What do Italian architecture and Gumby have in common? For Judy Kriger, these two diverse subjects opened her eyes to a career in animation. As a young girl, Kriger was intrigued by Gumby; drawn to the storyline, she soon forgot that the dark green clay figure was animated. Following a growing fascination with art and film, Kriger studied fine arts and film at York University in Toronto and then at the Rhode Island School of Design. She continued her graduate work in animation at the California Institute of the Arts. She was further motivated to pursue a career in the arts by a visit to Italy where she was captivated by the beauty of works of art she previously only seen in books.

Later, Kriger began to study cartoonists because of their ability to capture the human form. She found creative expression in drawing caricatures and sculpting political figures. After graduation, Kriger worked on several films, including Cats & Dogs, Antz, A Simple Wish, South Park, and Doughboy commercials. While living in New York she also found an opportunity to teach and the idea of watching others' artistic abilities grow became a passion.

Kriger describes animation as "a labor of love," a labor in which the hours demanded to complete a single scene are overshadowed by "the opportunity to express yourself creatively." Whether you fall in love with a green clay animated figure or the Roman Coliseum, "there is nothing that can surpass the excitement of seeing an artist's expression develop," says Kriger. "Watching students find that passion and seeing their talent blossom makes me happy to be here." No matter that today's students might prefer Cartman to Gumby, Kriger believes everybody can be creative, whatever the source of their inspiration.