Character Sculpture: Pixar Animation Studios

The process of bringing Pixar’s vivid characters to life does not leap directly from 2-D sketch on paper to 3-D computer graphics — there’s an oft-forgotten second stage that bridges the gap between pencil and pixel by sculpting characters out of clay.

Animation buffs get a chance to peek behind the curtain with Pixar’s character sculptor Jerome Ranft — who has worked on films including Brave, Ratatouille, Cars, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. and many others — when he visits Kapiolani Community College (in room Ohia 118), for a free talk about his work from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday (April 1).

For more information, call 734-9382.

TOKYO MIDTOWN AWARDS

Modern art and design from Japan is the focus of Waikiki Parc Hotel’s newest exhibit, featuring winning pieces from the Tokyo Midtown Awards at its promenade gallery. Tokyo Midtown is an urban hub of art and design nestled in the uber-trendy Roppongi district, home to Suntory Museum of Art, 21_21 Design Sight and more. The Parc exhibit will showcase a selection of the 2008-2013 contest winners. The exhibit runs April 2-June 26. A public reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

For more information, visit hawaii.edu/art.

CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY IN HAWAII 2015

The ARTS at Marks Garage hosts 50 photos from 50 Hawaii-based photographers, culled from 507 submissions from 137 artists, for the seventh annual Contemporary Photography in Hawaii exhibit. Sponsored by UH-Manoa’s Pacific New Media program and juried by Elaine Mayes, the exhibit runs April 3-25, with an opening reception and awards ceremony from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday.

For more information, visit artsatmarks. com or outreach.hawaii.edu/pnm.