James Trainor

James Trainor is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), serving since 2000. He teaches courses such as Animation I: Drawing for Animation, History of Film Animation, and Writing for Film, Video, and Performance. His creative work includes films like The Fetishist, The Bats, The Moschops, and The Magic Kingdom, which have been screened at prestigious venues including the Whitney Biennial, Sundance Film Festival, and MoMA.

Trainor holds a BA from Columbia University (1983). His work has received recognition from festivals such as the San Francisco International, Ann Arbor Film Festival, and others. Courses emphasize traditional animation techniques, historical context, and interdisciplinary writing for time-based media.

His teaching focuses on foundational animation skills, historical analysis of animated film up to the 1960s, and narrative development for film and performance. Trainor’s creative practice intersects experimental film, animation aesthetics, and cross-disciplinary storytelling.