 West First Avenue, Spokane, Washington 99201

The DreamWorks Animation: Journey from Sketch to Screen:

March 27-Sept. 1, 2022

Museum Admissions:

Adults (18+): $20

Seniors (65+) and College Students w/ID: $18

Children/youth (6-17): $15

Members and Children 5 and under: FREE

Exhibit and Store Hours

Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm

Third Thursday 10am-8pm

For more details visit their website: Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture