Building Big: UVA's Art of the Moving Creature Class Brings New Beasts to Grounds
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Creativity reigns supreme as the University of Virginia's Grounds come alive once more with a menagerie of larger-than-life mythical creatures. In a highly anticipated revival of the 2013 Festival of the Moving Creature, a dedicated cohort of 21 students from across the university, guided by expert advisors and faculty members, breathes new life into this beloved tradition through the spring course, Art of the Moving Creature.
The festival and class pay homage to the legacy of alumnus Stan Winston, the visionary Hollywood creature-maker, and the late Steve Warner, a cherished mentor and professor in the Department of Drama, who co-founded the original creatures initiative. This year’s festival—only a week away—honors Warner’s legacy, his joy, and heralds in a new era of creature-making.
Venturing behind the scenes of this captivating class, we spoke with Melissa Goldman, the Fabrication Lab Manager at the School of Architecture and a lead instructor with a rich history of bringing creatures to life at UVA.
You've been involved with the creature festival since it began over a decade ago?
Yes, we did the first class and festival in 2012–2013, which was followed by nine years of Steve [Warner] teaching it at a smaller scale when it was just a drama class and not cross-listed with the School of Architecture and other departments.
When Steve went into the hospital I was asked to pick up the class, and I recommended Annie Temmink join the teaching team. Annie’s a talented costume, fashion, and creature designer, who's done set painting for the Drama department. Together, we're asking, what should the new era of creatures be?
And we're really involved with Steve's wife, Bri [Bélanger-Warner]. We met with her on the 10th anniversary of the Creatures Festival and asked her what she wanted its legacy to be. “I want to keep it alive,” she said. “It's so great and fun. And it was so much of Steve's life.”
So, we decided to go big.
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Any other new things this spring?
We’re testing out a few community workshops that give folks not in the class an opportunity to make something and be in the parade as an entourage of a creature.
How is the teaching team providing structure and creative space for this wild collaboration?
We provide students the skills of making to rid them of any barriers or fears they have and we harness different forms of creativity. The class began with a variety of prompts—a scent, a movement, an environment, and a section, and we said
just make, unabashedly.
Is the Creature class one of your most fun teaching experiences?
This is a fun class because you get to build big. Anytime you do a design build, there are things that pop up that no one is thinking about on the computer. This class takes everyone out of their element and connects them on a different foundational plane.
We pull students out of their normal way of making, and then say, how do we creatively problem solve?
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Is there a grand narrative or backstory about the creatures?
One of the creatures, Celeste, has roamed the world for millennia and is the archive of the world's wishes. We are working with the group’s creative writers and poets to write pieces that will be part of her pelt. She’s a very regal beast. And then there's Kiki, a scuttling, crustacean with large claws.
During the Festival, the two creatures are going to have a moment at the Rotunda where they meet. Kiki is very curious, and Celeste is more guarded. But they find ways to bring each other together and their collaboration achieves a whole that is greater than the sum of each creature's parts. So, it's about coming together.
Which sounds like the theme of the class.
A larger theme for everyone! But yes, the class is meant to bring different people together to be creative, and the creatures will reflect that.
The Stan Winston and Steve Warner Festival of the Moving Creature will take place Friday, April 26th, from 7–10 pm, beginning at UVA Arts Grounds, adjacent to Culbreth Road. A parade loop to the Rotunda will begin around sunset and will be followed by a dance party.
Art of the Moving Creature — Acknowledgements
Teaching Team:
Melissa Goldman (lead), Fabrication Lab Manager, UVA School of Architecture
Annie Temmink (lead), Artist, Costume, and Fashion Designer, UVA Department of Drama
George Sampson, Associate Professor, Arts Administration, UVA Department of Art
Eric Schmidt, Ruffin Gallery and Studio Technician, UVA Department of Art
Students:
Shaheen Alikhan, PhD in the Constructed Environment
Ari Bell, MLA '25
Tessa Bryant, MArch '24
Lily Bukalski, Media Studies '25
Madison Cannon, Civil Engineering '24
Natalie Caulfield, BARH '24
Muyang Chen, Anthropology, Art History '26
Danny Donofrio, BS Arch '25
Daisy Dudley, Studio Art '25
Greta Erickson, Arts Administration '24
Lila Fenner, Global Studies, Environmental Science '24
Link Fu, Economics '27
Juliana Jackson, MArch '25
Connie Liou, MLA '25
Jess Newberg, BUEP '26
Reese Robers, Media Studies '26
Eli Sobel, MArch '24
Melun Tershak, BS Arch '24
Emma Todd, Studio Art '24
Sisly Wang, College '26
Jasmine Zheng, MArch '24
Guest Lecturers & Advisors:
Bri Bélanger-Warner, Media & Marketing Specialist
Miranda Elliott-Radar, Puppeteer
Ted Haines, Foam Fabricator, Stan Winston School of Character Arts
Jim Kundig, Mechanical Designer and Motion Capture Engineer, Stan Winston School of Character Arts
Matt Winston, Co-Founder, Stan Winston School of Character Arts
In Loving Tribute:
Steve Warner, Co-Founder, Festival of the Moving Creature (2013), Assistant Professor, UVA Department of Drama
Stan Winston (Studio Art '68), Television & Film Special Effects Artist and Founder, Stan Winston Studio
The Stan Winston and Steve Warner Festival of the Moving Creature is generously sponsored by UVA Arts, The Jefferson Trust, a donor-led initiative of the UVA Alumni Association, and the UVA Department of Drama.
