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'''Karen Aqua''' (1954-May 30, 2011) was a New England-based filmmaker and animator.
'''Karen Aqua''' (February 2, 1954-May 30, 2011) was an American filmmaker and animator.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Aqua was born in 1954 in [[Wilkes-Barre, PA]] and grew up in the nearby town of [[Forty Fort, Pennsylvania|Forty Fort]]. She graduated in 1972 from [[Wyoming Valley West Senior High School]] in [[Plymouth, Pennsylvania]]. She graduated from [[RISD]] in 1976 with a bachelor of fine arts degree.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marquard |first=Bryan |date=2003-08-17 |title=Karen Aqua, 57, film animation artist, teacher from Cambridge |url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/06/05/karen_aqua_57_film_animation_artist_teacher_from_cambridge/ |work=Boston.com |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
Aqua was born in 1954 in [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania]] and grew up in the nearby town of [[Forty Fort, Pennsylvania|Forty Fort]]. She graduated in 1972 from [[Wyoming Valley West Senior High School]] in [[Plymouth, Pennsylvania]]. She graduated from [[Rhode Island School of Design|RISD]] in 1976 with a bachelor of fine arts degree.<ref>{{cite news |last=Marquard |first=Bryan |date=2003-08-17 |title=Karen Aqua, 57, film animation artist, teacher from Cambridge |url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2011/06/05/karen_aqua_57_film_animation_artist_teacher_from_cambridge/ |work=Boston.com |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Over the course of her career, Aqua completed 12 animated films and one collaborative animation/live action video. Her films explore "the themes of ritual, journeys, transformation, and the human spirit. Much of her work reflects an interest in symbols, mythology, and prehistoric and tribal cultures, and include elements of rhythm, dance, and music."<ref>https://harvardfilmarchive.org/collections/karen-aqua-collection</ref>
Over the course of her career, Aqua completed 12 animated films and one collaborative animation/live action video. Her films explore "the themes of ritual, journeys, transformation, and the human spirit. Much of her work reflects an interest in symbols, mythology, and prehistoric and tribal cultures, and include elements of rhythm, dance, and music."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://harvardfilmarchive.org/collections/karen-aqua-collection|title = Karen Aqua Collection - Collection}}</ref>


She wrote the lyrics and melody for the majority of her animations. She frequently collaborated with her husband, [[Ken Field]], on the melody for some pieces, as well as chords and arrangements for the majority of them.<ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Loren |date=2011-09-25 |title=Focusing on one filmmaker’s legacy |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2011/09/23/focusing-one-filmmaker-legacy/uWQ0TBWVzH0CBtDI0FnnjN/story.html |work=Boston Globe |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mason |first=Amelia |date=2019-03-20 |title=In Ken Field's Tribute To Karen Aqua, A Creative Couple's Collaboration Lives On |url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2019/03/20/ken-field-karen-aqua-live-score |work=WBUR |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
She wrote the lyrics and melody for the majority of her animations. She frequently collaborated with her husband, [[Ken Field]], on the melody for some pieces, as well as chords and arrangements for the majority of them.<ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Loren |date=2011-09-25 |title=Focusing on one filmmaker's legacy |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2011/09/23/focusing-one-filmmaker-legacy/uWQ0TBWVzH0CBtDI0FnnjN/story.html |work=Boston Globe |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Mason |first=Amelia |date=2019-03-20 |title=In Ken Field's Tribute To Karen Aqua, A Creative Couple's Collaboration Lives On |url=https://www.wbur.org/artery/2019/03/20/ken-field-karen-aqua-live-score |work=WBUR |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>


In 1990, She began producing animated shorts for Sesame Street. In total, she produced, directed, and animated 22 segments for the show.
In 1990, she began producing animated shorts for ''[[Sesame Street]]''. In total, she produced, directed, and animated 22 segments for the show.{{cn|date=September 2021}}


Aqua taught workshops at [[Emerson College]] and [[Boston College]]. She received grants and commissions from such organizations as the [[American Film Institute]], [[The MacDowell Colony]], [[Millay Colony for the Arts]], [[Fundación Valparaíso (Spain)]], [[New England Film/Video Fellowship Program]], [[Berkshire Taconic Trust]], [[LEF Foundation]], [[Puffin Foundation]], and the [[Massachusetts Cultural Council]]. She has served as a juror for film festivals in Japan, Canada, and the US, and has presented numerous one-person screenings of her work.<ref>http://karenaqua.com/bio.html</ref>
Aqua taught workshops at [[Emerson College]] and [[Boston College]]. She received grants and commissions from such organizations as the [[American Film Institute]], [[The MacDowell Colony]], [[Millay Colony for the Arts]], [[Fundación Valparaíso (Spain)]], [[New England Film/Video Fellowship Program]], [[Berkshire Taconic Trust]], [[LEF Foundation]], [[Puffin Foundation]], and the [[Massachusetts Cultural Council]]. She has served as a juror for film festivals in Japan, Canada, and the US, and has presented numerous one-person screenings of her work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://karenaqua.com/bio.html|title = Karen Aqua &#124; Biography}}</ref>


Aqua died in May of 2011 of ovarian cancer after battling the illness for a decade.<ref>{{cite news |last=Garelick |first=Jon |date=2014-04-27 |title=Revolutionary Snake Ensemble digs deeper into tradition |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2014/02/27/revolutionary-snake-ensemble-digs-deeper-into-second-line-tradition-new-album/VxKjmfGOAdTCDngsICs2jJ/story.html |work=Boston Globe |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref> Upon her death, over 300 of her film and video works were donated to the [[Harvard Film Archive]].
Aqua died in May 2011 of [[ovarian cancer]], after battling the illness for a decade.<ref>{{cite news |last=Garelick |first=Jon |date=2014-04-27 |title=Revolutionary Snake Ensemble digs deeper into tradition |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2014/02/27/revolutionary-snake-ensemble-digs-deeper-into-second-line-tradition-new-album/VxKjmfGOAdTCDngsICs2jJ/story.html |work=Boston Globe |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref> Upon her death, over 300 of her film and video works were donated to the [[Harvard Film Archive]] in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
She married her husband Ken Field in 1984.
She married her husband [[Ken Field]] in 1984.


==Films==
==Films==
*''Penetralia'' (1976)
* ''[[Penetralia (film)|Penetralia]]'' (1976)
*''Heavenly Bodies'' (1980)
* ''[[Heavenly Bodies (1980 film)|Heavenly Bodies]]'' (1980)
*''Vis-á-Vis'' (1982)
* ''[[Vis-á-Vis]]'' (1982)
*''Yours for the Taking'' (1984)
* ''[[Yours for the Taking]]'' (1984)
*''Nine Lives'' (1987)<ref>{{cite news |last=James |first=Caryn |date=1988-10-26 |title=Review/Film; Taking an Animated Dip In Psychological Waters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/26/arts/review-film-taking-an-animated-dip-in-psychological-waters.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
* ''[[Nine Lives (1987 film)|Nine Lives]]'' (1987)<ref>{{cite news |last=James |first=Caryn |date=1988-10-26 |title=Review/Film; Taking an Animated Dip In Psychological Waters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/26/arts/review-film-taking-an-animated-dip-in-psychological-waters.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
*''Kakania'' (1989)<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=1989-10-04 |title=Film Festival; 'Yaaba' Explores Humans and Frailties |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/04/movies/film-festival-yaaba-explores-humans-and-frailties.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
* ''[[Kakania (film)|Kakania]]'' (1989; title sequence)<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=1989-10-04 |title=Film Festival; 'Yaaba' Explores Humans and Frailties |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/04/movies/film-festival-yaaba-explores-humans-and-frailties.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
*''Perpetual Motion'' (1992)
* ''[[Animals on Parade]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Perpetual Motion (1992 film)|Perpetual Motion]]'' (1992)
⚫
*''Ground Zero/Sacred Ground'' (1997)
* ''[[Dance to the Rhythm]]'' (1993)
⚫
*''Andaluz'' (2004)<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=2003-10-17 |title=FILM FESTIVAL REVIEWS; What Chance for Love Across the Divide? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/movies/film-festival-reviews-what-chance-for-love-across-the-divide.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
⚫
* ''[[Ground Zero/Sacred Ground]]'' (1997)
⚫
*''Sensorium'' (2007)
*''Twist of Fate'' (2009)
* ''[[Building a Rhythm]]'' (1998)
⚫
* ''[[Andaluz (film)|Andaluz]]'' (2004)<ref>{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=2003-10-17 |title=FILM FESTIVAL REVIEWS; What Chance for Love Across the Divide? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/movies/film-festival-reviews-what-chance-for-love-across-the-divide.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-10-30}}</ref>
⚫
*''Taxonomy'' (2011)
⚫
* ''[[Sensorium (film)|Sensorium]]'' (2007)
* ''[[Twist of Fate (2009 film)|Twist of Fate]]'' (2009)
⚫
* ''[[Taxonomy (film)|Taxonomy]]'' (2011)

⚫
===Sesame Street===
* ''Animals on Parade''
* ''Dance to the Rhythm''
* ''Fast/Slow''
* ''Forward/Backward''
* ''Building a Rhythm''
* ''Pass-Along Alphabet''
* ''Rhyme Time''

Source: <ref>{{cite web|url=https://kenfield.org/sesame-street-soundtracks.html|access-date=2024-05-02 |title=Ken Field - Sesame Street Soundtracks }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*http://karenaqua.com/index.html
*http://karenaqua.com/index.html
*https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032586/
*https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0032586/
*https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SEgcyLTWYUc

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Aqua, Karen}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aqua, Karen}}
⚫
[[Category:Sesame Street crew]]
[[Category:Rhode Island School of Design alumni]]
[[Category:Rhode Island School of Design alumni]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Art & Language]]
[[Category:Art & Language]]
[[Category:American animators]]
[[Category:American animators]]
[[Category:Women animators]]
[[Category:American women animators]]
[[Category:Deaths from ovarian cancer]]

Latest revision as of 11:27, 26 August 2024

Karen Aqua (February 2, 1954-May 30, 2011) was an American filmmaker and animator.

Early life

[edit]

Aqua was born in 1954 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and grew up in the nearby town of Forty Fort. She graduated in 1972 from Wyoming Valley West Senior High School in Plymouth, Pennsylvania. She graduated from RISD in 1976 with a bachelor of fine arts degree.[1]

Career

[edit]

Over the course of her career, Aqua completed 12 animated films and one collaborative animation/live action video. Her films explore "the themes of ritual, journeys, transformation, and the human spirit. Much of her work reflects an interest in symbols, mythology, and prehistoric and tribal cultures, and include elements of rhythm, dance, and music."[2]

She wrote the lyrics and melody for the majority of her animations. She frequently collaborated with her husband, Ken Field, on the melody for some pieces, as well as chords and arrangements for the majority of them.[3][4]

In 1990, she began producing animated shorts for Sesame Street. In total, she produced, directed, and animated 22 segments for the show.[citation needed]

Aqua taught workshops at Emerson College and Boston College. She received grants and commissions from such organizations as the American Film Institute, The MacDowell Colony, Millay Colony for the Arts, Fundación Valparaíso (Spain), New England Film/Video Fellowship Program, Berkshire Taconic Trust, LEF Foundation, Puffin Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She has served as a juror for film festivals in Japan, Canada, and the US, and has presented numerous one-person screenings of her work.[5]

Aqua died in May 2011 of ovarian cancer, after battling the illness for a decade.[6] Upon her death, over 300 of her film and video works were donated to the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Personal life

[edit]

She married her husband Ken Field in 1984.

Films

[edit]

Sesame Street

[edit]
  • Animals on Parade
  • Dance to the Rhythm
  • Fast/Slow
  • Forward/Backward
  • Building a Rhythm
  • Pass-Along Alphabet
  • Rhyme Time

Source: [10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Marquard, Bryan (2003-08-17). "Karen Aqua, 57, film animation artist, teacher from Cambridge". Boston.com. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  2. ^ "Karen Aqua Collection - Collection".
  3. ^ King, Loren (2011-09-25). "Focusing on one filmmaker's legacy". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  4. ^ Mason, Amelia (2019-03-20). "In Ken Field's Tribute To Karen Aqua, A Creative Couple's Collaboration Lives On". WBUR. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  5. ^ "Karen Aqua | Biography".
  6. ^ Garelick, Jon (2014-04-27). "Revolutionary Snake Ensemble digs deeper into tradition". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  7. ^ James, Caryn (1988-10-26). "Review/Film; Taking an Animated Dip In Psychological Waters". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  8. ^ Maslin, Janet (1989-10-04). "Film Festival; 'Yaaba' Explores Humans and Frailties". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  9. ^ Holden, Stephen (2003-10-17). "FILM FESTIVAL REVIEWS; What Chance for Love Across the Divide?". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  10. ^ "Ken Field - Sesame Street Soundtracks". Retrieved 2024-05-02.
[edit]
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