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Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Volume 162 No. 42 SERVING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
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Women find community in animation By Nikita Bankar STAFF WRITER
The San José State University’s Women in Animation club is hoping to create a community where individuals can create digital pieces and confide in one another in a safe space. The organization brings together the global animation community to empower and advocate for people of underrepresented gender identities in the art, technology, production and business of animation, according to its website. Collaborative events like picnics, bake sales, canvas painting and socials serve as a way for the organization to support advocacy and facilitate professional development, according to the same site. Annika Magbanua, animation senior and club president, said she wanted to amplify the core values of the Women in Animation and influence the SJSU campus community. She said most of the people who join the club are not all animation and illustration majors, and that anyone can join. “I really tried to place an emphasis on community building and taking care of committee members,” Magbanua said. “I think the basis of professional success is making sure you’re looking after yourself as people, and then artists and then as
PHOTO COURTESY OF SJSU WOMEN IN ANIMATION
Members from Women in Animation club at SJSU pose for a picture during the Tiny Paint and Sip event on Tower Lawn in August of 2023.
professionals.” She said she went to community college and had an interest in animation in high school despite its lack of resources for the subject. “I then found myself at San José State, in the a n i m at i on / i l lu s t r at i on program,” Magbanua said. “Women in Animation was a club that was always around, holding events and encouraging community outreach.” Some specific events the club held included “Pins & Picnic” where students could make personalized pins and enjoy snacks, as well as “Tiny Paint & Sip,” where
students could make mini paintings, according to the WIA Instagram. Francesca Noguera, animation and illustration junior and club vice president, said she enjoyed participating in the club’s art supply donation, where they gave away supplies that they did not need anymore. “It was cool because other organizations and students were finding out what Women in Animation stood for and seemed interested in our purpose,” Noguera said. Noguera said she always knew she wanted to do something related to art and creativity.
She said she found out about the program at San José State, and liked that it had a combination of both illustration and animation. “Being in the program, I’ve really fallen in love with animation,” Noguera said. “Besides the art aspect, I just love the club members the most.” Sofia Fonzi, animation and illustration junior and club graphic designer, who uses they/them pronouns, said they initially heard about the Women in Animat ion Global Community because of an informational interview with a story artist and director at Pixar.
“It was super inspiring for me, and she told me about Women in Animation, which I hadn’t heard of before,” they said. “I joined the global organization and then found out there was a student collective on our campus.” Only 17% of the 120 top-grossing animated films from 2007 to 2018 had a female lead or co-lead, according to a June 10, 2019 Variety article. However, today women hold 34% of creative roles according to the Animation Guild – more than a 50% increase since 2015, according to the
Women in Animation website. Fonzi said they love how much the club highlights all of the different gender identities, as they themselves are nonbinary. “You have a space to share your voice that you usually might not be able to, especially in an industry that’s so maledominated,” Fonzi said. “I have really been able to make connections that would be daunting if I didn’t have such a strong community.” Follow Nikita on Instagram @nikitabankar
CAMPUS VOICES
Joshua Umama
Hassina Nejat
Siwen Wu Accounting junior
Global operations management senior
“In some fields, you care more about the quality and so in that case, you would pick whoever is most suited to that role based on the quality of their job, not based on anything else. However, I guess you would think that there's other other fields where people have had less opportunities, and that's why they get incentivized to hire maybe minorities or, or women and I think those opportunities are also important because they've been underrepresented in the past.”
“The world is made up of people who are different, and I don't think that's a coincidence. I think that's just the way that the world is, but so long as we both have the same opportunities and we both have the same chance to do something then I think there's no problem at all.”
“It doesn't really matter about the agenda because we share the same abilities and capabilities for any areas. Also (it’s been) scientifically proved that. . . the IQ for both genders are basically the same.”
“When it comes to salary, I know that a lot of men tend to have more salary than women. I don't think that's okay at all. I think it should be equal – equal or not more – I think women can also provide and have a bigger salary than men.”
Music junior
International business
April Yakab
AALIYAH ROMAN & ALEXIA FREDERICKSON | SPARTAN DAILY