Amy Kravitz

Who is Amy Kravitz?

Amy Kravitz is an independent filmmaker and teacher specializing in abstract animation. She is currently a Professor in the Film Department at the Rhode Island School of Design.

As a young girl, Amy Kravitz began making and teaching animation in Yvonne Anderson's famed Yellow Ball Workshop. Amy went on to obtain a B.A. in Social Anthropology from Harvard University, and received an MFA in Experimental Animation from the California Institute of the Arts. During her studies at CalArts, she was mentored under Sky David and Jules Engel. She taught Animation at Harvard and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, before becoming a professor in the Film Department of the Rhode Island School of Design where she has taught Experimental Animation since the 1980s, and from time-to-time has served as the department chair.

Her film work includes River Lethe, The Trap, and Roost. She states that her approach to filmmaking is "direct and visceral." Her films have been screened worldwide and have received numerous prizes and awards.

Amy's out-of-the-ordinary work as a teacher has been highly praised by her students and others in her field. Her long classes involve week-to-week problems and questions that students explore as a means to reveal and understand their perception of the world, instead of merely imparting a collection of animation techniques. Her students develop highly personalized relationships to the medium that bring out their own individual talents and points of view. Many of Kravitz's students have gone on to successful careers in traditional animation, computer animation, and interactive art.