162. Karen Connolly Armitage on Designing for Walt Disney Imagineering

Karen Connolly Armitage works on the French pavilion in World Showcase during the construction of EPCOT Center.

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There’s no single path to reaching Walt Disney Imagineering, and many didn’t plan to even work on theme parks. Quite a few Imagineers share a background in theater, which makes sense given the connections between the two mediums. Karen Connolly Armitage began her career as a scenic designer in theater before joining Larkins Associates in St. Louis. During that time, she developed her skills as an artist while designing for the new Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg. A chance moment at IAAPA ultimately led her to join Disney in 1977 during the early ramp-up for EPCOT Center.

Karen is my guest on this episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast to talk extensively about her amazing career. She describes how moments early in her life set the stage for her career as a designer. Her work designing the interior theaters for The American Adventure and Impressions de France creates just the right tone for those spaces. Karen also describes her role on the planning team for the Disney/MGM Studios. She played a key role in developing the Great Movie Ride and designed the gangster scene.

Karen poses with her horse Tag a few months ago in 2021. — Photo by Karen Connolly Armitage

Imagineering was a very different place in the ’70s and ’80s than it is today, and Karen explains some challenges of that environment. She ultimately thrived and worked there for 26 years. We also cover her work for the remarkable Frontierland at Disneyland Paris and Main Street in Hong Kong. Karen is one of 12 women featured in the upcoming Women of Walt Disney Imagineering Book, which will be released on March 15th. We conclude the podcast by talking about this exciting book and how she got involved in the project. I really enjoyed talking to Karen and learning more about her story.