Graham Toms
Guest Curator: Raquel Beechner

Exhibition and Performance
Thursday July 2, 2009
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Artworks on display until July 28, 2009

Come and watch the drama unfold as Graham Toms, an Irish artist living in Texas, gives life to Don Quixote. Using black ink and Japanese sumi-e style brushes Toms will visually animate the story of Don Quixote before a live audience at the Jump-Start Theatre while Raquel Beechner, a San Antonio bilingual performing artist, narrates an abridged version of the tale.

Graham Toms family roots originate in County Down, Ireland. His first introduction to art came from an uncle who pursued painting as a hobby and encouraged Toms to paint. As part of his formal studies Toms attended the University of Ulster in Belfast, where he obtained his bachelor of arts majoring in illustration and animation. After graduating and working as an animator and illustrator for a time in Ireland, he accepted a position at the Disney Institute in Orlando, Fla. in 1995. Moving to the United States with his wife Helen, he taught animation at the Institute for five years and assisted with development of curriculum for their animation classes.