A Look Back at the Disney Gallery’s 10th Anniversary
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A Look Back at the Disney Gallery’s 10th Anniversary

The Disney Gallery opened July 11, 1987 in Disneyland. The space was originally intended to serve as a private apartment for Walt and Roy Disney to entertain visiting dignitaries and business associates. As a gallery, it was decorated to reflect the elegance of its New Orleans setting, and to serve as a showcase to honor the talents of the many artists who created the Disney theme park experience.

With the closing of the Disney Gallery, a twenty year chapter in the history of Disneyland comes to an end. Over the years the Gallery has hosted many memorable exhibits, events, and celebrations. Among them was an event that brought together many of Disney’s most talented artists, to celebrate an ever-changing part of Disneyland.

Park guests patiently awaited the opening of the new exhibit
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On Friday, July 11, 1997, the Gallery marked its tenth anniversary with a special event, timed to coincide with the opening of a new exhibit. “Looking at the Future—Tomorrowland: 1955-1998�? was both a retrospective of Tomorrowland’s past and a preview of the planned changes for the summer of 1998. The exhibit featured original art from the archives of Walt Disney Imagineering, as well as models and costumes, displayed in the newly refurbished gallery space.

Before a ceremonial ribbon cutting, a special event was held on the day of the anniversary. The morning’s visitors saw a new exhibit which was broken into three distinct phases. First was “The Atomic Age: 1955-1961.�? Program notes said the following of this exhibit:

“This was an age of innocence in America, and at Disneyland as well. Technology and the future were looked to with hope and naïve idealism. This sense of buoyant optimism is reflected in the art of the ‘Atomic Age.’ On display is the futuristic ‘Spaceman’ costume, and renderings of what Imagineering legends such as John Hench and Herb Ryman saw in the future. All of these earliest concepts were inspired by Walt’s vision of Tomorrowland. The future seemed fanciful, far away, and magical.�?