Videos in DVD or VHS Format

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MacDowell Colony: An American Artist's Colony. 1 hour. Available through Currier Museum of Art.

M & M Smith: For Posterity's Sake, a 57-minute presentation of the Independent Television Service (ITVS), narrated by Ruby Dee. "Born in Nicholsville, Kentucky on February 16, 1910, the identical twins and sons of sharecroppers moved to Lexington, Kentucky twelve years later. They set up a photo studio in the basement of their home, using an inexpensive camera given to them as a gift by a local photographer. In search of better opportunities for blacks to study art, they moved to New York in 1933. The Smiths found a flourishing art community in Harlem supported by the Federal Arts Program, an arm of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and enrolled in a free art school run by sculptor Augusta Savage, mentor to aspiring artists such as Jacob Lawrence, Gwendolyn Knight, Selma Burke, Ernest Crichlow and Robert Blackburn. Through Savage, they soon met such notable literary figures as Countee Cullen, Claude McKay and Langston Hughes. During the mid-1930s they studied art on their own while experimenting with street photography and submitting photos of Harlem social and political events to African-American newspapers." (quote from article in Resource Library)

Making Art "This DVD collection of six video presentations filmed in studios, laboratories, and museum galleries provides rare behind-the-scenes experiences. It introduces art elements such as color and perspective; demonstrates artistic techniques ranging from sculpture to printmaking; and studies conservation issues related to art objects. Artists interviewed include Sam Gilliam, Roy Lichtenstein, and Sean Scully, each at work making art." This DVD is lent free of charge through the National Gallery of Art's Division of Education (go to NGA Loan Materials). Titles are available separately and include:

Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde. This 60 minute 1997 Jackson Frost American Masters program looks at one of the most important artistic voices of the American modernist movement. Photographer, painter, filmmaker, poet, essayist and philosopher Man Ray brought innovation to every field he worked in, leaving behind a legacy of true genius. This program traces the artist's legacy from his beginnings in New York to his achievements in Paris and finally, to the impact his work left for future generations in a variety of fields The video also includes a previously unseen filmed interview found in the vaults of a Rotterdam museum and long-lost drawings from the artist's student days not seen since 1908. VHS/DVD. DVD includes extra Man Ray short films.

Maria: Indian Pottery Maker of San Ildefonso is a 27 minute video produced by National Park Service Films and distributed by Interpark, Cortez, CO. Maria Martinez, noted Indian pottery maker demonstrates the traditional Indian ways, beginning with the spreading of corn pollen before clay is gathered. Also shown are the mixing of the clay, construction of pottery, hand decorating and building of the firing mound. Born in 1918 in the Pueblo of Santa Clara and educated at a mission, her artistic talents were encouraged by her teachers. Through her work at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, Pablita records the traditions and legends of her ancient people so that future tribal generations may know and understand their heritage. Here we see Pablita mixing her own paints from natural earth- found materials, sketching in the wilderness, teaching young Indian children. She captures on canvas, the essence and ceremonies customs, and present day Pueblo life. Running time is 20 minutes. A great bonus! Total DVD running time 47 min. (text courtesy of petroglyphtrail.com)

Marley Kaul: Paintings is a 28-minute video which discusses the art of Bemidji, Minnesota artist and teacher M. Kaul, who works primarily with acrylics. He paints houses, churches and people in landscapes of whirling patterns and vivid colors. Kaul explains and demonstrates his techniques. (quote courtesy Plains Art Msueum)

Mary Cassatt: A Brush with Independence is a 57 minute 2002 documentary video from Home Vision Entertainment produced and directed by Emmy®-winner Jackson Frost and narrated by actress Anne Archer. This television documentary covers the life and work of the bold artist who was the only American invited to show her work in the celebrated Impressionist exhibitions of Paris. Going beyond Cassatt's formal importance and stylistic influence, the program also looks at her work for women's suffrage and other important issues of her time. Based on the popular exhibition organized by the Art Institute of Chicago in collaboration with Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. VHS/ DVD. ISBN:  0-7800-2487-7

Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist. Actress Amy Brenneman stars as Mary Cassatt in this 60 minute 1999 family telefilm from HBO's The Artists' Series. Cassatt's life in Paris changes dramatically when her brother's children come for a visit. A fine entry point for kids to begin an exploration of the arts.

Mary Cassatt, Impressionist from Philadelphia is a 1975 WNET program from The Originals, Women in Art series which focuses on the life and work of Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt. Profiles American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Recounts the influence of her upper-class Philadelphia family and her years in Paris, where she studied and painted alongside Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Camille Pissarro. Dramatizes an episode in the life of artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) during the time she was in Paris when her brother and his children arrive. She finds herself inspired by the children, using them as models. 28-minute video. Description source: Amon Carter Museum Teacher Resource Center

Maxfield Parrish: Biography of an American Master 26 minutes / 1998 / CH - "Having one of the most recognizable and beautiful illustration styles of the twentieth century made Maxfield Parrish's works among the most reproduced of all. This biography traces his life and influences from childhood and underscores his importance in the commercial arts, flirting often with the fine arts, with over 100 brilliant images from his body of work."

Maxfield Parrish: Parrish Blue 27 minutes. Available through Currier Museum of Art.

"Maynard Dixon: Art and Spirit" reveals the rich canvas of Dixon's life through insightful interviews with his family, friends and members of the art community. More than four hundred Dixon paintings and drawings, and Dorothea Lange's family photographs are included in the documentary, as well as photographs of Dixon taken by lifelong friend Ansel Adams. Filming took place in Montana, Utah, Arizona, California and New Mexico bringing Dixon's paintings and drawings to life framed by the breathtaking panoramas of the land that he loved so deeply. .

Six years of research and preparation have resulted in Producer/Director Jayne McKay becoming a leading expert on the life and art of Maynard Dixon, and the careers of photographer Dorothea Lange and artist Edith Hamlin. The film is narrated by award-winning actress Diane Keaton, an avid collector of Dixon's paintings. Western actor and songwriter, Don Edwards, provides the voice of Maynard Dixon.

The soundtrack contains original music composed by Grammy winner, John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Michael Ronstadt and his band, the Santa Cruz River Band, contribute a song once performed for Maynard Dixon, when the Ronstadt family lived across the street from the artist's home in Tucson. The desert was Maynard Dixon's sanctuary, a timeless place where he could forget the hurried pace of his life in San Francisco. He would often leave his wife and children, his paying work in the city, and his friends in the bohemian art scene for months of solitary searching in the American West. Under the desert stars, Dixon wrote poetry. Under the desert sun, Dixon painted, sketched and drew. His travels took him to the camps and reservations of the Hopi and Navajo, where he was welcomed with reverence for his talent with pencil, crayon and paint. He lived with the Native Americans and his art became a language between two cultures. The film was written by Jayne McKay and Daniel Dixon. The film contains interviews with Dixon's sons, Daniel and John, granddaughter Becky Jenkins, and Dixon's friends, artists Ray Strong and Milford Zornes. Also interviewed are Dixon biographers, Donald J. Hagerty and Linda Jones Gibbs. This documentary won the 2008 Spur Award for best western documentary from Western Writers of America. The information on this film, released in 2007, was provided to TFAO on September 11, 2007 and March 17, 2008 by Jayne McKay. There is a website dedicated to the DVD. The DVD is being shown in museums throughout the Western United States and can be screened with payment of a public performance fee.

Maynard Dixon: To the Desert Again is a 57-minute 2006 production from KUED-TV at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. (see the transcript). KUED says "Art curator Will South, who is interviewed in the film, notes, 'Dixon was a man of the West, not because he painted Western scenes, but because he embraces what the West was and represented: mobility, freedom, possibility and the sense of the infinite'... The film also includes interviews with Donald J. Hagarty, who wrote the definitive Dixon biography; art dealer Paul Bingham, founder of the Thunderbird Foundation, dedicated to the preservation of Maynard Dixon's legacy and his Mt. Carmel, Utah home; and Daniel Dixon, the son of Maynard Dixon and Dorothea Lange." The Wildling Museum's website also says "According to producer Nancy Green, Dixon's long, productive life was, in itself, a work of art, 'From the beginning, Dixon was different: an authentic, iconoclastic, self-created individual,' she says. 'He refused to join any one school of art; instead, he created his own distinctive style.'" Regarding showing of the video, Nancy Green of KUED-TV says "KUED-TV/ University of Utah is the copyright holder for the documentary. The film can be screened publicly for educational purposes. The only requirement is that the screening is open to the public and it is free of charge. KUED also requests notification about the screening so we can track it for our records. If anyone is interested in screening the film, please contact Nancy Green ngreen@kued.org."

Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists, The. An examination of the work and philosophy of California cowboy artist, Gerald Gaxiola, who defies categorization but works in the medium of painting, blockprints, sculptures, music and entertainment. Film shows Gaxiola performing on stage and reviews an astonishing array of his works including paintings inspired by Vincent Van Gogh, ceramic Cadillacs, landscapes, color block prints of Berkeley landmarks, cowboy clothing he has designed, the designing and construction of his "bunk house", and concludes with a visit to the annual celebration of Maestro Day, held at Albany High School, California. Dist.: Flower Films. 199?. 54 min. Video/C 4066. Available from Media Resources Center, Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Medicine Flower, Lone Wolf & R.C. Gorman. Profiles potters Grace Medicine Flower and her brother Joseph Lonewolf, and Navajo painter R.C. Gorman. c1988. 60 min. Video/C 1578. Available from Media Resources Center, Library, University of California, Berkeley. Available from Media Resources Center, Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Milford Zornes, Watercolor Master, is a 2003 production of Erickson-Zapata Productions. Pomona College Alumni News says of the video:

"Milford Zornes" is the first in a series of Artist Documentaries planned by this publisher. "At 95, Milford Zornes is one of California's great water color painters, a maverick and an adventurer. The Claremont, California resident is the last living founder of the California Water Color Movement that gained national attention during the 1930's for its bold, daring style... Zornes and other young California painters turned the gloomy days of the Great Depression into a golden era for West Coast art. Painters such as Millard Sheets, Phil Dike, Emil Kosa, Phil Paradise, Lee Blair and Milford Zornes joined together to take what they did not know and change the way Americans looked at art and themselves... Zornes recalls the excitement, jealousies and competition among his contemporaries... This documentary is an amazing opportunity to meet Milford Zornes as he travels back in time to go behind the scenes to introduce the artists who took up the challenge to create a new art for a floundering nation... Zornes is still an incurable globetrotter, whose work captures nearly 80 years of history, people and places... "

Milford Zornes, Watercolor Master is available through Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA. 626-568-3665. http://www.pmcaonline.org/

Milford Zornes: A Life of Canvas, is an independent film on the life of California painter Milford Zornes, which premiered in September 2000. Screenplay by Sharon Dymmel who is an award-winning screenwriter for both the feature film and television broadcast industries.

Minerva Teichert: A Mission In Paint is a 46 minute video documentary on the art and life of Minerva Teichert. LDS Video says of the video:

Minerva Teichert is one of the most beloved painters in Latter-day Saint history. Her distinctive style of painting can be found in temples, Church magazines, and books around the world. This high-quality KBYU documentary is a fantastic introduction to one of the heroes of the Western and Latter-day Saint artistic traditions...
 
This documentary was written by Tim Slover, who is well known as the award-winning playwright behind the off-Broadway hit "A Joyful Sound," about Handel. The producer was Peter N. Johnson, the man behind "Mountain of the Lord", "How Rare a Possession" and other Church videos, as well as the upcoming Book of Mormon feature film "A Voice from the Dust: Journey to the Promised Land." The director of photography was none other than Gordon Lonsdale, the successful cinematographer of TV series such as Haunted, Providence, Space: Above and Beyond and Northern Exposure.

My Dinner With Weegee is a 36 minute 2002 video from Video Data Bank which says: Donigan Cumming weaves together two life stories. The central figure, a man in his seventies named Marty, remembers his experiences in New York as a young Catholic labour organizer and peace activist, his friendships with David Dellinger, the Berrigan brothers, Bayard Rustin, Weegee, and James Agee. This mixture of first-hand knowledge and gossip brightens Marty's dark passage-he is old, sick, depressed, and alcoholic. The other story is Cumming's in his fifty-fourth year, as he examines his own radicalism in light of the "wheezing dirty beacon" up ahead."

 

TFAO's combined lists comprise an authoritative guide to hundreds of videos in VHS format which feature representational American art. Some recent videos are available in DVD format. TFAO does not maintain a lending library of videos or sell videos. Click here for information on how to borrow or purchase copies of VHS videos and DVDs listed in this catalogue.

Unnumbered quotes are from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art videos may be loaned directly from the Gallery. Some recent videos are available in DVD format. Selected video descriptions are courtesy of Facets Multimedia.

TFAO offers financial assistance for art museums and other nonprofit organizations enabling them to encode and stream their copyrighted VHS videos.

rev. 9/11/07

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