“Na-na-na Gonna Have a Good Time!” at the ToonSeum After-Crawl Party!

The ToonSeum is about to get funky! Join us from 8-10:30 p.m. Jan. 27 as we celebrate the opening of the ToonSeum's newest exhibition, “Funky Turns 40: The Black Character Revolution.”

Fat Albert, the Jackson Five, the Harlem Globetrotters and all your favorite '70s animated characters will be on display in the ToonSeum's Lou Scheimer Gallery.

As the Gallery Crawl comes to an end in the Cultural District, the party at the ToonSeum will be just beginning with DJ Orlando BusCrates Marshall spinning classic funk!

We also will be screening classic '70s cartoons in the main gallery.

Wear your '70s best (or worst).

Beer, wine and other refreshments will be served.

Attendees must be 21.

Admission is $10 for nonmembers and $5 for ToonSeum members.

Tickets are available at www.funky40.eventbrite.com

About the exhibit:

The ToonSeum and the Museum of Uncut Funk present Funky Turns Forty, an exhibit celebrating the legacy of the first wave of positive Black animated characters of the 1970s.

Until the Civil Rights movement of the late 1950s and 60s, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens. While prevalent in music and popular culture, Blacks still faced extreme political, economic, and social prejudices. In comics and animation, Blacks were largely ignored or were depicted in broad, derogatory stereotypes. But as laws and attitudes began to shift, the Saturday morning cartoons of the 1970s became a direct conduit of social change, introducing a host of new Black characters. For the first time, audiences were exposed to positive, relatable images of Black life through animated series like Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, The Jackson 5ive, Josie and the Pussycats, I Am The Greatest, The Harlem Globetrotters and Star Trek: The Animated Series.
 
Funky Turns Forty presents a retrospective of original production cels and drawings from this turning point in cartoon history where Black and White animators created positive Black characters and Black-centric stories for all to enjoy.
 
The exhibition includes a focus on the art of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Fat Albert was animated by Filmation and produced by Pittsburgh native and gallery namesake Lou Scheimer.
 
“The ToonSeum is proud to showcase this important period in animation history,” said ToonSeum Executive Director Joe Wos. “This is a unique opportunity to highlight the role that animation has played in promoting diversity, equality, and pathos.”
 
Funky Turns 40 is co-curated by Pamela Thomas of the Museum of Uncut Funk. The exhibition runs through March 10th.