The Bittersweet Taste Of Posthumous Fame
My mother Sterling Sturtevant is finally being acknowledged for her work that changed animation forever
I’ve written before on Medium about experiences I’ve had regarding my mother’s artwork, and women and art in general. It would seem that it is more of a rule than an exception that women’s artwork is downgraded, ignored, hijacked, or stolen by men. This tradition dates back hundreds of years. In the case of cave paintings and rock art: tens of thousands of years.
My mother Sterling Sturtevant was one of the first female animation art directors. In response to a studio-wide contest at UPA in the 1950s, she did the successful redesign of Mr. Magoo. She won Academy Awards, Cannes Golden Palms, and many other industry awards. My mother didn’t invent Magoo, but the Magoo everyone knows and loves was not only designed by her, he was based on my father.
I never knew her. My mother Sterling died of pancreatic cancer when I was three months old. I was also born three months prematurely.
I was both a late and an unexpected baby. Many times, I wonder why on earth I am here. I wonder if my mother had not stopped taking cancer treatments upon learning she was pregnant with me, whether she might not have lived many more years and created many…
