Student Affairs

Happy Valley Animation Festival starts April 26

Happy Valley Animation Festival exhibition and events are free and open to all. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The HUB-Robeson Galleries presents the second annual Happy Valley Animation Festival (HVAF), in collaboration with the Digital Arts and Media Design (DART) program in the School of Visual Arts at Penn State.

The HVAF is a juried, international animation competition that seeks to showcase works in three primary categories — animated films, experimental animated works, and animated motion graphics and design. The festival takes place on Penn State's University Park campus, with open and student category award winners and official selections featured in the HVAF Screenings and Gallery Exhibition at Penn State and online.

The HVAF will return for its second year from April 26 to 28. HVAF 2022 Official Selections will be screened at the Palmer Museum of Art Auditorium on April 27 and the HVAF 2022 Award Winner Showcase Screening will once again be held in the HUB-Robeson Center's Heritage Hall Auditorium on April 28.

Events and exhibition

  • Tuesday, April 26: Penn State Animation Club Hullabaloo, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center. The Penn State Animation Club (UPAC sponsored group) will host an evening of Penn State student animations and outtakes. This event will be held in the HUB-Robeson Center, Heritage Hall Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
  • Wednesday, April 27: HVAF 2022 Screening of Official Selections, 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Palmer Museum of Art Auditorium. The public screening of HVAF 2022 Official Selections in the international open and international student animation categories will be held in the Palmer Museum of Art Auditorium at Penn State. This event runs throughout the day and is free and open to the public.
  • Thursday, April 28: HVAF 2022 Showcase of Award Winners, 6:30 to 9 p.m.,  Heritage Hall, HUB-Robeson Center. The public screening of HVAF 2022Award-Winning Animations in the international open and international student animation categories will be held in the HUB-Robeson Center, Heritage Hall Auditorium at Penn State. This event is free and open to the public. Screening Events will be livestreamed for remote audiences. You may access the livestream link and additional programming information from the HVAF website.
  • May 10 – July 17 HVAF 2022 Exhibition, HUB Gallery. An exhibition of animation reels from the HVAF 2022 will be on view in HUB Robeson Gallery. HUB Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and admission is free.

This year’s festival was made possible with the following collaborators: the Penn State Digital Arts and Media Design Program in the School of Visual Arts, the Animation Club at Penn State, the HUB-Robeson Center, the Palmer Museum of Art, Blob Studio, FilmFreeway and Festhome. For more information, visit the Happy Valley Animation Festival website or email admins@happyvalleyanimationfestival.org

The directing team includes Carlos Rosas, founding director, and Leanna Rosas, founding associate director.

Video editing interns: Liliana Bauman; graphic design intern: Megan McCain;  Student showcase coordinators: Liliana Bauman, Isabella Del Signore, Aaron Garcia, Katherine Lorine, Jessica Snyder, and Jackson Zirrith.

2022 jurors include: Brian Alfred, Hannah Brewerton, James Cheetham, Dengke Chen, Michael Collins, Jian Cui, Kimberly Lyle, Leo Metcalf, Eduardo Navas, Eddie Rosas, Ruben Salinas, John Summerson, Micah Weber, Vertna West, Caleb Yoder, Qianhui Yu.

For more information on this and other exhibitions, visit the HUB-Robeson Galleries website or call 814-865-2563. Keep up to date with HUB-Robeson Galleries by signing up for the Listserv or following on Instagram @hubrobesongalleries.

Last Updated April 27, 2022