Little Shell

My Ghost Dance, installed

2012-02-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

A great success! Now it's just a ghost

2012-02-05T22:31:00.001-08:00

Installation View

2012-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

2012-01-31T00:12:00.001-08:00

Come on in

2012-01-30T19:37:00.001-08:00

Ghost Dance shirt

2012-01-29T22:09:00.001-08:00

I brought it into this world...

2012-01-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

Skeletal

2012-01-29T12:25:00.001-08:00

Film Stills

2012-01-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

Preview

2012-01-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

Film tipi in action in my studio

Working

2012-01-27T20:28:00.001-08:00

Getting so close to show time!

You're invited.

2012-01-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

Screening at Warehouse 21

2011-12-24T16:51:00.001-08:00

Two of my films were screened at the Warehouse 21 Unity Bash 2011 last night. Featuring a concert by many local heroes headlined by Pictureplane and an art show in the gallery space. I was honored to be a part of the reunion celebration.

Works in progress

2011-12-15T15:47:00.001-08:00

My MFA-1 solo show is January 28 - February 4th at CalArts. Here's a taste of what I'm brewing.

2011-12-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

"No longer is the camera held by an outsider looking in; the camera is now held with brown hands opening familiar worlds. We document ourselves with a humanizing eye, we create new visions with ease, and we can turn the camera and show how we see you. The power of the image is not a new concept to the Native photographer - look at petroglyphs and ledger drawings. What has changed is the process."

- Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie

to sleep

2011-12-14T01:42:00.001-08:00

to sleep

on a chaise-lounge

with a projector by my side

to sleep

on an upset stomach

with writing to be done

to sleep

on whiskey infused exhaustion

with questions left unanswered

to sleep

on this cold night

with longing, but comfort of my work all around me

a self portrait, with new shoes

2011-12-14T01:40:00.000-08:00

The Valley

2011-12-10T12:05:00.001-08:00

making magic

2011-12-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

Minoush

2011-12-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Feeling slightly out of focus

2011-12-04T10:13:00.001-08:00

Devices of Illusion

2011-11-30T23:15:00.001-08:00

2011-11-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

"Indigenous like corn, like corn, the mestiza is a product of crossbreeding, designed for preservation under a variety of conditions. Like an ear of corn - a female seed-bearing organ - the mestiza is tenacious, tightly wrapped in the husks of her culture. Like kernels she clings to the cob; with thick stalks and strong brace roots, she holds tight to the earth - she will survive the crossroads."
- Gloria Anzaldua

nights spent dreaming

2011-11-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

3 nights in the studio, 1 night in the Jeep, 1 night in a motel room

I promised the cat I'd sleep at home this week.

But now this place is carrying ghosts.

And I'm reminiscing on Highly Refined Pirates, This is Evidence, The Photo Album.

So much more. What would I think of myself now ten years ago?

Back in Action

2011-11-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

Step 1: Load up your Jeep with cameras, film, tent and sleeping bag and drive into the desert.

Step 2: Talk to whomever talks to you, take their portraits. Answer their questions, smile, let them buy you a drink.

Step 3: Watch the bar fight, but don't get involved.

Step 4: Drink coffee.

Step 5: Opt for a motel room instead of the tent if it's below freezing. Sleep.

Step 6: Drink more coffee.

Step 7: Sit in the hot tub early in the morning and contemplate the desert and the coming rain.

Step 8: Back up the mountain, back to burned out trees. Always carry a towel to cover the cameras from the rain.

Step 9: Explore: abandoned houses, corrals, dirt roads, turbines.

Step 10: Drive West.

Pappy and Harriet's

2011-11-06T09:19:00.001-08:00

teaching makes magic

2011-11-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

Still from the hand processed roll of film we shot in the 16mm class I taught at Echo Park Film Center last week.

Camera Obscura

2011-10-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

My first grad school photo

2011-09-29T00:04:00.002-07:00

Made from three filtered black and white negatives to create a full color image.

and on the passing of another friend...

2010-08-10T02:26:00.000-07:00

and oh,

how we could've been great friends as adults.

but i just know that we picked on each other as kids

seventh grade pranks in uniform

tenth grade flirts

then loosing touch.

is this the fate of all those friends

the ones who i think i'll some day reconnect with

the ones who i wonder whatever happened to them

only to find out it's too late?

then remembering the others before

and family

and all that's left is remembering

and that was that.

I know that I left you for dead.

2010-06-13T01:20:00.001-07:00

Don't give up so soon.

And so she began to cut and sew again.
She's putting things in her suitcase
and reading old writings.
She's still missing those friends,
wondering where they've all gone.

A flat buffalo lays upon a pile of scraps.
A cat lays on a stack of bags.

Put her in your dreams, your memories
that's all that's left.

LUMBINI PARK at the Sedona International Native American Film Festival!

2010-05-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

My short film "Lumbini Park" will screen at the Sedona International Film Festival SRMG Native American Film Festival on June 5th! More info about the festival here:

http://www.nafestival.com/films.htm

morning on the hill

2010-04-21T11:41:00.001-07:00

Coastal House

2010-04-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday Afternoon Poolside

2010-04-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

March morning, things growing.

2010-03-08T14:56:00.004-08:00

Hello blog.

It's been a while. I've been bustling about the Echo Park Film Center, and keeping very up to date with that blog while slightly ignoring my own. I plan to update more often in the near future. Stories, photos, maybe even films. There's inspiration stirring in the air.

This morning I hopped on the EPFC Filmmobile for my first class. We went to Venice YouthBuild and taught seven students, including their teacher, how to edit the video they shot all week. They'll be finishing up those projects tomorrow. It really is an amazing thing that we have going on here. The bus is beautiful, runs on recycled vegetable oil, and goes all over teaching people how to make films and showing great films too. Waking up to the early Los Angeles sunlight and heading out to teach video making is quite unlike any other experience. The directors envision a whole brigade of buses and I'm completely into the idea. We can start a veg powered filmmobile revolution!

Happy Holidays from Leonard Peltier

2009-12-24T12:42:00.001-08:00

Forwarded on behalf of the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info

Greetings and happy holidays. I hope this letter finds you all
enjoying the spirit of the season with family and friends.

My August parole denial was appealed in short order. We are expecting
a response to that appeal sometime very soon. It has occurred to
me that the viciousness of this system knows no bounds, and so I
believe strongly in the coming days we will hear of another loss,
another denial. This one will be timed and intended specifically
as a twisted Christmas present for me, such is the nature of those
in charge. With no sense of balance, fairness, or decency, I await
my own personal stocking stuffer.

We all know the so-called justice system of this country is
more about revenge and retribution than finding true and just
resolution. It doesn't take into account the plight of the wrongfully
convicted, nor does it allow flexibility as human endeavors always
require. This system has always been about making money at the top,
furthering careers in the middle, and forgetting those at the bottom.

Their reason for denying my parole is that I refuse to admit guilt
and show remorse for the deaths of two FBI agents. I know the
righteousness of my situation. I know what I did and didn't do. I
will never yield.

I also know what this country did and continues to do to me and many
others. While they demand I make a false confession for the sake of
my freedom, they show no remorse for the loss of much of my life,
or the lives of Joe Stuntz and countless others they have murdered
over the generations simply for being who they were. Those lives
are meaningless when compared to their precious FBI, I guess. And
now, some of the very ones responsible for the deaths and suffering
of so many of my people, are peddling books and claiming to be a
friend of the Indian. We've seen this before, and I'll speak more
about this soon.

I remain proud of what I have stood for and mindful of what real
justice is. In this season of love and forgiveness, please say a
prayer for all of those who never knew justice and others who have
such difficulty in finding it still today.

My love and my prayers go out to all of you.

Happy Holidays.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,

Leonard Peltier
Time to set him free... Because it is the RIGHT thing to do.

Friends of Peltier
http://www.FreePeltierNow.org

Akshay is visiting from India, he's a really good photographer!

2009-11-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.akshayphoto.com/c/akshaymahajan

Reconsider Columbus Day

2009-10-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

A chain letter from my Jewish Mother

2009-10-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

THINGS I DIDN'T LEARN IN HEBREW SCHOOL

1. The High Holidays have absolutely nothing to do with marijuana.

2. Where there's smoke, there may be salmon.

3. No meal is complete without leftovers.

4. According to Jewish dietary law, pork and shellfish may be eaten only in Chinese restaurants.

5. A shmata is a dress that your husband's ex is wearing.

6. You need ten men for a minion, but only four in polyester pants and white shoes for pinochle.

7. One mitzvah can change the world; two will just make you tired.

8. After the destruction of the Second temple, God created Nordstroms.

9. Anything worth saying is worth repeating a thousand times.

10. Never take a front row seat at a Bris..

11. Next year in Jerusalem. The year after that, how about a nice cruise?

12. Never leave a restaurant empty handed.

13. Spring ahead, fall back, winters in Boca.

14. WASP's leave and never say good bye; Jews say good bye and never leave.

15. Always whisper the names of diseases.

16.. If it tastes good, it's probably not kosher.

17. The important Jewish holidays are the ones on which alternate side of the street parking is suspended

18. Without Jewish mothers, who would need therapy?

19. If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it. But if you can afford it, make sure to tell everybody what you paid.

20. Laugh now, but one day you'll be driving a Lexus and eating dinner at 4:00 PM in Florida ..

SIGNS ON SYNAGOGUE
BULLETIN BOARDS

1. Under same management for over 5763 years.

2. Don't give up. Moses was once a basket case.

3. What part of "Thou shalt not" don't you understand?

4. Shul committees should be made up of three members, two of whom should be absent at every meeting.

5. Sign over the urinal in a bathroom at Hebrew University : "The future of the Jewish people is in your hands."

More Jewish Stuff

6. My mother is a typical Jewish mother. Once she was on jury duty They sent her home. She insisted SHE was guilty.

7. Any time a person goes into a delicatessen and orders a pastrami on white bread, somewhere a Jew dies.

8. It was mealtime during a flight on El Al. "Would you like dinner?," the flight attendant asked Moshe, seated in front. "What are my choices?," Moshe asked. "Yes or no," she replied.

9. An elderly Jewish man is knocked down by a car and is brought to the local hospital. A pretty nurse tucks him into bed and says, "Mr. Gevarter, are you comfortable?" Gevarter replies, "I make a nice living ....."

10. A rabbi was opening his mail one morning. Taking a single sheet of paper from an envelope he found on it only one word: "shmuck." At the next Friday night service, the Rabbi announced, "I have known many people who have written letters and forgot to sign their names, but this week I received a letter from someone who signed his name...and forgot to write a letter.

11. Three Jewish women get together for lunch. As they are being seated in the restaurant, one takes a deep breath and gives a long, slow "oy." The second takes a deep breath as well and lets out a long, slow "oy" The third takes a deep breath and says impatiently, "Girls, I thought we agreed that we weren't going to talk about our children."

12. And one final favorite: A waiter comes over to a table full of Jewish women and asks, "Is anything right?

Pirate Radio trailer!

2009-09-21T10:09:00.001-07:00

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

I Am Barack Obam's Political Prisoner Now by Leonard Peltier

2009-09-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.counterpunch.org/
September 11-13, 2009

If Only the Government Had Respected Its Own Laws...
I Am Barack Obama's Political Prisoner Now
By LEONARD PELTIER

T he United States Department of Justice has once again made a mockery of its lofty and pretentious title.

After releasing an original and continuing disciple of death cult leader Charles Manson (sic - Lynette Squeaky Fromme) who attempted to shoot President Gerald Ford, an admitted Croatian terrorist, and another attempted assassin of President Ford under the mandatory 30-year parole law, the U.S. Parole Commission deemed that my release would "promote disrespect for the law."

If only the federal government would have respected its own laws, not to mention the treaties that are, under the U.S. Constitution, the supreme law of the land, I would never have been convicted nor forced to spend more than half my life in captivity. Not to mention the fact that every law in this country was created without the consent of Native peoples and is applied unequally at our expense. If nothing else, my experience should raise serious questions about the FBI's supposed jurisdiction in Indian Country.

The parole commission's phrase was lifted from soon-to-be former U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley, who apparently hopes to ride with the FBI cavalry into the office of North Dakota governor. In this Wrigley is following in the footsteps of William Janklow, who built his political career on his reputation as an Indian fighter, moving on up from tribal attorney (and alleged rapist of a Native minor) to state attorney general, South Dakota governor, and U.S. Congressman. Some might recall that Janklow claimed responsibility for dissuading President Clinton from pardoning me before he was convicted of manslaughter. Janklow's historical predecessor, George Armstrong Custer, similarly hoped that a glorious massacre of the Sioux would propel him to the White House, and we all know what happened to him.

Unlike the barbarians that bay for my blood in the corridors of power, however, Native people are true humanitarians who pray for our enemies. Yet we must be realistic enough to organize for our own freedom and equality as nations. We constitute 5% of the population of North Dakota and 10% of South Dakota and we could utilize that influence to promote our own power on the reservations, where our focus should be. If we organized as a voting bloc, we could defeat the entire premise of the competition between the Dakotas as to which is the most racist. In the 1970s we were forced to take up arms to affirm our right to survival and self-defense, but today the war is one of ideas. We must now stand up to armed oppression and colonization with our bodies and our minds. International law is on our side.

Given the complexion of the three recent federal parolees, it might seem that my greatest crime was being Indian. But the truth is that my gravest offense is my innocence. In Iran, political prisoners are occasionally released if they confess to the ridiculous charges on which they are dragged into court, in order to discredit and intimidate them and other like-minded citizens. The FBI and its mouthpieces have suggested the same, as did the parole commission in 1993, when it ruled that my refusal to confess was grounds for denial of parole.

To claim innocence is to suggest that the government is wrong, if not guilty itself. The American judicial system is set up so that the defendant is not punished for the crime itself, but for refusing to accept whatever plea arrangement is offered and for daring to compel the judicial system to grant the accused the right to right to rebut the charges leveled by the state in an actual trial. Such insolence is punished invariably with prosecution requests for the steepest possible sentence, if not an upward departure from sentencing guidelines that are being gradually discarded, along with the possibility of parole.

As much as non-Natives might hate Indians, we are all in the same boat. To attempt to emulate this system in tribal government is pitiful, to say the least.

It was only this year, in the Troy Davis, case, that the U.S. Supreme Court recognized innocence as a legitimate legal defense. Like the witnesses that were coerced into testifying against me, those that testified against Davis renounced their statements, yet Davis was very nearly put to death. I might have been executed myself by now, had not the government of Canada required a waiver of the death penalty as a condition of extradition.

The old order is aptly represented by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who stated in his dissenting opinion in the Davis case, "This Court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is 'actually' innocent. Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved, while expressing considerable doubt that any claim based on alleged 'actual innocence' is constitutionally cognizable."

The esteemed Senator from North Dakota, Byron Dorgan, who is now the chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, used much the same reasoning in writing that "our legal system has found Leonard Peltier guilty of the crime for which he was charged. I have reviewed the material from the trial, and I believe the verdict was fair and just."

It is a bizarre and incomprehensible statement to Natives, as well it should be, that innocence and guilt is a mere legal status, not necessarily rooted in material fact. It is a truism that all political prisoners were convicted of the crimes for which they were charged.

The truth is the government wants me to falsely confess in order to validate a rather sloppy frame-up operation, one whose exposure would open the door to an investigation of the United States' role in training and equipping goon squads to suppress a grassroots movement on Pine Ridge against a puppet dictatorship.

In America, there can by definition be no political prisoners, only those duly judged guilty in a court of law. It is deemed too controversial to even publicly contemplate that the federal government might fabricate and suppress evidence to defeat those deemed political enemies. But it is a demonstrable fact at every stage of my case.

I am Barack Obama's political prisoner now, and I hope and pray that he will adhere to the ideals that impelled him to run for president. But as Obama himself would acknowledge, if we are expecting him to solve our problems, we missed the point of his campaign. Only by organizing in our own communities and pressuring our supposed leaders can we bring about the changes that we all so desperately need. Please support the Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee in our effort to hold the United States government to its own words.

I thank you all who have stood by me all these years, but to name anyone would be to exclude many more. We must never lose hope in our struggle for freedom.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,

Leonard Peltier
Leonard Peltier #89637-132
USP-Lewisburg
US Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837

Time to set him free... Because it is the RIGHT thing to do.

Friends of Peltier
http://www.FreePeltierNow.org

LaFountains! (Watch out for us)

2009-09-14T09:29:00.002-07:00

From "Jen's New Mexico Blog"

Only in New Mexico: 88th Annual Indian Market kicked off by first-ever Indian Arts and Culture Week
August 19th, 2009

Happy summer!

Yesterday Southwestern Association of Indian Arts Executive Director Bruce Bernstein announced the memorialization of a new and special week for NM: Indian Arts and Culture Week–which will culiminate in the world renown Indian Market, August 22 and 23 here in Santa Fe. This is an event that showcases the finest in Native Art from around the state, giving visitors a chance to shake hands with the artisans responsible for both contemporary and tradition productions in everything from clothing and jewerly to painting and pottery.

Read Inez Russell’s article on the ribbon cutting here: http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Ceremony-kicks-off-Indian-Arts-and-Cultural-Week

For general information on Indian Market, visit www.swaia.org.

Let me now introduce Ken Lingad, who has personally represented some of the Southwest’s best Native artists. Ken tells us some of his tips for this year’s artists.

I was honored to wear a Fritz Casuse's contemporary take on the squash blossom necklace.

I was honored to wear Fritz Casuse's contemporary take on the squash blossom necklace.

Ken Lingad’s Best Bets for Indian Market

Jennifer Hobson: You’re known as a specialist in American Indian art of the Southwest. As we head into what promises to be another spectacular Indian Market season, are there specific artists you have your sights on?

Ken Lingad: I always keep a finger on the pulse of new and established talents, alike. There are some stellar standouts every few years, and this year will see a select few, in my opinion. For example, I stated last year in Santa Fean magazine that Picuris Jeweler Tol-pi-yine Simbola was on my radar – this year he was honored by SWAIA with a Youth Fellowship Award. If you haven’t planned on making it to his booth, get there.

JH: Are you following other jewelry artists?

KL: Absolutely. Samuel LaFountain, Melanie Kirk-Lente, Steve LaRance, Pat Pruitt, Cody Sanderson, and Kathy Whitman-Elk Woman. I’m looking forward to being significantly impressed by Fritz Casuse – he raises the bar for all of his peers and juniors.

JH: Who’s on your pottery list?

KL: I will be checking out Marvis Aragon’s pottery works, in addition to Goldenrod, Dominique Toya, and Ed Kabotie. I expect Santa Clara Pueblo artist Autumn Borts-Medlock to keep reaching even newer heights of near-perfection with skillful precision and clarity of thematic development.

JH: You’ve personally managed some of the biggest names in Contemporary Native Art, specifically painters. Who impresses you?

KL: I would have to say – hands down – C.J. Wells. If you can get anything of hers, do it now. Unlike many other artists, the sheer depth and quality of C.J.’s masterpieces justify the consistent rise in market value. While other artists have come and gone in Santa Fe, C.J. remains a force that cannot be reckoned with – only honored. I can stare at her pieces for hours. I do stare at her pieces for hours.

Mateo Romero continues to blow my mind, while other talents on my radar (not relegated to a specific medium) include Sheridan McKnight, Ryan Singer, Eve LaFountain, Wanesia Spry-Misquadace, Dyani Reynolds-White Hawk, and the legendary Ed NoiseCat.

JH: Great information Ken; I hope I can pick your brain again at some point regarding the art scene.

KL: Definitely! I am particularly excited about the energy a handful of new galleries are bringing to the table.

About Ken Lingad:

Ken Lingad (Isleta Pueblo) is a recognized authority on Southwest American Indian Art and Culture. He works frequently with organizations such as the SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC), Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA), and other scholarly institutions. Working behind the scenes on some of Santa Fe’s most successful large-scale exhibition premieres, Lingad remains a significant figure on the city’s fine art scene.

As you peruse the wonder of New Mexico’s Native Art this weekend, enjoy some of the summer’s best weather too–we have been loving the hot, clear days and cool high desert nights.

Jen

Zozobra! BURN HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! QUE VIVA!

2009-09-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Joshua Tree

2009-09-05T15:11:00.002-07:00

not sure about this...

2009-09-02T09:42:00.002-07:00

The Adventures of One eskimO could be a giant leap for Native people into a mainstream eye or it could just be another story of the past (looks more likely based on the trailer) where a little Indian goes in search of his love Little Feather and has a mystical connection with animals. It looks like Disney's Pocahontas all over again but with a boy character and an indie band sound track.

Check out this article for more info.

New Dandy Warhols video (i love it)

2009-08-11T12:49:00.001-07:00

The Exiles - A Film by Kent Mackenzie - Home

2009-08-09T14:40:00.001-07:00

The Exiles - A Film by Kent Mackenzie - Home

Shared via AddThis

Who wants to come to this with me? please!

2009-08-05T13:17:00.001-07:00

FREE OUTDOOR SCREENING THIS FRIDAY - THE EXILES (8/7/09) - 8 PM

The Exiles chronicles one night in the lives of young Native American men and women living in the Bunker Hill district of Los Angeles. Based entirely on interviews with the participants and their friends, the film follows a group of exiles — transplants from Southwest reservations — as they flirt, drink, party, fight, and dance. UCLA film preservationist Ross Lipman will introduce Kent McKenzie’s amazing 1961 film. The screening will take place outside on Hill Street between 3rd and 4th streets in downtown LA. Bring a chair and snacks to share. FREEEEEE!

Electric Feel

2009-07-31T10:48:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtUI5MC9tVM

A Serious Man trailer

2009-07-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

New Coen brother's Focus Film!

http://www.apple.com/trailers/focus_features/aseriousman/

Mud Stencils

2009-07-10T11:52:00.003-07:00

I really like this idea: Mud Stencils (follow the link to see the work of Jesse Graves who makes mud stencils).

Who's up for running around LA and tagging with mud?

There Will Be Blood: A short history of vampire films Movie News, Online videos, trailers and movies.

2009-07-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

Thirst FilmInFocus | Film News | There Will Be Blood: A short history of vampire films Movie News, Online videos, trailers and movies.

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Flavorpill and Wanderlust want to send you to Tahoe

2009-07-08T14:30:00.001-07:00

"Yoga and Spoon together in the mountains (which are near a desert?) Seriously, this could not be the more perfect trip for me. Help me get there for free!"

Flavorpill is sending a couple people to Wanderlust, a yoga and music festival in Tahoe, featuring Spoon and Girl Talk.

If you sign up for the free email (it's great, you want it anyway), I get a chance to win. Let's do it!

View >>

Woodstock Lovers

2009-07-07T18:20:00.002-07:00

40 years after Woodstock, this infamously photographed couple are still together.

Seriously read this story from the New York Daily News, it is so cute!

Dennis Lim on the 2009 Flaherty Film Seminar for ArtForum (I wish I could've gone!)

2009-07-07T17:18:00.002-07:00

Found at http://artforum.com/film/

Class Consciousness
07.02.09

Left: Colgate University. Right: Pawel Wojtasik, Autopsy, 2008, still from a color video in HD, 23 minutes.
AN ANNUAL WEEKLONG MARATHON of thematically connected screenings and discussions, the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, which held its 55th edition at Colgate University from June 20 to 26, has a long and storied history as a testing ground for filmmakers and a battle zone for ideas about their work. But it is also not what most people think it is. Despite its namesake, the seminar is not devoted solely to documentaries (Flaherty, best known for Nanook of the North [1922], is generally considered the father of documentary filmmaking); narrative filmmakers have been spotlighted over the years, even though the emphasis is on nonfiction and experimental work. Despite the intensive screening schedule, it differs from almost all film festivals in privileging ideas and debate over novelty and buzz. And despite the abundance of academics, it’s more rambunctious—and less removed from the real world—than the average scholarly conference.
Founded in 1955 by Frances Flaherty, Robert’s widow and collaborator, who used to host the event at her farm in Vermont, the seminar adheres to a cardinal precept of “non-preconception.” Although some guest artists are announced ahead of time, program details are withheld from the 150 or so participants, a mix of scholars, programmers, critics, and filmmakers (some of whom are presenting work), all housed in university dorms. Each highly regimented day features six or seven hours of screenings and four or five hours of discussions (much more if you count the conversations over cafeteria meals and late-night drinks). At the seminar’s beginning, discussions tend to meander and sputter, but hot spots and fault lines eventually emerge. Alternately invigorating and infuriating, the Flaherty is, above all, a truly collective experience. By midweek, you realize that the group, as if by some alchemical process, has become its own living, breathing (and increasingly sleep-deprived) organism.
This year’s guest programmer, Irina Leimbacher, the former artistic director of the San Francisco Cinematheque, brought together more than forty works, ranging from shorts to features to installations (and even documentations of those installations), under the rubric “Witnesses, Monuments, Ruins.” (Full disclosure: I will be serving as the guest programmer for the 2010 seminar.) Leimbacher’s charged theme ensured that historical trauma was a constant. All week, questions surfaced about the responsibility and reliability of the filmmaker as witness; the power and pitfalls of direct address and the first-person form; the loaded notions of culpability, victimhood, and forgiveness. Many works revolved around what often remains unseen and unheard: the joys and trials of daily life in occupied Baghdad (Kasim Abid’s moving, if somewhat shapeless, two-part domestic chronicle Life After the Fall); the Indian subcontinent’s history of sexual violence against women (Amar Kanwar’s immersive eight-channel video installation The Lightning Testimonies); the hidden recesses of the human body (Pawel Wojtasik’s wondrous, Brakhage-referencing memento mori Autopsy).
Heavy on overlooked and underappreciated artists, this year’s seminar afforded plenty of opportunities for discovery and rediscovery. It was a treat to see the all too rarely screened film-poems of the veteran avant-gardist Chick Strand (suffering from terminal cancer and unable to attend) and the lyric documentaries of Saint Petersburg’s Pavel Medvedev, whose almost Tarkovsky-esque sensibility would likely have made him a festival darling by now if he worked in the feature-length format. At the Flaherty, of course, discovery means not just new films but also new connections, sparks that come from provocative juxtapositions and from encountering relatively familiar and established filmmakers, like the Paris-based, Mali-born Abderrahmane Sissako, in an unexpected context. Sissako’s 2006 feature, Bamako, a fantastical polemic that puts the World Bank and the IMF on trial for Africa’s economic woes, crystallized many of the seminar’s bubbling concerns. An act of testimony and of symbolic justice, here was a film that affirmed the power of the spoken word even as it revealed the limits of language.
“Flaherty at MoMA: The Films of Abderrahmane Sissako” runs at the Museum of Modern Art through July 2. The monthly Flaherty NYC series, featuring selections from this year’s seminar, begins in September; for more details, click here.
— Dennis Lim
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This is going a little too far

2009-07-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

Watch CBS Videos Online

It's certainly been my solution!

2009-06-24T15:32:00.001-07:00

NATALIE PORTMAN & RASHIDA JONES Speak Out Again from Natalie Portman

Jay Leno is definitely on vacation

2009-06-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

Donkey

2009-06-07T17:47:00.002-07:00

While driving through the Mojave Desert en route to Las Vegas we stopped for gas.

This donkey lived at the gas station.

This was the first truck we saw when we got back on the highway.

This is definitely America.

Elivs at Sunrise

2009-06-07T17:17:00.002-07:00

Bat for Lashes

2009-04-29T19:29:00.001-07:00

2009-04-16T10:22:00.003-07:00

Friends-

I'm writing to let you know about an exciting new film I heard about called "SLEEP DEALER," which is opening this weekend on Friday, April 17th.

It's a science-fiction, but has nothing do to with space aliens, or cops who shoot robots.

SLEEP DEALER is a film of ideas; and it looks at the future from a perspective never seen before: from south of the border, looking at America from the outside.

A.O. Scott of The New York Times says: SLEEP DEALER is "Exuberantly entertaining -- a dystopian fable of globalization disguised as a science-fiction adventure...."

According to everything I've seen and heard, SLEEP DEALER is a thriller filled with lush visuals and big ideas about the future of war, immigration, the environment, and the border.

There's more information here: http://sleepdealer.com and reviews and stills from the film below.

As we all, know, audiences on opening weekend determine the future of a film. I'm wondering if you'd like to go with me, or organize a group to support this film and in the process support the idea of a more wild, diverse, and relevant cinema?

Again, the opening is this weekend, Friday April 17th, in Los Angeles and New York.

Hope to see you there!

---
The New York Times
Exuberantly entertaining -- a dystopian fable of globalization disguised as a science-fiction adventure.... Mr. Rivera is a brilliant young director and takes his audience into a future of "aqua-terrorism" and cyberlabor that I wish I could dismiss as implausible.
-A.O. Scott

WIRED MAGAZINE
...impressive, eye-opening...a timely message, deftly delivered... like Blade Runner and other big-brained sci-fi flicks, it's about ideas... Sleep Dealer serves up a radical vision of a troubling tomorrow...
-Jason Silverman

INDIEWIRE
A dazzling journey! True originality and artistic verve!

"Sleep Dealer" is a film with something to say about humanity and its relationship with technology. This sense of humanity, more than its numerous mind-blowing fantasy images is what ultimately sets "Sleep Dealer" apart.
-Steve Ramos

PAPER MAGAZINE
Brilliant and bizarre-ass... A stellar moment in independent filmmaking!
-Rebecca Carroll

THE GUARDIAN OF LONDON
... Rivera revives the promise of an American independent cinema that can intervene in our world, imagine the worst, hope for the best - and entertain like mad along the way.
-B. Ruby Rich

The New York Times
"Sleep Dealer" taps into the cultural and economic fears that have come with a globalized planet... For all its newfangled trappings "Sleep Dealer" reasserts a narrative as old as this country...
-Dennis Lim

From Alex:

I'm writing to let you know that a labor of love - a film I've been working on for twelve years (ouch!) is finally making it to movie theaters. SLEEP DEALER will be in theaters THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 17th in Los Angeles and New York.

SLEEP DEALER is a Sundance award-winning sci-fi thriller that looks at the future from a perspective we've never seen before: from south of the border, looking at America from the outside.

Thanks so much for checking out SLEEP DEALER. It's my first feature film, and in some ways, a humble film. But it's an honest attempt to do something radically new with cinema. I hope you enjoy it and that we connect again soon.

Un abrazo!

Alex

---

ahahahha! (the end is the best part)

2009-04-09T11:31:00.001-07:00

Congrats to Alex Rivera on the theatrical release of Sleep Dealer in theaters April 17!

2009-04-07T11:34:00.001-07:00

2009-03-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

2009-03-16T17:07:00.000-07:00

Go Jolene!

p.s.
Thanks Erik for the link!

Unfortunately...I kinda get it...

2009-03-03T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hollywood ASST from Back of the Class on Vimeo.

I wrote my first press release!

2009-02-26T14:33:00.001-08:00

SEASON 2 FINALE OF USA’s HIT SERIES
“BURN NOTICE” THURSDAY, MARCH 5
USA continues to deliver the best in television with the critically acclaimed hit series BURN NOTICE. Don’t miss the second season’s explosive finale premiering Thursday, March 5 at 10/9C on USA Network.
BURN NOTICE is the hottest show on television this winter as it finishes up its second season, delivering the best numbers for the series. BURN NOTICE is averaging 5.05 million total viewers, 2.65 million in P25-54, 2.41 million in P18-49 and a household rating of 3.78 . BURN NOTICE has been dominating cable competition and beating broadcast competition in key demo's as well.

LESSER EVIL – Episode 16
In the season finale, Michael Westin (Jeffery Donovan) learns some surprising facts about Victor's (Michael Shanks) past, and is forced to take on the sexy, whip-smart Carla (Tricia Helfer), Michael’s only contact at the mysterious organization that burned him, in a final showdown. Will Michael finally find out who burned him? Tune in to find out.

For more information about the show or to watch the full episode, please log on to www.usanetwork.com/press/burnnotice. Password: characters
For photos of BURN NOTICE, please log on to the NBC Universal Media Village at http://www.nbcumv.com/.

Interview

2009-02-24T13:07:00.002-08:00

Mickey Rourke: Let me ask you one question.
Christopher Walken: Yeah.
Mickey Rourke: Where did the dinosaurs go?
Christopher Walken: They're sitting in the tree outside.

ArtCycle!

2009-02-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

Masstransiscope

2009-02-23T10:03:00.004-08:00

Bill Brand, my professor and mentor, has restored his infamous Masstransiscope installation in the New York City Subway. Check out this article in the New York Times!

1980

2009

Also check out the Masstransiscope blog.

just think of it as public art

2009-02-20T15:03:00.001-08:00

if only this wasn't an add...

watch this one first:

then watch the making of:

SAVE THE SEA TURTLES!!!!!

2009-02-19T10:32:00.001-08:00

Please sign this petition to save sea turtles, the most majestic creatures on earth, from evil fishing lines.

Colbert saw Paul McCartney...and so did I!

2009-02-11T20:24:00.001-08:00

2009-02-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

TONIGHT! I'm in Santa Fe! If you're in Santa Fe, you should come!

2008-11-14T10:00:00.007-08:00

NATIVE UNDERGROUND 2008Nov. 14 Panel Discussion Features Artists who put Native Traditions on Fast Forward Santa Fe, N.M.— Emerging Native artists who put their cultural traditions on fast forward to create progressive new statements in Native art will share their work and their unique artistic points of view during “Native Underground 2008: Emerging Artists,” a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Friday, November 14, at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture on Museum Hill. The event is sponsored by Avant Garde, the young members’ group of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, with support from the Santa Fe Reporter. Admission is free for students and Avant Garde members; $5 for others.

An all-ages reception with refreshments will follow. The panel discussion, moderated by Tony Chavarria, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture Curator of Ethnology, features mixed media artist Rory Erler Wakemup, aerosol artist Jak, jeweler Jacqueline Smith, painter/illustrator Micah Wesley (also known as WereWulf), photographer/emerging film maker Eve-Lauryn LaFountain and memoirist, playwright, poet, scholar, and Indigenous peoples advocate Sara Marie Ortiz. “This group of young artists truly represents the progressive Native art movement of tomorrow,” says Avant Garde Steering Committee Member and Native jeweler David Gaussion. “These artists preserve their traditional values, yet constantly push their work forward.” While the participating artists may be considered as up-and-comers among the Santa Fe art establishment, they represent the cutting edge in the Native art scene. They include:

Mixed media artist Rory Erler Wakemup works in resin, motorcycle parts, and sometimes, toxic materials. His beautiful, highly industrial pieces demonstrate how Earth’s natural elements can endure even after years of toxic treatment by human beings. While his work may not fit stereotypes of Native art, Erler Wakemup believes that anything a Native artist creates is Native art. “If you want stereotypical Indian art (the End of the Trail, or whatever fits in that category) there are plenty of Made in China artifacts you can get for cheap,” he says. Aerosol artist Jak makes his artistic mark with spray cans. The self-described “live artist” is known for his graffiti-style commentaries on contemporary Native life. “I find a wall as another canvas to paint. I enjoy variety,” Jak says. “Not only can a wall be personal, it has the ability to be as public as you want it to be, which creates a larger circle of dialogue and critical analysis.” Jak’s paintings have been exhibited in Santa Fe, Denver and Point Arena, California.

Jeweler Jacqueline Smith, a senior at the Institute of American Indian Arts, creates jewelry that combines organic, cast elements like seedpods or cedar pieces with such smooth, shiny materials as black pearls or synthetic diamonds. She uses a wide variety of metals in her work to explore various finishes and colors. Painter Micah “WereWulf” Wesley’s influences run the gamut from pop culture icons to graffiti. The self-described “lowbrow” artist has exhibited his work in at least 15 shows and currently has work at Pop Gallery in Santa Fe.

Photographer/Filmmaker Eve-Lauryn LaFountain recently moved to LA after participating in the Disney/ABC Television and Film Workshop at IAIA. She returns to Santa Fe to talk about her photography, for which she has already won many awards (including most recently at the Santa Fe Indian Market) and her latest film Lumbini Park, which will screen at this year's American Indian Film Festival.

Memoirist, playwright, poet, scholar and Indigenous peoples advocate Sara Marie Ortiz of Acoma Pueblo is a 2006 graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts who currently is pursuing her MFA in creative writing at Antioch University Los Angeles. She is the recipient of several literary awards, among them the Truman Capote literary fellowship. Among her published works of creative nonfiction is the Creation Story, published in Sovereign Bones: New Native American Writing (Nation Books) and Letters from Young Activists (Nation Books). Her new works of poetry will soon appear in The Kenyon Review and an upcoming issue of Sentence, the premiere literary journal of the prose poem in 2009.

Now in its third year, Avant Garde’s Native Underground had been an important step in the careers of other emerging Native artists whose work continues to draw attention. Of the artists who participated in the 2006 event: Ira Lujan received a fellowship from the Southwestern Association of Indian Affairs and awards at Indian Market; Jolene Nenibah Yazzie is featured in the Comic Art Indigene exhibit currently at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; Hoke Skenadore’s work is currently featured at the Heard Museum in Phoenix; and Wayne Nez Gaussion was featured in the Young Jewelers: Forging a Future exhibit at the Heard Museum.

2007 Native Underground artists have also made their mark: Marla Allison received an award for innovation at Indian Market; Jared Chavez was featured in the Young Jewelers: Forging a Future exhibit at the Heard Museum; Dyani Reynolds Whitehawk’s work is now carried at Legends Gallery in Santa Fe; and April Holder has work in the Bare Nation exhibit in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Avant Garde’s mission is to engage a younger audience in New Mexico’s museums in a fun and educational way. Avant Garde also promotes and supports young and emerging artists in New Mexico and beyond. Avant Garde is free to current Museum of New Mexico Foundation members, ages 21 to 45. Call 505-982-6366, ext. 100, or visit http://www.museumfoundation.org/ to join. For information about Native Underground, call Ann Scheflen at 505-982-6366, ext. 108, or visit www.museumfoundation.org/ag.php For information about how to join the Museum of New Mexico Foundation,visit http://www.museumfoundation.org/ or call 505.982.6366, ext. 108.* * *

the fabulous life of los angeles

2008-10-28T00:08:00.006-07:00

Last Saturday I went to the Palasades and drank a lot of really good wine from a wine cellar and bar-b-qued some delicious veggies. This was all following an afternoon in the sun sitting by a big pool/hot tub with a waterfall. As if that wasn't good enough I slept in a bed that I swear was bigger than a king size, no joke.
Tuesday I met Michel Gondry at a book signing. Daniel and I arrived late though and didn't get to see him speak. Neither of us really wanted to buy the 50 page pamphlet like book so I decided to "Swede" his book. If you didn't see 'be kind rewind' then you don't know what I'm talking about and it's too much to explain here right now in my slightly incoherent ramble about "livin' the life." Basically I made a book with an illustrated story of how we wanted to meet him but didn't get there early enough to see him speak. He was amazed when we got up to the table saying, in his tres adorable french accent, "They sveded my book! They sveded by book!" and then asked if I would sign it for him. That's right, I met Michel Gondry at a book signing for his new book and I signed a book and gave it to him! Woah.

He signed my post-it note and then we took the most awkward photo ever:
After that we headed to Hollywood and went to some bars with Emily-Rose, Josh Lee, and our new friend Erin.
On Thursday I went to a super ritzy restaurant Lola's (the kind you have to make reservations at) on Fairfax, most likely just filled with slightly famous people I've never heard of. Then we (my new friend Cassidy and I) went to an equally swanky bar made of marble and glass called the Crown Club, where I had the best dirty martini I've ever drank. This was followed by a series of cocktails the bartender, Richard, told me nothing about and were soon deemed the "Delicious." The DJ played Spoon twice in that night and I obviously danced harder than anyone else in the club.
Friday, after working on an awkward Disney show called "Sonny with a Chance" I went with Josh to the wrap party of Twilight, the teen vampire movie he's been working on that's supposedly gonna take off like Harry Potter with blood drawing fangs. I quickly charmed my way into the circle of film people deciding that I would do yoga with the sound designer/composer, who's amazingly huge Bel Air house we were at. He happens to be the guy who did sound for great films like The Thin Red Line and the Lion King. He gave me the most amazing little amulet that is a turtle on one side and a Buddha on the other.

Sunday night we all went to a comedy show at the Upright Citizen's Brigade hosted by Jeff Garlin from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Then we all went dancing to funk/soul at a little joint called Short Stop that used to be an old Police Headquarters (or something along those lines). Many beers later we closed down the place and at around 2:30 or 3am we bought cheese and jalapeno tamales out of the trunk of some guy's car.
Today I gave a tour of NBC (as per my work duties) and then worked at the Tonight Show (yes the one with Jay Leno) where I got to see Michelle Obama talk about Barak's romantic side. Chris Rock made a nod, in joke form, about the pages, which excited all of us to know that we've been noticed.
This week on the show I'll see Sarah Silverman, the Cold War Kids, the Kooks, and Deathcab for Cutie.

I heart LA.

Los Angeles I'm Yours or I'm an NBC Page

2008-10-14T23:51:00.005-07:00

I moved to Los Angeles, got an amazing apartment, a vintage 1950's dinette set, and I love my job. More details to come, but for now read this article and blog post below about my kick ass (entry level) job:

Nbc: Harvard Less Selective Than NBC's Grueling Page Program

this is truly amazing.

2008-09-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

if only all people had so much compassion.

Eve Ensler on Sarah Palin

2008-09-17T10:34:00.001-07:00

Eve Ensler
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Eve Ensler, the American playwright,
performer, feminist and activist best known for "The Vagina Monologues", wrote the following about Sarah Palin. Drill, Drill, Drill I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. Idreamt last night that she was amember of a club where they rodesnowmobiles and wore the claws of drownedand starved polar bears around theirnecks. I have a particular thing forPolar Bears. Maybe it's their snowywhiteness or their bigness or the factthat they live in the arctic or that Ihave never seen one in person ortouched one. Maybe it is the fact thatthey live so comfortably on ice.Whatever it is, I need the polar bears. I don't like raging at women. I am aFeminist and have spent my lifetrying to build community, help empowerwomen and stop violence againstthem. It is hard to write about SarahPalin. This is why the Sarah Palinchoice was all the more insidious andcynical. The people who made thischoice count on the goodness andsolidarity of Feminists. But everything Sarah Palin believes inand practices is antithetical toFeminism which for me is part of one story-- connected to saving theearth, ending racism, empowering women,giving young girls options, openingour minds, deepening tolerance, and endingviolence and war. I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket isone of the most dangerouschoices of my lifetime, and should thiscountry chose those candidates thefall-out may be so great, the destructionso vast in so many areas thatAmerica may never recover. But what isequally disturbing is the impactthat duo would have on the rest of theworld. Unfortunately, this is not ajoke. In my lifetime I have seen theclownish, the inept, the bizarre beelected to the presidency with regularity. Sarah Palin does not believe inevolution. I take this as a metaphor. Inher world and the world of Fundamentalistsnothing changes or gets betteror evolves. She does not believe in globalwarming. The melting of thearctic, the storms that are destroying ourcities, the pollution and riseof cancers, are all part of God'splan. She is fighting to take the polarbears off the endangered species list. Theearth, in Palin's view, is hereto be taken and plundered. The wolves andthe bears are here to be shot andplundered. The oil is here to be taken andplundered. Iraq is here to betaken and plundered. As she said herselfof the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God." Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion.She does not believe women whoare raped and incested and ripped openagainst their will should have aright to determine whether they have theirrapist's baby or not. She obviously does not believe in sexeducation or birth control. Iimagine her daughter was practicingabstinence and we know how many babiesthat makes. Sarah Palin does not much believe inthinking. From what I gather she hastried to ban books from the library, has atendency to dispense with peoplewho think independently. She cannottolerate an environment of ambiguityand difference. This is a woman who couldand might very well be the nextpresident of the United States. She wouldgovern one of the most diversepopulations on the earth. Sarah believes in guns. She has her owncustom Austrian hunting rifle. Shehas been known to kill 40 caribou at aclip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air. Sarah believes in God. That is of courseher right, her private right. Butwhen God and Guns come together in thepublic sector, when war is declaredin God's name, when the rights ofwomen are denied in his name, that is theend of separation of church and state andthe undoing of everything Americahas ever tried to be. I write to my sisters. I write because Ibelieve we hold this election inour hands. This vote is a vote that willdetermine the future not just ofthe U.S., but of the planet. It willdetermine whether we create policiesto save the earth or make it foreveruninhabitable for humans. It willdetermine whether we move towards dialogueand diplomacy in the world orwhether we escalate violence throughinvasion, undermining and attack. Itwill determine whether we go for oil,strip mining, coal burning or investour money in alternatives that will freeus from dependency anddestruction. It will determine if moneygets spent on education andhealthcare or whether we build more andmore methods of killing. It willdetermine whether America is a free opentolerant society or a closed placeof fear, fundamentalism and aggression. If the Polar Bears don't move you togo and do everything in your power toget Obama elected then consider the chantthat filled the hall after Palinspoke at the RNC, "Drill DrillDrill." I think of teeth when I think ofdrills. I think of rape. I think ofdestruction. I think of domination. Ithink of military exercises that forcemindless repetition, emptying thebrain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity ordissent. I think of pain. Do we want a future of drilling? Moreholes in the ozone, in the floor ofthe sea, more holes in our thinking, inthe trust between nations andpeoples, more holes in the fabric of thisprecious thing we call life? Eve EnslerSeptember 5, 2008

Indian Market Awards

2008-09-05T14:34:00.004-07:00

Santa Fe, NM

SOUTHWESTERN ASSOCIATION FOR INDIAN ARTS ANNOUNCES IM 2008 AWARDS

Recognizing the finest and excellence in Native Arts

(SANTA FE, NM) – The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) is proud to announce the Best of Classification and Best of Show Awards. Tonight we celebrate and recognize the pinnacle of Native arts in all the major juried categories. The 2008 awards are as follows:
AWARDS LIST
Best of show: Sheldon Harvey, Painting
Best of Classification
I. Jewelry: Rebecca Begay
II. Pottery: Linda Tafoya-Sanchez
III. Painting: Sheldon Harvey *
IV. Wooden Pueblo Carving: Robert Albert
V. Sculpture: Sheldon Harvey
VI. Textiles & Basketry: Mona Laughing
VII. Diverse Arts: Jamie Okuma
VIII. Quillwork & Beadwork: Juanita Growing Thunder
IX. Youth: Trent Lee

2008 Special Awards
Adult Smile Award: Ryan Singer
Youth Smile Award: Tulane John
Eric & Barbara Dobkin Award for Innovation: Marla Allison
Institute of American Indian Arts: Peterson Yazzie
Sidney & Ruth Schultz Award for Miniatures: Rebecca Begay
Andrew Smith/Andrew Smith Gallery Award for Photography: Eve-Lauryn Little Shell LaFountain; First Place, Second Place, and Best of Division
Jean Seth Award for Traditional Basketry: Griselda Saufkie
(also 2008 lifetime achievement award recipient)
Jean Seth Award for Traditional Painting: John I. King
Indian Arts Fund, Excellence in Traditional Arts: Joseph Lugo Youngblood

For interviews, images or additional information, please contact John Paul Rangel at (505) 983-5220 or jprangel@swaia.org.

"Records of My People" 30"x40" Inkjet print on 9 sheets of antique ledger book paper from a 35mm negative
Awards: Special Andrew Smith Photography Award, First Place: Digital, Best of Division: Photography
"The Ghost Dance" 20"x24" Pigment Inkjet Print on Cottonrag Paper from 16mm film shot on a handmade motion picture camera
Award: Second Place: Digital

Not too shabby Little Shell.

my current art show

2008-09-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

Music and Art at Tesuque Village Market

You are invited to get your groove on with live music from D-Numbers,Friday September 5, Tesuque Village Market.Opening set begins at 9:30 PM.

D-Numbers is a local and very cool band with Ben Wright on the guitar,beats,loops, and synth.Brian Mayhall on bass,fender,rhodes,and loops.Paul "Feathericci"Groetzinger on drums and samples.

Artwork By:
Eve Lafountain
April Holder
Hoka Skenandor
Vieto

Werner Herzog saw a peguin run toward a mountain, away fromt the sea.

2008-08-01T14:21:00.003-07:00

you should see this. it's pretty incredible.

Dear Facebook,

2008-07-24T08:55:00.002-07:00

Due to certain circumstances, I have been taking a break from facebook. I know that I've gotten messages and wall things and all that jazz and, while I do appreciate these things, I haven't checked them in a while. I'll return some time, but for now it's better for me not to be on it. If you want to get in touch with me, call, email, write a letter, write a blog thing, whatever.
Thanks friends.

this is amazing

2008-07-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Created at the IAIA Summer Film Workshop last year. word to my peeps.

watch this, we'll put your comment in a movie! also it's super funny

2008-07-23T08:36:00.004-07:00

Courtesy of Miss Stephanie Painter, a scene from her upcoming movie The Hand Drum part of the IAIA Disney | ABC Summer Film Workshop. We're trying to get a lot of views and comments so we can get a screenshot and make Sherwin a youtube star. Help out, repost, etc.

I have Cat Power hair now.

2008-07-19T14:14:00.001-07:00

Volume One: my 16mm first film, circa 2004

2008-07-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

short movie

2008-07-17T22:21:00.002-07:00

Our first day of the film program they gave us point and shoot digital cameras and told us to make a 2 minute movie in one night...here's what I did:

ghosts and cowgirls, she and him

2008-07-17T12:51:00.001-07:00

I thought you'd like this one

2008-07-13T11:31:00.001-07:00

what i'm doing with my summer

2008-07-08T20:34:00.001-07:00

I finished my shoot today. The shortest yet at 11.5 hours. I never want to work with child actors again.

Here's our press release:

News Release
For Immediate Distribution
June 30, 2008

Contact: Marcella Ernest
Summer TV and Film Workshop Coordinator
505.424.5796 (ph)
505.424.3030 (fax)
mernest@iaia.edu

IAIA and Disney/ABC Summer Television and
Film Workshop Screening July 25th
Celebratory Dinner and Presentation Offered to Public Free of Charge

Santa Fe, NM –The public is invited to attend a special screening for the Institute of American Indian Arts and Disney/ABC Summer Television and Film Workshop on July 25, 2008 beginning at 6 p.m. The event is a culmination of six weeks of hard work by fifteen Native American students from across the country. A complementary dinner with Native cuisine will be offered, followed by a first-time viewing of several original films. Disney/ABC executives will be on hand to discuss the unique partnership between organizations and students will attend to discuss their work. The dinner and screening will take place at the Library and Technology Center on the Institute of American Indian Arts Campus, 83 Avan Nu Po Road, Santa Fe, NM. The event is free of charge and everyone is welcome.

Now in its fifth year, the Institute of American Indian Arts and Disney/ABC Summer Television and Film Workshop is a unique program offered to American Indians who are interested in the film industry. Its goal is to target students who are passionate about writing and/or producing television and film and who are considering careers in Hollywood and beyond. Television executives assist with the design and implementation of projects, and academic credit is offered at the end of the course. This year, the workshop focused on two tracks, a writer’s workshop and a production workshop.

J. Carlos Peinado (Hidatsa/Mandan), Chair of the New Media Arts Department says, “Entering the fifth year of our Disney/ABC Television and Film Workshop we are pleased to have established long term opportunities for our students in both the writing and production tracks of this course. This year promises some of our best work yet as we shift the emphasis towards a more streamlined approach to the underlying fundamentals and skills associated with quality production.”

For more details about this event please call Marcella Ernest at 505.424.5796 or email mernest@iaia.edu

###

IAIA Mission:
To empower creativity and leadership in Native arts and cultures
through higher education, lifelong learning and outreach

Talking Stick Film Festival

2008-06-29T19:51:00.002-07:00

The first annual Talking Stick Film Festival just ended and it was so amazing! Go Carin for making this all possible and I'm totally entering whatever comes out of this IAIA summer program into next years festival. These are a few (trailers) of the incredible films I saw:

Older than America by Georgina Lightning

Imprint by Michael Linn

Turquoise Rose by Holt Hamliton

Sikumi by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean

I saw a lot more and they were all pretty awesome. It was just really inspiring to be around all those Native filmmakers who are paving the way for all us upcoming Native filmmakers. I tip my hat to everyone who can do it.

Dude Vision

2008-06-24T23:06:00.002-07:00

Here's a short (30 min) movie I saw tonight at the Talking Stick Film Festival
It's totally funny.

Where you been Little Shell?

2008-06-19T17:49:00.003-07:00

1) My Div 3 show was AMAZING! Everyone loved it, professors and friends and family were all raving and excited to see where it goes! My birthday party/closing reception was totally awesome also. It began as a stressful day, but the evening of magic and love made up for it. Thank you everyone who came, wrote in my book, supported me and the other two brilliant artists I got to show with...it really made it all worth while. I finally got a chance to read through my guest-book and it was extremely touching to read all those encouragements. Thanks again to everyone who helped me pull it off. (For some reason the interweb, in all it's communicational glory, isn't letting me post pictures, but don't worry, I will post them soon!)

Also...
It's been a long time since I updated. Suffice it to say that, aside from my fabulous senior show, amazing final meeting with my faculty committee, bbqs, friends, and family visiting, I graduated from college, moved away from New England via a quick road trip to Austin in 3 days, dropped Trey off at his new city and apartment (Austin), spent a week there, drove to Santa Fe and started the Summer Film Workshop at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). whew! That's all why I haven't updated my inter-web life in a while.
At the summer workshop I'll be learning the more conventional way of making movies. So far we've been doing technical workshops, learning the Panasonic DVX100B, the Advanta-Jib, dollies, etc. as well as picking screenplays to make into movies by the end of the 6 weeks. We'll each (7 people in the program) be directing our own shorts and working on each other's crews. We already did some photo assignments and made a 2 minute video (which I'll post on here soon). All that already and it this is only the 4th day! So stay tuned back in because I'll start updating pretty regularly again.

Thanks a million times over to everyone who loves me. I was so sad to leave Hampshire and Massachusetts when it really came down to it, but I know we'll all do great things in the world beyond. Please keep in touch. I love you.

SHOW UP NOW!

2008-05-08T10:21:00.002-07:00

"It's Never Too Late to be a Cowgirl" is up and running in the Hampshire College main gallery in the Harold Johnson Library. It'll be up all day today and tomorrow. The closing reception is 7-9pm tomorrow (Friday May 9th), which is my birthday. If you're in the area and can make it to the show please come and check it out!
Thanks to everyone who helped and supported me. If you're here in spirit keep checking here at my blog to see documentation of the show and event.
Thanks!

I officially passed Division III

2008-05-01T15:51:00.002-07:00

I was passed by my committee online today! Don't get too excited though because I'm not done yet, but now I'm definitely going to graduate!

Here's a sneak peak of a multi-media image:

You'll just have to come to the show to see what it really looks like.

invite

2008-04-28T13:28:00.002-07:00

TRAILER!!! (and Virb)

2008-04-13T21:07:00.004-07:00

Although it's a little unorthodox to make a trailer for an installation, I did it anyway and here it is:

On that note, this video is hosted by virb.com, which I am now a member of. If you're on virb, which you should be, then friend me.