Herb Ryman’s legacy lives on and continues to make a difference, as featured in this piece by Garen Aliksanian in Los Angeles Times affiliate The Burbank Leader. Who is Herb Ryman?
During his time at Disney, Ryman worked as a Disney Imagineer and served as art director for classic Disney films such as "Dumbo"and "Fantasia."
Ryman continued to work on ideas for Disney movies and theme parks until his passing in 1989 and his legacy continues through his art and through Ryman Arts, a foundation named in his honor that is dedicated to teaching classical drawing and painting techniques to young people with promising artistic abilities.
Ryman spent a weekend with Walt in the early 1950s working on the first illustration that actually resembled Disneyland Park as built, used to "sell Disneyland to the bankers." One of the last pieces he did was conceptual work for the Disneyland Indiana Jones Adventure.
Many of the young artists who have taken part in the program have developed into professionals in the arts themselves.
Some of them have even become a focal point in a new exhibit titled "Ryman Arts: An Artist and His Legacy," now on display at Glendale’s Forest Lawn Museum.
Work from those who have benefited from the program is on display, as well as Ryman’s work. It’s definitely not a "Disney" exhibit, though.
Ryman depicts portraits of dynamic individuals such as "Roots" author Alex Haley and a depiction of Jesus painted specifically for Forest Lawn. Art from Ryman’s travels abroad is also on display.