Pursuing a Passion

February 11, 2010

Click the play button to view John McGowan's '10 animated film "Sarah's Story"

Since he was a boy, John McGowan, now a 22 year-old senior graphics design major at Stonehill, has loved to draw. More recently, he has uncovered a passion for animation.

This coming weekend, McGowan will share that passion as his animated short Sarah's Story will be shown at the first annual Providence Children's Film Festival in Providence, Rhode Island.

"Sarah's Story is about an imaginative young girl whose passion for books inspires her to write her own so others can experience her adventures," says McGowan, who began working on the film last year and spent much of his winter break perfecting his work.

While the film is geared towards children, McGowan believes viewers of all ages can find meaning in it. "I would like people to walk away from this story inspired to be creative, and to find the courage to share their art with others," says McGowan.

"I've always been interested in animation, but it wasn't until I took the Learning Community Storytelling in New Media, taught by professors Wendy Chapman Peek and Shane Savage-Rumbaugh, that I actually got a taste for it," recalls McGowan. "That is where I created my first full-length animation, crafted in the classic hand-drawn style," notes McGowan.

The following semester, with the encouragement of Graphic Design Program Director Gary Stanton, McGowan took a Directed Study to investigate how he could animate using the computer. Since then he has completed two full-length shorts, including Sarah's Story.

At just 22, McGowan has already built up quite a résumé. In addition to his animated short films, he established his own design company in 2007 called Moondance Design, where he has created logos, brochures, posters, and business cards for several local companies.

The Dedham native displays much of his work on his blog, Oodles of Doodles, and his website, john-mcgowan.com. There you can also view several of his cartoon drawings he does for fun, his most recent being a drawing of his residence hall roommates, including Mr. Stonehill winner Joey D'Agostino '10 (pictured left).

McGowan (pictured below in a cartoon rendering of himself) is thankful for all the encouragement he has received from his professors and classmates at Stonehill.

"All of my professors have been supportive and helpful. Professor Stanton, in particular, has encouraged me to follow my passion, and has given me the chance to develop my skills through multiple Directed Studies, the Advanced Study and Graphic Design class. My peers also have been inspirational, as they were the ones who initially encouraged me to submit my film to festivals."

For more information on the first annual Providence Children's Film Festival, visit www.providencechildrensfilmfestival.org. For more information on Stonehill's Graphic Design Program, visit here.

Contact

For more information, contact Communications and Media Relations at 508-565-1321.