Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 32

Jazz Release: Ken Field - Transmitter (Neuma Records / March 25, 2021)

Jazz Release:
Ken Field - Transmitter
(Neuma Records - March 25, 2021)

Ken Field, saxophones
All pieces composed by Ken Field (Conical Music/BMI)

Buy ItStream It

Ken Field takes the saxophone on an imaginative journey through electronics and studio enhancement to create a unique collection of tracks on his latest release.

Saxophonist and composer Ken Field is more often associated with ensembles like Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble. This release sees him alone with his sax and a mic, and producer Erdem Helvacioglu to add the dimension of studio magic. 

Field and Helvacioglu build layers of sax parts and looped patterns that, according to the liner notes, "are all trans-something: the titles bridge oceans, light, stasis, and gravity".

The tracks cover a range of moods, modes and explorations. Transoceanic is a jazz solo that goes meandering in different directions, the electronic enhancements adding layers to a contrapuntal kind of structure. He experiments with articulations and sounds to build complexity.

Translucent, in contrast, is playful and abstract, albeit with moody undertones. What seems like a simple method - all tracks being composed and performed via live looping - yields such intriguing interpretations and possibilities. 

An Improv Session:

From the ethereal, spacey sound of Transducer, Transgressive its buzzy, the anxious layers of sound each adding to the tension of the piece.

Solo instrumental releases can be self-indulgent: here, Field's sense of pure invention draws a multi-dimensional stream of sounds in many colours. Definitely worth a listen.

Field's a regular composer for Sesame Street, and a co-organizer of the  HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands, among other things. Erdem Helvacioglu is a Brooklyn-based Turkish electronic musician and composer.

Tracks:
1. Transoceanic 7:42
2. Transcendental 7:20
3. Translucent 5:30
4. Transducer 9:41
5. Transgressive 7:39
6. Transparent 8:12

From the CD:

Classical/Ambient | Erik Griswold: Four Places in Queensland (Neuma Records - March 26, 2021)

Classical/Ambient
Erik Griswold: Four Places in Queensland
(Neuma Records - March 26, 2021)

Buy It Stream It

Erik Griswold created Four Places in Queensland as a musical sketchbook of the Australian bushland. The pieces not only cover different places, he also has them performed by different piansts, each of whom has a connection to the place they are depicting musically. 

The pieces follow the natural rhythms and patterns of nature. Mt. Nebo, a small town in the middle of a dense rainforest, is full of bird trills and splashing water, the Leapfrog movement interstingly percussive.

Cunningham's Gap is a steep rise that separates the coast from the Great Dividing Range, a place of ancient volcanoes and sweeping views. The waltz begins with a familiar feel, quickly develping in different directions. Here, the Spring movement is strongly rhythmic, and darkly melodic in sections - a different character entirely. 

Rain sounds like its sonic equivalent - fluid in bell-like tones. In contrast, Bliss is more agitated and energetic, building to a peak of emtion with an elegant right-hand pattern. 

Griswold plays the section named after the tiny rural town of Condamine, a place where the river dominates the landscape. The single movement is searching and inquisitive, with unusual articulations and shifts in tone.

Griswold's percussive piano technique:

Girraween (Liam Viney), or “place of many flowers,” is a national park known for its dramatic granite boulders. Here, the Rain is light and playful, running down in rivulets rather than torrents, while Leapfrog is dramatic and driving.

Erik Griswold is an Australian-American composer/pianist who, alongside percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson, is also known as part of the Clocked Out Duo. Four Places in Queensland marks a return to solo piano for Griswold, who has recently created works for toy piano, bowed piano, prepared piano, and the sixteen vintage pianos of the outback Piano Mill.

The composer talks about the pieces in the liner notes.

"In composing Four Places in Queensland, I responded to each of the locations, spending time in each setting, listening to the soundscapes and absorbing the surroundings. But I also thought carefully about the performers, tailoring the music to each individual’s playing style and personality. Four Places in Queensland celebrates four breathtaking landscapes, and four pianists’ close connections to the land."

Mt. Nebo
1. Bell Birds; 2. Spring; 3. Strum; 4. Leapfrog 1
Anna Grinberg, piano
Cunninghams Gap
5. Waltz; 6. Spring; 7. Rain; 8. Bliss
Stephen Emmerson, piano
Condamine
9. Condamine
Erik Griswold, piano
Girraween
10. Spring 3; 11. Rain 2; 12. Leapfrog 2
Liam Viney, piano

Cunningham's Gap - Waltz
Four Places in Queensland by Erik Griswold

USC Annenberg Study: Asians And Pacific Islanders Are Erased, Silenced & Stereotyped In Popular Films

From a media release:

USC Annenberg Study:
Asians And Pacific Islanders Are Erased, Silenced & Stereotyped In Popular Films

After violent attacks and amidst Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a new report from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reveals how film portrayals of the API community are limited. 

LOS ANGELES — May 18, 2021. In the wake of ongoing violence, discrimination, and hate toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, a new report reveals how popular films perpetuate erasure and stereotyping of this group, a state of affairs that can lead to discrimination and psychological harm.

[image error] Shakruth Khan (Image by Radoan Tanvir from Pixabay)

The first-ever report is a result of a collaboration between Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen, Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with funding from Amazon Studios and UTA Foundation. The study includes an assessment of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) leads and speaking characters across 1,300 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2019. The report also includes a qualitative analysis of primary and secondary API characters from 2019’s most popular movies. 

The report is the latest from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and can be found online here. Results from the study, along with other research conducted by Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen will be shared at Amazon Studios event VOICES: API Representation in Film & Media on May 20th. The virtual event features special guests Daniel Dae Kim, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Stephanie Hsu & Sophia Ali. 

Join Amazon Studio VOICES: API Representation in Film & Media by registering online at https://dei.amazonstudios.com/.

Across 51,159 speaking characters in 1,300 top-grossing movies, 5.9% were API. This percentage did not meaningfully differ by year, and falls short of the 7.1% of the U.S. population that identifies as API. Additionally, a closer look at films from 2019 demonstrates that under-representation is only one facet of the bias facing the API community in film.[image error]

“People often ask me whether representations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are improving,” said Dr. Yuen. “Unfortunately, when representation looks like tokenism, Hollywood is doing the bare minimum for inclusion. In 2019, 30% of API primary and secondary characters were either one of the only, or interacted with no other API characters on screen. We need to see more than one API character on screen interacting with one another in meaningful ways.” 

The report reveals that two-thirds (67.4%) of the 1,300 films studied fell below proportional representation of the API community. Further, 39% of all movies failed to depict even one API character. When Asian and Pacific Islander communities were examined separately, 40.2% of films were missing even one Asian character and 94.2% did not include even one Pacific Islander.

Only 44 or 3.4% of all 1,300 films had an API lead/co lead across 13 years, with only 6 movies featuring an API woman in a lead/co lead role. This translated into only 22 individual API actors and only 4 API women. In comparison, 336 individual white male actors were in leading/co leading roles across the same 13-year time frame. The voices of API characters are not only missing in leading roles—across 200 top-grossing films from 2018 and 2019, 74.7% of tertiary or minor API characters spoke 5 lines or less of dialogue.

“These findings offer more evidence that the epidemic of invisibility continues to persist and with serious consequences,” said Dr. Smith. “Mass media is one factor that can contribute to aggression towards this community. When portrayals erase, dehumanize, or otherwise demean the API community, the consequences can be dire. Without intention and intervention, the trends we observed will continue.”

The lack of API characters overall extends to intersectional communities. Two-thirds of all API characters were men, and one-third were women. Only 15 API characters across 600 films from 2014 to 2019 were LGBTQ; none were transgender. Only 1.9% of API characters from the top 500 movies from 2015 to 2019 were shown with a disability. A mere 19.6% of all API women were 40 years of age or older. The image of API characters is predominantly young and largely male, straight, and able-bodied.

API portrayals are skewed in other ways. The report details the results of a qualitative analysis of 79 primary and secondary API characters across the top films of 2019. Portrayals of the API community range from invisible to fully human, with most portrayals falling into the categories of silenced, stereotyped, tokenized, isolated, and sidekicks/villains. The stereotypes still present in top films include the persistent emasculation of API men—58% were shown with no romantic partners compared to 37.5% of API women without partners—as well as that of the perpetual foreigner, evidenced by non-U.S. accents and use of non-English language. Most troubling, portrayals of API characters still include violence, death, and disparagement.

“With the rise of anti-AAPI violence in the United States, on-screen deaths of Asians and Pacific Islander characters are particularly jarring,” said Dr. Yuen. “In the top 100 films of 2019, just over a quarter of Asian and Pacific Islander characters die by the end of the film and all but one death ended violently. This, along with 41.8 percent of API characters receiving on-screen disparagement--some of which are racial slurs--films can fuel anti-AAPI hate. With over 6,603 hate incidents reported to Stop AAPI Hate from March 19, 2020 to March 31, 2021, Hollywood needs to take responsibility for problematic representations of Asians and Pacific Islanders.” 

Behind-the-camera, the percentage of API directors, producers and casting directors was evaluated. Of the 1,447 directors across the 13-year sample, 3.5% were API. Only 3 of these directing positions were held by API women. A mere 2.5% of producers were API as were 3.3% of casting directors. Yet the influence of API creators is undeniable. Films with API directors or API producers featured more API leads/co leads than those with non-API directors or producers behind the scenes. API directors and casting directors were also responsible for casting more API talent in speaking roles on screen than non-API directors or casting directors.

“Not one API woman has received sole directing credit for a live action top-grossing feature film in the last 13 years,” said Dr. Smith. “Inclusion of the API community thus far has been little more than lip service. Opening up opportunity behind the camera for the API community and in particular, API women, is essential to seeing more authentic, humanized portrayals on screen.”

“In order to reconcile past harm, invisibility, and stereotypes on screen, we first need to confront the hard truths and data,” said Amazon Studios Global Head of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Latasha Gillespie. “This study is an opportunity for all content creators and media companies to examine and root cause decisions that contributed to our current state, but more importantly drive ongoing accountability in our work.”

“The numbers speak for themselves - again. They are a sobering look at how far the industry still has to go to counter the invisibility of our community onscreen. If anything is to improve, the historic indifference on the part of decision makers toward increased Asian American representation must go beyond the usual performative rhetoric to actual, demonstrable change.” said Daniel Dae Kim, Actor and Producer. 

“One year ago, our community was erroneously blamed for a global pandemic. Now, we see violence against and hatred of AAPI's reaching unprecedented levels. The words we use, the stories we tell, how we portray people matters. The creative community is uniquely positioned to tell more authentic and inclusive stories that diverse audiences yearn to hear. This effort to document the quantity and quality of AAPI portrayals is an essential starting point for lasting progress in how our community is represented in the mainstream,” said UTA partner and TV literary agent David Park.

About USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
Launched more than 10 years ago by Founder Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the Initiative is globally recognized for its valuable and sought-after research solutions to advance equality in entertainment. Dr. Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examine gender, race/ethnicity, LGBT status, disability, and age on screen and gender and race/ethnicity behind the camera in cinematic and television content as well as barriers and opportunities facing women and people of color in the entertainment industry. To learn more, visit http://annenberg.usc.edu/aii or follow on Twitter, Instagram, or on Facebook.

About the UTA Foundation
The UTA Foundation is a 501c3 organization committed to advancing social impact issues locally and abroad. Leading global talent, entertainment, and sports company UTA represents many of the most acclaimed figures across film, television, news, music, sports, speakers, theater, fine art, literature, video games, podcasts and other social and digital content.

From Justin Lin's 'Finishing The Game'

Nightwood Theatre presents a Live Encounter by UnSpun Theatre LOST TOGETHER May 25 - June 5, 2021

From a media release:

Nightwood Theatre presents a Live Encounter by UnSpun Theatre
LOST TOGETHER
May 25 - June 5, 2021

Check It Out

(Toronto)—Nightwood is pleased to present UnSpun Theatre’s Lost Together, conceived by Shira Leuchter and created and realized by Shira Leuchter and Michaela Washburn, from May 25th to June 5th, 2021. In this micro-multi-disciplinary art piece, audience members enter a digital space one at a time to share a story about something they’ve lost. 

[image error] Shira Leuchter and Michaela Washburn by Shira Leuchter

Once shared, Michaela and Shira build and present a small object that encapsulates their guest’s story, which is added to an ever-evolving exhibition, reminding us that loss doesn’t have to be a solitary reckoning. Called an “intimate and unforgettable piece of live art” by NOW Magazine, this winner of the 2018 SummerWorks Performance Festival Production Prize brings humanity, artistry and heart to a moment well acquainted with loss.

The co-creators share, “Lost Together was born out of a desire to offer audiences a gift in a time of political and cultural violence and upheaval. We feel privileged to meet every one of our participants, and lucky that they've trusted us to embark on a micro-adventure with them. The encounter we share is an act of witnessing, companioning and finding community in loss and grief. After this year of radical isolation, we are putting forward a gentle reminder that we are interconnected, we need each other, and we don't have to navigate our griefs alone. Lost Together is a chance to practice collaboration and care.” 

Artistic Director Andrea Donaldson offered, “there are no two artists more equipped to hold this space more tenderly. In a time stained with so much distress, Nightwood is honoured to host these exquisite encounters full of love, connection, and that will offer a positive memory during this time.”

Tickets range from PWYC, $25, $50.Due to the nature of this piece, there are only 60 tickets available and time slots must be booked in advance. Please note that there are no ticket exchanges or returns.

[image error]

Travel Poll 2021: How Long Will Social Distancing Last?

From a media release:

Travel Poll 2021:
How Long Will Social Distancing Last?

Invisibly, a data-driven research company, used it’s Realtime Research tool to poll 2,799 people to find out how they feel about returning to activities like travel, cruises and large sporting events in the current pandemic circumstances, and compared this to an identical survey done in July 2020. 

Turns out, certain travel and tourism will continue to take a massive hit this summer in certain areas, including sporting events, cruises and other crowded venues.

71% said they will wait 6+ months before stopping social distancing.

Highlights

22% of respondents said they would consider going on a cruise now compared to 59% who said they would need another 6+ months before considering going on a cruise. 15% of respondents said they would consider attending a large sporting event now, while 52% will wait another 3-6 months.17% of respondents won’t currently vacation anywhere with crowds, compared to 49% who will wait another 1-2 months. 

The survey was done in the U.S. but it's probably safe to say the figures would be similar throughout North America, possibly somewhat more hesitant in Canada given the slower COVID vaccination rate.

Air travel is the one brighter spot for the industry, with about 58% of respondents saying they were now willing to travel on an airplane compared to 33% who were willing to fly nine months ago. 

In some cases, such as people who said they were ready to attend a sports event right now, or those who would go on vacation to a spot known for big crowds, the percentages actually dropped slightly over attitudes nine months ago. 

It’s safe to say if you enjoy activities out in nature like hiking, fishing or golf, you’re probably in good company, but if you prefer large scale venues or crowded events, you may have to wait a little bit longer to get back to normal.

From Istanbul With Love | Barista - Open Sesame Vol 1: Her Dress (Monoplay Records / 16 April 2021)

From Istanbul With Love
Barista - Open Sesame Vol 1: Her Dress
(Monoplay Records / 16 April 2021)

Stream It On Spotify

Bahadır Han Eryılmaz, aka Barista, is an Istanbul-based musician who's brought together a super group of collaborators in his third album, the first in an ambitious project called Open Sesame. Open Sesame Vol 1: Her Dress is the current release, an album of classic rock idioms with bluesy vocals and polished musicianship. 

At times, I was reminded of Boston, at others more towards the direction of the Eagles. The lyrics, written by Ham and influenced by his own life and observations, explore life and love. In Circular Lives, he quotes Journey ...He took the midnight train going anywhere... in a song that tells a story. 

It's not to imply that the music is overly derivative or unimaginative - quite the contrary. It's a talented homage. Her Dress throws in some interesting rhythmic and harmonic changes to the standard classic rock 4/4 beat, some derived from traditional Turkish folk music.

Disco Sun is a standout track, with its opening waa-waa guitar and a vintage sound. The langorous vocals above the rhythm are perfect, with a nice churchy keyboard sound in the background, then a snarling guitar solo. The effect is hyponotic.

Watching the End Begin, Part 1 (Coffee Song) is another standout, a driving rock song with a genuine sense of emotion - and a nicely trippy guitar fill. 

The band shows a softer side in Walk in My Shoes with vocalist Lydia Salnikova. She has a lovely flexible voice with a strong high end.

His collaborators include Jesse Siebenberg on keyboards (Supertramp, Kenny Loggins), Brian Duffy's gin-soaked vocals (Guns' Roses, Velvet Revolver), and Lydia Salnikova on vocals (Kenny Rogers, BO), as well as Barista's musical idol Simon Phillips on drums. Han Eryilmaz plays drums, percussion, keys, and is on backing vocals duty.

It's the variety and musicianship in the seven tracks that give it replay value. There are plans for four more volumes to the Open Sesame project.

Tracks:
Vol 1: Her Dress
1 Circular Lives; 2 Her Dress; 3 Disco Sun; 4 In a Dream; 5 Watching the End Begin, Part 1 (Coffee Song); 6 Walk in My Shoes; 7 Be Mine

Jazz Single | Aman Jagwani: Now (feat Anuhba Kaul) - Independent / 23 April 2021

Jazz Single:
Aman Jagwani - Now (feat Anuhba Kaul)
(Independent / 23 April 2021)

Check It Out

Now is the second single from the upcoming album This Place by electronic jazz fusion composer and producer Aman Jagwani. The single spotlights vocals by Anuhba Kaul and Ron Cha (a noted jazz pianist in India) and a guitar solo by Boston-based Pritesh Walia.

The mood is contemporary and innovative, with compelling rhythmic changes, and fluid vocals that stride above the kinetic percussion. The poetry of the words come alive in the twists and turns of the voices. About midway through, the track changes moods. Walia's compelling guitar solo is set against lush vocal harmonies and unpredictable percussion that keeps it interesting.

At 22, Aman Pankaj Jagwani is a composer, producer and educator from Mumbai, India who, as it says in his biography, "strives to create musical moments of seamless synergy between the audience, the artist and the world."

He's a performing veteran as both a bandleader and sideman, and took his first album on tour through India, Europe and the USA. He's also a sought out drummer in the Indian and Boston jazz scenes. 

In addition, since 2013, Aman has been associated with V Care Foundation, an Indian NGO that provides care and relief for cancer patients. He plays for and teaches children facing the disease at the Sant Gadge Dharamshala in Mumbai and regularly composes music for the foundation's promotional activities.

Written, composed & arranged by Aman Jagwani; Vocal Arrangment: Aman Jagwani and Anubha Kaul; Vocals: Anubha Kaul and Ron Cha; ynth/Keys: Jonathan Huber; Guitar: Pritesh Walia; Synth Bass: Aman Jagwani; Drums: Aman Jagwani

Stay in Touch:

Official WebsiteInstagram: @amanjagwanimusicFacebookSpotify

Pop Harmony Perfection: KasēoGems - Don't Go (Independent / 9 April 2021)

Pop Harmony Perfection:
KasēoGems - Don't Go
(Independent / 9 April 2021)

Stream it on Spotify

Vancouver-based singer songwriters Geoff Gibbons and Vicky Sjohall - known as KasēoGems - decided to use lockdown time in 2020 to collaborate remotely. The two worked on both covers and originals with acoustic instruments and an intimate feel.

Don't Go is their second single, a sentimental and romantic song that is also tinged with the sadness of losing so much over the last year. 

Sweet vocals and vocal harmonies light up this expressive track; the duo is proof of the adage about being greater than the sum of its individual parts. They work seamlessly together despite the physical distancing.

The song has the pure expression and emotion of country and roots, with layers of delicate instrumentation and harmonies that build to a lush peak.

Check out the video below. 

Stay in touch:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaseogems/Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-979992969Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaseogems/

Visual Arts: The Monroe Family Collection of Florida Outsider Art Boca Raton Museum of Art - Until September 5

With material from a release:

An Irresistible Urge to Create: The Monroe Family Collection of Florida Outsider Art
Boca Raton Museum of Art
On view until September 5, 2021

Check Out The Show

What is real art? And who is a real artist? In our Western society, an artist is typically considered to be someone whose talent has been schooled and trained, and who makes a living through the gallery/museum and art auction system. 

Untitled by Ron Hardee

The rest of us might doodle along sometimes, but that's not art....or is it?

What is called Outsider Art is created by self-taught or so-called naïve art makers, and it's being given space in the mainstream art world at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida this summer.

An Irresistible Urge to Create: The Monroe Family Collection of Florida Outsider Art is the most comprehensive exhibition of its kind, on view at the Boca Raton Museum of Art until September 5th. The show presents 86 works by 44 Florida outsider artists, and will be featured at three major museums over the next two years. 

This is the first time a museum has presented this definitive group of artists with an exhibition of this size and scope. Against the odds, many of these artists created obsessively to escape from their worlds that were often full of personal struggles.

The show comes from the personal collection of photographer Gary Monroe, who amassed several hundred works of art by combing the state of Florida from Key West to Jacksonville to Pensacola to find what he called "Florida’s renegade artists."

"I am a working artist," explains artist and art collector extraordinaire Gary Monroe, whose collection makes up the exhibition. 

He started with buying garish postcards of unusual art as a student. "When I discovered these people with no training, it complemented what we'd learned in art school."

In the catalogue for the exhibition, Gary describes meeting George Voronovsky, one of the artists, in South Beach in 1978.

George welcomed me into his room, and I entered another world. He painted remembrances of his childhood in Ukraine to cover his white walls because the empty spaces bothered him. He wanted bursts of lively colors there instead. Truth be told, the paintings transported him back to his charmed youth, far away from his troubled adult life. The images were personal and heartwarming, the kind of art that feeds the spirit. The paintings amazed me; the more I saw, the more intrigued I became.

Most of George Voronovsky’s works have never been seen before. Gary's been the custodian of his works (among those of other artists) for almost four decades. 

Untitled by George Voronovsky

"Before digital technology, I realized it would be better to own the art," he explains. In relatively short order, he found himself with 800+ pieces of art.

In the mid-1990s when he started his exploration of what is now fashionably called Outsider Art, there was no scene or place for it in the established world of visual arts. "There was nothing," he says. He began by documenting what he found. "I'm the most prolific non-commercial photographer in Florida."

As the search for Outsider Art took on a life of its own, he describes it as the antidote to a kind of mid-career bump - that feeling of being in search of a new source of inspiration. Gary eventually about it which became a seminal reference on the subject.

I would never discount the experience of art school or training, but it is the sense of pure expression that captivates in the collection of Outsider art - a purity that often falls by the wayside in the development of formal technique. While contemporary art is often conceptual and intellectual in nature, here, it's all emotion. 

Some of their life stories are themselves extraordinary. From a media release:

Purvis Young created thousands of paintings of the Overtown inner city neighborhood. They are referred to as visual revelations of a moral vision, often painted on scrap wood. In 2018, he was posthumously inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. His work is found in several collections, including the American Folk Art Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Rubell Museum, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the High Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Do the artists see themselves as outsiders to the art world?

"Most of them don't see themselves as artists anyway," Gary says. He also sees something of the true spirit of Florida in all its independence in their practices.

Untitled by Purvis Young

In contrast with times past, Gary says his recent experience in Boca Raton was welcoming, and he mentions Art Museum Executive Director Irvin Lippman as being especially receptive to the show.

"They've been astonished," he says of the reaction to his collection. "They are floored by the unfettered emotionalism of it." Media response has been overwhelming, with many caught up in the spirit of the works.

"That spirit is central to being an artist," he says of the artists' ability to tap into their emotions so directly. There's another aspect for collectors to consider. "This work is still affordable."

That may change, however, if the show continues to garner as much attention as it has so far. Gary mentions The Highwaymen, a group of Black Florida artists who similarly began in obscurity and have seen the value of their work rise to several thousand dollars a piece. "I've watched them become integrated into the art world," he says.

Still, success can be a double-edged sword when the charm of the work lies in its spontaneous creativity. "It can lose its sense of urgency," he says.

Expression vs. technique - it's the balancing act that every artist has to contend with; how to take pure expression and turn it into something others can experience visually.

An Irresistible Urge to Create presents 86 works, many never seen before, by 44 Florida artists including: Purvis Young, George Voronovsky, Aurelia “Mama” Johnson, Frank Ritchie, Ruby “Miss Ruby” Williams, Gene Beecher, Kathy d’Adesky, Brian Dowdall, Floryan (Florian) Ludwig, Reva Freedman, Ozzie Lee “OL” Samuels, Sybil Gibson, Joey Smollon, Polly Bernard, Milton Ellis, Janice Kennedy, John Gerdes, Susanne Blankemeier, Morgan Steele, Alyne Harris, and Ed Ott. 

"For these artists, making art was as essential as breathing," says Boca Raton Museum of Art Executive Director Irvin Lippman. "Their artistic freedom was a pure, sincere and intimate means of communication."

Hot Docs Film Festival Screening Online April 29 to May 9 2021

From a media release:

Hot Docs Film Festival
Screening Online April 29 to May 9 2021

Check Out The Full Line-Up/Buy Tickets

Hot Docs is fast approaching, when you can check out some of the world's cutting edge documentaries online this year. All films will be available for streaming starting at 10:00 a.m. EST on April 29, 2021.

Here's a look at three of the many movies available to view.

It Is Not Over Yet
Director: Louise Detlefsen
Synopsis: IT IS NOT OVER YET is an immersive, life-affirming journey into the day-to-day rhythm of a controversial nursing home for people with dementia in Denmark. The founding nurse of Dagmarsminde, May Bjerre Eiby, has no interest in specific dementia diagnoses or medicine since neither improves the quality of life for her 11 residents. 

Instead, she and her staff have developed a new kind of treatment inspired by the methods introduced by Florence Nightingale 150 years ago, as well as Danish philosopher Løgstrup. ‘Compassion Treatment,’ as May calls it, prioritizes hugs, touch, talking, humor, eye contact, cake, nature, bubbles, and the joy of community. 

Having suffered the painful loss of her father due to neglect at a nursing home, Bjerre Eiby is determined to inspire a complete change in the way people with dementia are treated in the healthcare system, prioritizing holistic care and kindness over medication of any kind. 

Filmmaker Louise Detlefsen’s vérité approach offers unique access into the intimate and sometimes intense moments between residents and caregivers, providing a rarely seen and uplifting experience of aging with dignity, grace, and joy.

Lady Buds
Director: Chris J. Russo
Synopsis: Following the widely praised 2016 decision to legalize cannabis in California, six courageous women emerge from the shadows to enter the new commercial industry. As farmers, entrepreneurs and activists, these modern-day pioneers find their initial optimism is quickly replaced with uncertainty and fear as the new legislation favours deep pocketed corporations. Those who shaped the foundations of the cannabis industry for decades soon find themselves struggling to fight for their piece of the American Dream in a market they helped create. 

LADY BUDS features second-generation cannabis farmer Chiah Rodriques, 72-year old African-American retired Catholic school principal turned dispensary owner Sue Taylor, Latinx queer activist Felicia Carbajal, serial entrepreneur Karyn Wagner, and Humboldt elders The Bud Sisters. Their stories speak to the many opportunities and issues facing commercial cannabis today: the complicated dynamics of raising a family on a cannabis farm, the ongoing fight for those adversely affected by the War on Drugs, educating seniors citizens about the healing power of cannabis, and honouring the LGBTQ activists who fought for legalizing medical marijuana over 25 years ago. 

At every turn these trailblazers defy stereotypes, while revealing that cannabis is much more than a plant, it’s a community. 

In her feature debut, award-winning filmmaker Chris J. Russo offers an insightful journey into the lives and work of the women who are the backbone of the cannabis culture in California. Their struggles and triumphs paint a picture of an industry in flux as it grapples with preserving its storied heritage while looking toward the future.

Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest
Director: Mads Hedegaard
Synopsis: Kim Cannon Arm is not your average grandpa. With killer hand-eye coordination and a mean mullet, he's a legendary fixture at Copenhagen's Bip Bip Bar, and renowned for playing the 80s arcade game Gyruss for 49 hours straight on a single coin.

With help from his buddies at the bar, a community of heroic outsiders who support one another no matter what, Kim attempts to obliterate his previous record and play for 100 consecutive hours (four days!). Dense with nerdy narration and deep thoughts, quantum physics and pattern recognition, this quest follows Kim and the gang as they apply their collective knowledge to the task at hand—leaving their mark on the world and paying tribute to a fallen friend. 
In this quirky comedy, filmmaker Mads Hedegaard provides a surprisingly philosophical look at legendary world records, quirky hairdos, the importance of community, and what a real hero looks like.