Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, in collaboration with the Department of Art + Design and the Department of Communication, has announced the inaugural CECA Interdisciplinary Director’s Series featuring Domee Shi, director and vice president of creative for Pixar.
Shi will speak about her work, artistic practice, and career at APSU on Thrusday, April 24th, at 6:00pm in the Morgan University Center Ballroom. A screening of her films, Turning Red and Bao, will be held on Wednesday, April 23rd at 5:30pm in APSU Art + Design Room 113. The film screenings are courtesy of Pixar and sponsored by the Department of Art + Design Art History Club. Both events are free and open to the public.
Shi began her career as a story artist on the Academy Award®-winning feature film Inside Out. Since then, she has worked on the feature films The Good Dinosaur, Incredibles 2, and the Academy Award®-winning Toy Story 4.
In 2015 she began pitching ideas for short films and was soon greenlit to write and direct Bao, which won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film. In her role as a creative vice president, Shi is involved in key creative decision-making at the studio and consults on films in both development and production. Shi most recently made her feature film directorial debut with Turning Red, which was released on Disney+ on March 11th, 2022.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Domee Shi to APSU,” CECA Director Dr. Andrea Spofford said. “We’re incredibly grateful that she’s not only sharing insights into her creative process but also leading a workshop specifically for APSU students.”
Spofford said hosting visionary, world-class artists like Shi is a central part of CECA’s mission to bring engaging art experiences into the Middle Tennessee region.
“This visit enriches the educational experience for our students and invites the broader Clarksville community to engage more deeply with the arts,” Spofford said. “With the launch of our new Interdisciplinary Director’s Series, we’re excited to continue creating meaningful and inspiring opportunities for connection, creativity, and inspiration.”
Shi was born in Chongqing, China, and resided in Toronto, Canada, for most of her life. She currently lives in Oakland, California and notes that her love of animation is only rivaled by her love of cats.
About the APSU Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts
Since 1985, the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or “seek-ah”) has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at APSU.
CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts and culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU’s own emerging artists.
To learn more about the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at 931.221.7869 or spofforda@apsu.edu.
