An animated afternoon

It feels like forever since I last posted! I've been designing the July issue of Visit! over the last week, and I can't wait for Grand Strand tourists to pick up a copy when it hits stands on Friday. 

Wait, that's not Christian Bale!
It's me, Kristyn Winch, taking the Batmobile for a spin.

Last weekend, my friend Megan and I took our first trip to the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum to check out its latest exhibit. Both of us had GPS issues on our way there (Tourist problems? You bet!), but once we reached our destination, we thoroughly enjoyed what we found inside. 

Walking through “Animation B.C. (Before Computers): A History of Art in Motion,” the current featured exhibit, is like visually traveling through time. From the earliest tools used to view moving images to the first color TVs of the groovy 1970s, you get to see and touch it all. The exhibition art and objects are on loan from the ToonSeum in Pittsburgh. 

The interactive exhibit is designed to keep patrons of all ages entertained. While many of the hands-on elements are geared toward young children, my friend and I had a blast driving the "Scooby Doo" gang's Mystery Machine and sipping tea at the "Alice in Wonderland" tea party.

While every inch of the exhibit was filled with fun, we were mesmerized by the all the history, too.  "Animation B.C." shows the evolution of the art form from the prehistoric era to the present, with artifacts like flip books, zoetropes and a 1930s animator's desk from Walt Disney studios sprinkled throughout the exhibit. 

"Animation B.C." gives patrons a chance to act like characters.
That's my friend Megan hamming it up.

“Animation B.C.” is on display in Myrtle Beach now through Sept. 22. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is always free. Donations are appreciated. The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is located across from Springmaid Pier at 3100 S. Ocean Boulevard. For more information, visit myrtlebeachartmuseum.org or call 843-238-2510.

Read my full story on our website, mbvisit.com.