Independent animator George Griffin (b.1943) grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, was drafted into the army, studied political science at Dartmouth, then moved to New York in 1967. He apprenticed in commercial studios while also experimenting with design influenced by Saul Steinberg and animation techniques in the spirit of Robert Breer. Griffin has made over 30 films, 10 seconds to 30 minutes long, cartoon narratives and self-referential documations, melding abstraction and figuration. He also makes viewer-activated, animated objects such as mutoscopes and flipbooks. He received Guggenheim, New York State Council, and National Endowment grants, and published FRAMES and FLIP-PACK. Griffin taught courses at Harvard, Parsons, Pratt, and through his studio, Metropolis Graphics, produced educational, commercial, and public service spots for TV. He has served on numerous international film festival panels and written essays for academic journals and books.