This lecture will be presented virtually streamed via zoom. 

The KU Design Symposium Lecture Series (formerly the Hallmark Symposium) was established in 1984 to enrich the education of all KU students, and in particular those in the Department of Design, through exposure to designers, artists and educators from the United States and around the world. In this 35-plus year history, the series has grown to become a cultural asset to the local creative community beyond campus. Each year, students and area professionals are able to view groundbreaking work, explore provocative ideas, and learn from the practitioners who are expanding what is possible through art, design, and creative action.  

All lectures are free and open to the public, both in person on campus or virtually.

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Donny Rausch has been working in television and visual effects for over 20 years. While studying Illustration and Graphic Design at the University of Kansas, Donny landed a job in television. Combining the skill set he acquired working in TV with his love for drawing and fine art, Donny turned his focus to animation and compositing. After winning several short film awards, Donny was recruited by Weta Digital to work as a paint artist on The Lord of the Ringstrilogy. By the third film, he led sequence compositing work and did some light matte painting. Donny then moved back to the States to work with Sony Pictures Imageworks where he led compositing work, helped with matte painting, and became a lighting TD. Later, Donny would work with Digital Domain on an animated feature, before working again with Weta Digital and spending some time with ILM in San Francisco. His filmography includes Spider Man 2, Watchmen, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Alice in Wonderland, and many more.

Donny joined ILM Vancouver in January of 2015 as a Compositing Supervisor, where he’s worked on such films as The Revenant, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Donny currently serves as Compositing Supervisor on Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin.

Donny has been a part of many award-winning teams, most recently receiving a VES award for the bear attack sequence in the film The Revenant.