To aid in the selection of videos for your class and research needs, we've created a large number of filmographies on many subject areas.
If you'd like help linking streaming videos to your Canvas Course Reserves or reserving DVDs for you or your students, please contact
mediaservices@american.edu
This is a selective list of video holdings in the American University Library. Filmographies are created by doing multiple keyword searches in the catalog to capture as many titles on a topic as possible.
For complete, up-to-date holdings please search the library catalog search box on the Media Services homepage. (http://www.american.edu/library/mediaservices/) Finding Aids on the same page includes other subject oriented content.
For more information take a look at the Streaming Video Guides and Browsing Collections.
100 women architects in the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. 2009. 1 videodisc (ca. 81 min.). Documentary featuring the work and words of 6 women architects who collaborated with Frank Lloyd Wright: Marion Mahony, Isabel Roberts, Lois Davidson Gottlieb, Jane Duncombe, Eleanore Petersen, and Read Weber. DVD 10026
Agnes Martin with my back to the world. 2003. 1 videodisc (57 min.). Explores the life and work of Agnes Martin, designated by ARTnews magazine as one of the world's top ten living artists. Martin discusses her life as an artist, her views about the creative process, her film, Gabriel, and she reads from her poetry and lectures. DVD 9046
Ai Weiwei never sorry. 2012. 1 videodisc (91 min.). This is a documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government. DVD 10873
American masters: Building China modern. 2010. 1 streaming video file (53 min.). Entering the twilight of his career, I.M. Pei returns to his ancestral home of Suzhou, China to work on his most personal project do date. He is commissioned to build a modern museum in the city's oldest neighborhood which is populated by classical structures from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The enormous task is to help advance China architecturally without compromising its heritage. In the end, what began as his greatest challenge and a labor of sentiment, says Pei, ultimately becomes 'my biography.'. Streaming video.
Andy Warhol a documentary film. 2006. 1 videodisc (240 min.). A portrait of the most famous and controversial artist of the second half of the twentieth century. Explores the complete spectrum of Warhol's artistic output, from the late 1940s to his death in 1987. DVD 3258
The Angel that stands by me: Minnie Evans' paintings. 1989? Visions of paradise--contemporary folk artists of the United States. streaming video (28 min) . Presents a study of Minnie Evans, an 88-year-old Black painter from Wilmington, N.C., showing the connections between her visions, religious fervor, and art. Traces her slave ancestry and her life as an impoverished gatekeeper. Shows her in her church worshipping with her 101-year-old mother and six generations of her. Streaming video.
Anonymous was a woman. 1978. The originals, women in art. 1 videodisc (29 min.). Shows examples of folk arts and graphics created anonymously by 18th and 19th century women as items of domestic utility and decor. Drawings, prints, and brief live-action re-enactments illustrate the women's involvement in creative pursuits. DVD 9958
ANPO, art x war The art of resistance. 2010. 1 videodisc (89 min.). "...reveals the untold story of resistance to U.S. miliary bases in Japan through a collage of paintings, photographs and films by Japan's most respected artists. Their stories and their art depict the struggle against the U.S. Military presence, which provoked a national uprising in 1960 and still festers today"--Container. DVD 10305
Antonio Gaudí. 1984. 2 videodiscs (72 min.). Antonio Gaudí designed some of the world's most astonishing buildings, interiors, and parks. Takes viewers on a tour of Gaudí's truly spectacular architecture, including his massive, still-unfinished masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia cathedral. DVD 4267
Architectures 1 a collection. 2003. 1 videodisc (163 min.). A privileged, unprecedented inside look at the work of superstar architects and their most brilliant creations. Includes Germany's Bauhaus, the Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris plus the work of Jean Nouvel, Otto Wagner, Walter Gropius and more. DVD 820
Architectures 2. 2003. 1 videodisc (163 min.). "A series devoted to the most ambitious architectural creations of the 19th and 20th century, consisting of remarkable archive material, scale-models, and interviews with some of the greatest architects of our time"--Container. DVD 821
Architectures 3. 2003. 1 videodisc (160 min.). A privileged, unprecedented inside look at the work of superstar architects. This volume examines the extraordinary Jewish Museum of Berlin; Louis Sullivan's Auditorium Theatre in Chicago; a Dominican convent; Charles Garnier's Parisian Opera and more. DVD 822
Art:21. 2003. 2 videodiscs (450 min.). season 1: At the dawn of the 21st century, American artists are taking self-expression and the artistic process into uncharted territory. Today's artists are engaging the world and their audiences in vital and surprising new ways. They use an enormous variety of media and draw on sources ranging from pop culture and politics to ethnic heritage, classical models, and deeply personal life experiences. The artists featured in the series represent a cross-section of contemporary art practices and philosophies, and hail from different regions of the United States. Season 1 of (3 )4z (BArt:21--Art in the Twenty-First Century (3 )4y (Bintroduces 21 artists to a nationwide audience. [from pbs.org]. season 2: Contemporary art breaks out of the confines of museums and art galleries in Season 2 of (3 )4z (BArt:21--Art in the Twenty-First Century. (3 )4y (BShattering the myth of the artist as an isolated genius, this unique series introduces television audiences to 16 artists working in America today. Art:21 is the only series on television to focus exclusively on contemporary art, and it uses the medium to provide an experience of the visual arts that goes far beyond a gallery visit. Fascinating and intimate footage allows the viewer to observe the artists at work, watch their process as they transform inspiration into art, and hear their thoughts as they grapple with the physical and visual challenges of achieving their artistic visions. [from pbs.org]. DVD 7141
Art:21. 2005. 1 videodisc (220 min.). What goes on inside the minds of today's most dynamic visual artists? How do they make the leap between insight and finished object? What inspires artists to break through the barriers of convention to arrive at new ways of seeing? These and other intriguing questions are explored in Season Three of (3 )4z (BArt:21--Art in the Twenty-First Century, (3 )4y (Bthe only series on national public television to focus exclusively on contemporary art and the people who create it. Like the great biennial art exhibitions that regularly showcase current artistic activity, Art:21 returns to television every two years to profile working artists who build our living culture with each painting, sculpture, photograph or installation that they create. [from pbs.org]. DVD 7142
Art:21. 2007. 1 videodisc (220 min.). Visually captivating and intriguing, contemporary art is admired and appreciated by many in museums and galleries. Yet few are given access to the creative processes behind the work--the inspirations and ideas that translate into compelling finished objects. This fall, Art:21 will provide that opportunity when its award-winning, biennial series (3 )4z (BArt:21--Art in the Twenty-First Century (3 )4y (Breturns to PBS for its fourth season. Through in-depth profiles and interviews, the four-part series will reveal the inspiration, vision and techniques behind the creative works of some of today's most accomplished contemporary artists. [from pbs.org]. DVD 7143
Art:21. 2009. 1 videodisc (240 min.). Through in-depth profiles and dynamic behind-the-scenes footage featuring artists speaking directly about their inspirations and ideas, Season Five shows a broad range of artistic practice, technical innovation, and experimentation, from artists tackling large-scale collaborative projects in hangar-like studios to those working in the quiet of more intimate studio settings. DVD 7144
Art City a ruling passion. 2002. 1 videodisc (58 min.). Many artists use the pain, exhilaration and resolution of private desires to express themselves in their art. This documentary focuses on intense personalities who've used their art to explore the emotional impact, or dark humor of psychological truths. DVD 471
Art city making it in Manhattan. 2002. 1 videodisc (58 min.). Moves into lofts, studios and galleries for intimate scenes of artists at work. Includes Louise Bourgeois, Brice Marden, Chuck Close, Neil Jenney, Elizabeth Murray, Ashley Bickerton, and Gary Simmons. They discuss inspiration, aesthetic issues, the meaning of success, and how they overcame hardship to pursue a lifetime in art. DVD 469
Art city simplicity. 2002. 1 videodisc (58 min.). Travelling around the country, this documentary takes a revealing trip into the studios and lives of a group of singular artists. It touches on artists' relations with the press, ambiguous feelings about showing one's work, distilling concepts into an essence, and what it means to succeed in the artworld. DVD 470
Art is-- the permanent revolution Prints and protest. 2012. 1 videdisc (82 min.). The anger and outrage captured by graphic artists have defined revolutions through the centuries. Printmakers have depicted the human condition in all its glories and struggles so powerfully that perceptions, attitudes and politics have been dramatically influenced. DVD 10393
The art of Spiegelman from Raw, to Maus, and beyond. 2009? 1 videodisc (44 min). "Art Spiegelman -humble, humorous, and completely honest - talks about his life history and his creative process using New York City as a backdrop and family photos, clips from home movies, and panels from comic creations such as Maus, Raw magazine, and In the Shadow of No Towers as props. Francoise Mouly, Spiegelman's wife and cover editor at The New Yorker, is interviewed as well. Contains instances of explicit language and imagery.--website. DVD 10382 and Streaming video
The art of the steal. 2010. 1 videodisc (101 min.). "Founded in 1922 by wealthy American drug developer and art collector Albert C. Barnes, the Barnes Foundation became the finest collection of paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Van Gogh and other masters. Housed in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, the Barnes Foundation was envisioned by Barnes as an art school, not a public museum, but ever since Barnes death in 1951, the fight over its future has been underway. On one side are the artists, historians and lawyers defending Barnes wish that the entire collection (valued at over $25 billion) never be moved, loaned or sold; and on the other side, the politicians, huge charitable trusts, tourism boards and rich socialites pushing to relocate it to downtown Philadelphia." --taken from container. DVD 7698
Art school confidential. 2006. 1 videodisc (ca. 102 min.). Jerome goes to art school in the hopes of having his genuine ability recognized. Instead he finds that his teachers are self-obsessed has-beens and his peers are jaded and floundering. To make matters worse, Jerome finds himself being investigated for a series of gruesome stranglings. He becomes obsessed with a lovely student named Audrey, but she is more interested in the hunky Jonah, whose crude yet acclaimed paintings of cars and tanks make Jerome want to tear his own eyes out. DVD 2463
The artist was a woman. 1988. Filmakers library online. 1 online resource (58 min.). The history of Western art has few examples of great women artists. This documentary uncovers the works of some gifted women, while exploring why talent such as theirs was overlooked. We learn that women were denied admission to art school, or if admitted, not allowed to study the human figure. Also, male art historians did not take their work seriously, denying them the recognition they deserved. Rosa Bonheur, Mary Cassatt and Georgia O Keeffe bear witness to the fact that talent knows no gender. Jane Alexander reads from letters and diaries and Germaine Greer provides wry social commentary. Streaming video.
Artists of the Bahamas a tribute to African roots. 2009. Filmakers library online. 1 online resource (92 min.). Artists of the Bahamas is a unique film that brings to light the rich artistic talent flourishing on these islands. The artists profiled are acknowledged amongst their peers as well as internationally. The camera follows them at work in their studios where we see their vibrant creations, as well as in their homes and communities. They speak of their early influences. Max Taylor remembers the powerful matriarchs who held his community together. Jackson Burnside, who wanted to be a doctor, was inspired by his art teacher to follow his artistic bent. Their works display a range of styles from the versatility of formally trained Brent Malone to the brilliantly simple paintings of Amos Ferguson, often referred to as "the grandfather of Bahamian art." These artists were influenced by their island's history. Some grew up under Colonialism and others came of age after Independence. Several, like Stan Burnside, express their pride in Bahamian culture by participating in Junkanoo, the vibrant African/Bahamian festival. Sacred spaces such as Antonius Roberts series of outdoor sculptures on historical sites honor their African ancestry. Sidney Poitier, raised on Cat Island in the Bahamas, introduces his fellow Bahamian artists. Their work crosses the spectrum, from the abstract of Kendal Hanna to the neo realism of Dave Smith; from the installations of John Beadle and John Cox to the naturalism of Eddie Minnis. The musical score is by Tony Silva, Peanuts Taylor and Ruppa Pum Pum. Streaming video.
Artwatch. 2005. 1 videodisc (59 min.). "The museum-going public has taken it on faith that museums are preserving our art heritage. However, James Beck, professor at Columbia University, called that assumption into question with the publication of his book, 'Art Restoration.' He asserted that many of our treasures are being 'restored' by art institutions to coincide with popular taste, cleaned up to a point where the original spirit of the art work is lost forever. A cadre of world renowned art critics and painters appear in the film and echo Beck's concerns." -- from container. Documentary film that looks at the controversy surrounding the restoration of art works: is the convservation being undertaken in museums preserving artistic masterpieces, or permanently damaging them? The story focuses on art history professor James Beck, whose criticism of the methods used to restore Jacopo della Quercia's Ilaria del Carretto in Lucca and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling in Rome resulted in his being sued for libel. The concerns of Professor Beck and others led to the formation of the organization ArtWatch. Restoration of art works owned by the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the National Gallery in London are also presented. DVD 1607
Avant-garde experimental cinema, 1922-1954. 2009. 2 videodiscs (289 min.). Long before home video there flourished an alternative cinema culture on college campuses and around art theaters, where foreign film fare was often accompanied by a short subject. As reliable 16mm film equipment became available to non-professionals, artists independent of film centers began experimenting with cinema. Serious film societies sprang up in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, holding semi-private screenings of non-commercial artistic films. For years, these pictures have been exhibited only in infrequent museum screenings, if at all. This collection is of mainly American pictures, principally one-man artistic endeavors made from little more than an artist's desire to express feelings with a camera. DVD 7153
The ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye. 2012. 1 videodisc (70 min.). Filmmaker Marie Losier chronicles the life and work of pioneering musician-performance artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and how her chance encounter with a New York dominatrix known as Lady Jaye brought about a singular and enduring artistic collaboration and a brazen partnership which defied all perceptions of love. DVD 10921
The Barnes collection. 2012. 1 videodisc (60 min.). Follow Dr. Albert Barnes on his remarkable rise from a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood to the top of the modern art world. This unique tale follows Dr. Barnes as he travels the world, collecting works of art by some of history's most famous artists. The film digs deep into the intricacies of each painting, offering a rare look at the priceless collection and at the new Philadelphia museum that now houses it. DVD 10389
Basquiat. 2002. 1 videodisc (106 min.). Film looks at the 1980s New York art world through the life of Jean Michael Basquiat. Basquiat was a graffiti artist living on the street who became an art world superstar while still in his 20s. DVD 5830
Beautiful losers. 2009. 1 videodisc (90 mins.). Follows the lives and careers of a group of artists and designers who inadvertantly affected the art world. DVD 6521
Behind the scenes. 2000. 1 videodisc (85 min.). Focuses on the creative process behind the visual arts of painting and drawing. David Hockney, whose work spans painting, drawing, book illustrations, photo-collage and set design shows how modern artists play with perspective, illusions of depth and the vanishing point. Artist Wayne Tiebaud shows how volume, shape and movement can transform a simple line into art. Artist Robert Gil de Montes shows how his reliance on color and imagination in his art reflects a keen awareness of his Mexican roots. DVD 8161
Behind the scenes. 2000. Behind the scenes. 1 videodisc (85 min.). Penn and Teller go behind the scenes with artists in theater, sculpture and photography to discover their creative process. Director Julie Taymor, of the acclaimed Broadway hit The Lion King, creates visual theater using puppets, masks and music. Sculptor Nancy Graves works with balance, cranes and street material to create gravity defying sculpture. Photographer and folklorist Carrie May Weems shows how to use composition and content to create meaning in photographs. Willian Wegman helps out by focusing on one of his Weimaraner dogs. DVD 8162
Behind the scenes. 2000. 1 videodisc (110 min.). Focuses on the creative process behind the visual and performing arts. Penn and Teller go behind the scenes with renowned artists and performers in the fields of music and dance. Choreographer and dancer David Parsons shows how dances can begin with simple everyday movements. Young conductor JoAnn Falletta shows how an orchestras can use layers of sound to create music. Jazz pianist Allen Toussaint composes a melody on the piano and then records it in a studio. Bobby McFerrin lends a hand. Jazz percussionist, Max Roach brings accent to music using layered and funky rhythmns to create a beat. DVD 8163
Beverly Buchanan. 1997. A world of art : works in progress. 1 videodisc (25 min.). A profile of African-American artist Beverly Buchanan, whose works evoke the shacks of the American South. DVD 9585
A bigger splash. 2006? 1 videodisc (105 min.). "1971: the artist David Hockney is well on his way to art world super-stardom. Filmmaker Jack Hazan, camera rolling, follows Hockney from London to New York to Los Angeles--capturing the artist as he struggles to create what would prove to be some of his most enduring works: those featuring Hockney's model and lover, Peter Schlesinger. Straddling the boundary between documentary and fiction, A bigger splash tells the story of Hockney's breakup with Schlesinger and its effect on Hockney, his work, and his close circle of friends"--Container. DVD 2190
Bomb it Street art is revolution. 2008. 1 videodisc (93 min.). Global graffiti culture is where the love of art and ego clashes with law and order. This film explores the many manifestations of 'bombing' - the act of committing artistic crime with spraypaint. DVD 968
Builders of images. 1993. Americas. 1 videodisc (57 min.). One of a series of programs focusing on contemporary Latin America. This segment explores the arts throughout the Americas, celebrating the extraordinary creative ferment that has attracted global acclaim and given rise to a distinct and increasingly influential Latin American voice. Looks at artists from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina who are creating works that reflect and influence their people's cultural identity. DVD 6787
Caravaggio. 2008. 1 videodisc (90 min.). A film based on the life and art of Caravaggio, the greatest of the Italian post-Renaissance painters. Centers on the love triangle between the artist, his model Ranuccio and Lena, Ranuccio's low-life partner. DVD 4492
Carmen Lomas Garza looking back. 2009. Filmakers library online. 1 online resource (37 min.). Carmen Lomas Garza is a Chicana artist who creates images about the lives of Mexican Americans based on her memories and experiences growing up in South Texas. In this charming film, Carmen returns to Texas to revisit the people and places that inspired her work. Her award-winning books and art works have delighted children and adults alike. She has published many illustrated children's books; some are part of school curriculums in cities with large Latino populations. Her paintings have been featured in individual and group exhibitions and in such museums as the Whitney Museum of American Art in N.Y.; the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.; the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, and the San Jose Museum of Art. Born in 1948 in Kingsville, Texas, she experienced significant racism growing up, and was not allowed to speak Spanish in school. The roots of her artwork lay with her family traditions and in the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Since her parents were active politically, she followed in their footsteps by organizing Chicanos on her college campus. She later wrote that this work nourished her goal of being an artist and gave her back her voice. Her artistic creations helped her "heal the wounds inflicted by discrimination and racism. I felt like I had to start with my earliest recollections of my life and validate each event or incident by depicting it in a visual format.". Streaming video.
The cats of Mirikitani. 2008. 1 videodisc (74 min.). "Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani survived the trauma of WWII internment camps, Hiroshima, and homelessness by creating art. But when 9/11 threatens his life on the New York City streets and a local filmmaker brings him to her home, the two embark on a journey to confront Jimmy's painful past. An intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing powers of community and art ..."--Container. DVD 9075
Cave of forgotten dreams. 2011. 1 videodisc (90 min.). A breathtaking new documentary from the incomparable Werner Herzog, follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man. An unforgettable cinematic experience that provides an unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 years ago, almost twice as old as any previous discovery. DVD 9275
Cecelia Condit. 2000. 2 videodiscs (70 min.). The artist uses music, live action, tabloid television and other images to explore femininity and violence against women within the context of fairy tales in contemporary suburban American settings. Beneath the skin is the story of a girl's nightmare contrasted with a horrific television news story. In Possibly in Michigan, a man stalks a woman through a shopping mall and follows her home, where she gets her revenge. An older woman confronts her mortality in Not a jealous bone. Oh, Rapunzel is a documentary on the life of the artist's mother. DVD 8238
Chagall. 2006. 1 online resource (53 min.). This remarkable film retraces the life and work of the beloved artist Marc Chagall. Much of the narrative is told in his own words, drawn from his autobiography, Ma Vie (My Life) and there is unique film footage of Chagall being interviewed as he paints. An intimate picture of the mischievous painter and his peripatetic life emerges through interviews of the many personalities in the art world which Chagall inhabited : Apollinaire, Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso, Mayakovski and Malraux. Extensive use of rare historical film adds richness to this astounding biography of the man who was born in the shtetl of Vitebsk in tsarist Russia. When World War I broke out, he was forced to join the Russian Army and then asked to open an art school in Vitebsk by the Bolsheviks when they took power. He left for Paris in 1923 where he and his wife Bella lived in poverty. Finally, his illustrations for a special edition of Gogol s Dead Souls attracted wide admiration. As he put it, "I created my own reality -- neither Cubist nor Impressionist." Fleeing Paris in 1939 he spent the war years in New York, collaborating on art, theatre and ballet projects with other artists in exile, Duchamps, Calder, Tanguy, Stravinsky and Massine. Post-war, he created monumental works often inspired by the Bible: the magnificent ceiling of the Paris Opera, the murals for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the stained glass windows for cathedrals in Metz and Reims and the Hadassah clinic in Jerusalem. In 1984 three large exhibitions in France celebrated the artist's 97th birthday, one at the National Museum Message Biblique Marc Chagall in Nice. His attempts to connect the Jewish traditions of his childhood to the artistic modernity of his time yielded a profoundly original oeuvre somewhat removed from the prevailing currents of art in the 20th century. As he said, "I chose painting because it seemed a window through which I could take flight -- to another world." Price just reduced on the anniversary of Chagall s death. Streaming video.
Chats perchés = The case of the grinning cat. 2004. 1 videodisc (58 min.). In November 2001, Chris Marker became intrigued by the sudden appearance of grinning yellow cat paintings on Paris buildings and began to document them , as well as other incidents and protests in the city of Paris while he filmed. The creator is eventually revealed to be an art collective known as Mr. Chat. DVD 4927 and Streaming video.
Chinese contemporary art. 2006. 1 online resource (55 min.). While most westerners have some familiarity with traditional Chinese art, the isolationism and restrictive policies of the post war years have precluded a development of a contemporary art scene that would interest outsiders. This has all changed in recent years and there has been an astounding flowering of innovative, energetic and challenging contemporary art. Filmmaker Lana Jokel, born in Shanghai and educated abroad, has a special interest in art as reflected in her documentaries on such artists as Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and Larry Rivers. She now turns her camera on the visionary Chinese artists of today whose new freedom to express themselves is evident in the work they show us. Lana travels to artists studios, galleries and museums where this art is evolving and displayed, and the artists explain their techniques and philosophies. Art experts bring historical context to the new movement. There is a companion film also available Chinese Contemporary Art Comes to America. Please note there is occasional nudity. Streaming video.
Chinese contemporary art comes to America. 2006. 1 online resource (55 min.). This is the companion film to Chinese Contemporary Art: Artists Working in China. It focuses on the ground-breaking Chinese art being exhibited in the US that has excited Western curators and collectors alike. Often ambitious in scale and experimental in nature, this work reflects the unprecedented changes in China's economic, social and cultural life over the past decade. Included are photography, video art and installations. Insightful comments from curators, historians collectors and the artists themselves give a historical perspective to the works. Streaming video.
Chuck Close. 2010. Arthouse films: Arthouse films (Series). 1 videodisc (116 min.). With editing completed by filmmaker Ken Kobland after the death of director/producer Marion Cajori, this movie describes the life and work of an artist who has reinvented portraiture. Close photographs his subjects, blows up the image to gigantic proportions, divides it into a detailed grid and then uses a complex set of colors and patterning to reconstruct each face. The artist describes his methodology and many of his artistic influences. Friends and colleagues including Brice Marden, Robert Storr, Dorothea Rockburne, Philip Glass, Arne Glimcher, Kiki Smith, Elizabeth Murray, Alex Katz, Kirk Varnedoe and others offer their perspective on Close's talents. DVD 9252
The cloth sings to me. 1998. 1 online resource (17 min.). In this video, we meet the ebullient women quilters who display their colorful creations. Many of the women incorporate African fabrics into their work, thus enhancing their connection to their roots. Here is an art form made from remnants, where every scrap of fabric has its history. Textile historian Dr. Floris Cash reflects on how quilts are interwoven with the lives of black women in America. Those artists that depict narrative scenes in fabric are continuing the storytelling tradition that is such an integral part of their cultural heritage. Willis "Bing" Davis, Chairman of the Art Department of Central State University, speaks of the spirituality of these works which come from the hearts and memories of their creators. Streaming video.
Con artist. 2011. 1 videodisc (84 min.). "A stylishly dark docu-comedy excavating America's craving for fame and fortune via one of its most outrageous addicts. Once a legitimate art star in the 1980s New York scene, millionaire 'business artist' Mark Kostabi hires others to conceive and create paintings which he openly signs and sells as his own"--Container. DVD 9118
The cool school how LA learned to love modern art. 2008. 1 videodisc (85 min.). A look at the famed Ferus Gallery, which turned the L.A. art scene into a place for brilliant artists to show their work, as well as served as a place where New York artists, such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, could launch their projects. DVD 4751
The couple in the cage: A Guatinaui odyssey. 1997? 1 videodisc (31 min.). Performance artists Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Coco Fusco travel and appear before the public in four different countries as two "Guatinaui Indians", members of a fictional "newly discovered" tribe who had agreed to be displayed at malls and museums around the world, after the manner of human exhibition in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These performances are Intercut with archival footage of humans displayed in cages as freaks and curiosities. Conceived as a "satirical comment on the past", the performances evoke various responses, including huge numbers of people who are convinced they are real and do not find the idea of "natives" locked in a cage objectionable. DVD 8827
The creative revolution. 1994. In search of human origins. 1 videodisc (57 min.). Fifty thousand years ago a dramatic change swept through the hunter-gatherers then living in Africa. They began to paint, carve, talk, bury their dead, and to travel and trade. Scientists continue to debate the reasons for this sudden transformation. Don Johanson sets out to retrace the migration of our ancient ancestors from Africa, to Asia, to Europe and even to Australia. Prehistoric art and cave paintings are investigated in an effort to find clues to how and when our ancestors evolved into modern human beings. DVD 9553
Cremaster 3: The order. 2003. 1 videodisc (31 min.). In a death-defying race to the top of the Guggenheim Museum, Matthew Barney is a tartan-clad apprentice seeking Masonic redemption. DVD 451
Der traum vom baumhaus das Ökohausprojekt von Frei Otto in Berlin = Dreaming of a treehouse : Frei Otto's ecological housing project in Berlin. 2011. 1 streaming video file (66 min.). A film about the pioneering community-building project of the architect Frei Otto in Berlin, called the Ökohaus--an experimental, ecological, customized housing project in the city center. Includes interviews with Frei Otto, Christine Kanstinger-Otto, Hermann Kendel, Yona Friedman, Anne Lacaton & Jean-Philipe Vassal, and other architects, planners, and inhabitants. Streaming video.
The devil and Daniel Johnston. 2005. 1 videodisc (ca. 110 min.). The turbulent life of a genius musician battling manic depression. A favorite with artists such as Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Beck, and many others, view the singer-songwriter-artist through his art and interviews, and in the eyes of his fans. DVD 9987
The dream keepers. 1999. I'll make me a world. 1 videodisc (60 min.). Looks at African-American artists in the turbulent years after World War II, as growing demand for equal rights are met with intense resistance. Yet, while racial barriers are being steadily broken, a stunning series of African-American "firsts" in the arts and other areas of society marks America at mid-century. Lorraine Hansberry's remarkable Broadway debut, "A Raisin in the Sun" -- extremely popular with both black and white audiences -- is one sign of the era's pro-integration impulse. Some fields, however remain closed to African Americans, as evidenced by the lives and bittersweet careers of ballet dancers Delores Browne and Raven Wilkinson. James Baldwin , the artist who epitomizes the conflicts of the era, chooses exile in Paris as he struggles to launch his literary career, but events in the U.S. eventually compel his return to lend his presence and voice to the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement. DVD 9564
Dreamers. 2003. 1 online resource (58 min.). The French writer Andre Malraux went to Haiti in 1975 and discovered the riotous color and beguiling fantasy of the paintings of unschooled Haitian artists. Over the years this art has gained recognition throughout Europe and North America. In a country rife with poverty, violence and political unrest, this film introduces us to the colorful, fanciful and joyous work of elderly Haitian painters. Some are "voodoo" painters, some paint historical subjects, others paint imaginary visions, some capture everyday life and fanciful creatures from the animal kingdom. The director, Jorgen Leth, an outstanding figure in Danish cinema, captures with great integrity the spirituality and unworldliness of these aged artists who have for decades painted from their inner vision, and have gained recognition as masters of the naif. Among the artists represented are Andre Pierre, Philome Obin, Prospere Pierre Louis, Louisiane Saint-Fleurant and Salnave Philippe-Auguste. Streaming video.
Eames the architect and the painter. 2011. 1 videodisc (84 min.). The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames is widely regarded as America's most important designers. Perhaps best remembered for their mid-century plywood and fiberglass furniture, the Eames Office also created a mind-bending variety of other products. But their personal lives and influence on significant events in American life has been less widely understood. Narrated by James Franco, this is the first film dedicated to these creative geniuses and their work. DVD 9497
Edvard Munch. 2006. 1 videodisc (ca. 174 min.). A biography of Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch and the effect his upbringing in Norway had on his work and whose raw, modern work The Scream shocked the bourgeois world. DVD 1912
Edward Hopper. 2007. 1 videodisc (30 min.). Edward Hopper created iconic images of American life that present us with the possibillity of narrative, but ultimately remain rather enigmatic. This film traces Hopper's varied influences, from French Impressionism to the the gangster films of the 1930s. The documentary uses archival photos and film, with specially shot footage of locations painted by Hopper in New York and the New England coast. From container. DVD 5110
The films of Charles & Ray Eames. 2005. 6 videodiscs (337 min.). Charles and Ray Eames are American designers of the 20th century, best known for their groundbreaking contributions to architecture, furniture design, industrial design and manufacturing, and the photographic arts. They were also prolific filmmakers. The legacy of the husband and wife team includes more than 100 short films that reflect the breadth and depth of interests and the integrity of their vision. DVD 4281-4286
Five films about Christo & Jeanne-Claude . 2004. 3 videodiscs (282 min.). The 30 year collaboration between acclaimed filmmakers Albert and David Maysles, and the renowned environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. DVD 2571-2573
The fountainhead. 2006. 1 videodisc (112 min.). An uncompromising architect refuses to change his designs and when he discovers the plans for one of his buildings has been changed, he blows up the structure and attempts to defend his actions. DVD 5761
Frank Lloyd Wright the Mike Wallace interviews. 2001. 1 videodisc (60 min.). In 1957 when Frank Lloyd Wright was 90 years old and in New York to supervise construction of his last masterpiece, the Guggenheim Museum, Mike Wallace invited him to be a guest on "The Mike Wallace Interview." This piece includes the two interviews sessions from 1957, with an introduction and conclusion by Mike Wallace filmed in 1994. DVD 605
Frankenthaler toward a new climate. 1978. The Originals, women in art. 1 videodisc (30 min.). One of a series of biographical documentaries whose focus is on the integration of the artists' lives and works. Shows painter Helen Frankenthaler creating a complete work, with friends and colleagues in her studio, in her home, and at an exhibition of her work. Examines her paintings and includes interviews with colleagues and critics. DVD 9961
Free radicals a history of experimental film. 2012. 1 videodisc (82 min.). "This feature-length documentary provides a vivid, eye-opening, and appropriately personal introduction to one of the most important, yet perpetually marginalized, realms of filmmaking: avant-garde cinema. Acheiving the near-impossible task of doing justice in a mere 82 minutes to this incredibly rich, varied, and expansive domain, FREE RADICALS is as expertly constructed an introduction to the topic as one could hope for, thanks in large part to the films privileging of rare interviews with some of the most important filmmakers in the avant-garde tradition (including Jonas Mekas, Peter Kubelka, Stan Brakhage, and Hans Richter), and its inclusion of several films in their entirety. The film's sincere admiration for its subject is best reflected by Chodorov's own description: "I wanted to share a few of the films I love and introduce you to some of the free, radical artists who made them"--Container. DVD 11036
Frida. 2003. 2 videodiscs (122 min.). The life of artist Frida Kahlo, from her humble upbringing to her worldwide fame and controversy that surrounded both her and her husband, Diego Rivera. DVD 707
Frida Kahlo: Portrait of an artist. 1999. 1 streaming video (22 min.). Profiles Frida Kahlo's work, her interest in politics and her tempestuous relationship with husband Diego Rivera, leader of the Mexican muralist movement. Streaming video.
Frida Kahlo La cinta que envuelve una bomba = Frida Kahlo: The ribbon that ties the bomb. 1999. 1 videodisc (50 min.). Explores the intimate details of the life of Frida Kahlo, using rare, never-before seen footage, family interviews, and photographs. Includes interviews with Amando Almazâan, Olivier Debroise, Teresa Del Conde, Arturo Garcâia Bustos, Hayden Herrera, Cristina Kahlo, Ana C. Treviäno "Bambi", and Martha Zamoro. This documentary explores Kahlo's turbulent relationship with Deigo Rivera, her lesbian affairs, and her mastering of the art that depicted her anguished life. DVD 10029
Frida, naturaleza viva. 1986. 1 videodisc (108 min.). On her deathbed, artist Frida Kahlo conjures up images and memories of her life as a painter, revolutionary and woman of the world. DVD 1090