American Women Artists


DVD/VHS videos:

 

Betty La Duke: An Artist's Journey from the Bronx to Timbuktu is a 30 minute 1996 video that follows six decades of La Duke's life and art to date: her beginnings with immigrant parents; the influence of Native and African-American artists; travels to third-world countries; and her own dynamic paintings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betye & Alison Saar: Conjure Women of the Arts is a 28 minute L&S video, ISBN 1-882660-06-4, created and produced by Linda Freeman and written and directed by David Irving, which examines the personal and artistic relationship between artist Betye Saar and daughter Alison Saar. The artists' enthusiasm and originality make for an engaging and wonderful video. It shows both artists working in their studios, discussing their influences, and collaborating on the installation piece, House of Gris Gris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children of Mary Cassatt is a 10 minute video featuring Mary Cassatt, who was one of America's greatest impressionists. She exhibited with them as an equal. But her paintings of children are peerless and unique. She alone reinvigorated the image of Madonna and Child, updating it in a modern idiom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classic Maria Martinez: Native American Pottery Maker of San Ildefonso, available from the Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe. "Maria Martinez, noted Indian pottery maker demonstrates the traditional Indian ways, beginning with the spreading of corn pollen before clay is gathered. Also shown are the mixing of the clay, construction of pottery, hand decorating and building of the firing mound. This National Park Service film was a winner of CINE Golden Eagle; Certificate of Creative Excellence, U.S. Industrial Film Festival; Certificate Salerno International Film Festival; award second International Craft Film Festival. Running time is 27 minutes, DVD format. Available through the Fine Arts Museum, Santa Fe.

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Catlett: Sculpting the Truth. A 28 minute L&S 1998 documentary profile of the prominent sculptor Elizabeth Catlett, whose work in wood, stone and terra cotta Is inspired by women of the world. Her exceptional sculptures of mothers, workers and children have placed Catlett as an Important figure In the pantheon of African-American artists. "Attributing her art directly to difficulties in life she faced as a black woman, Elizabeth Catlett sculpted "the truth" with flawless technique from wood, stone, and terra cotta. This video provides a personal look at the life and sculpture of Catlett. It shows her working in her studio while explaining and describing her art and life. Faith Ringgold adds commentary." ISBN 1-882660-14-5 Elizabeth Catlett: Sculpting the Truth is a video available through the Sullivan Video Library at The Speed Art Museum which holds a sizable collection of art-related videos available to educators at no charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emma Amos: Action Lines is a 28 minute L&S Video hosted by Anna Deavere Smith, created and produced by Linda Freeman and written and directed by David Irving. An African-American artist of incredible strength, color and dramatic palette, Emma Amos paints pictures based on her feelings and fears. She includes materials such as photographs, her own weaving, and African cloth to help portray what is important to her. ISBN 1-882660-12-9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith Ringgold Paints Crown Heights. African-American artist FaIth Ringgold illustrates the folk tales of 12 distinct cultures who call Crown Heights home. This Inspirational 28 minute documentary shows how diverse cultures have contributed to the American spirit, using Ringgold's beautiful paintings. Through folktales and painting this documentary shows how these diverse cultures have contributed to the American spirit. "Culture is forever", declares Robert Farris Thompson, (Professor of History of Art and African-American Art, Yale University) as he provides insightful commentary throughout the video. Both the creative and technical aspects of making the Crown Heights painted quilt are thoroughly presented by the artist as it is being made. Ringgold describes in detail her process of preparing and quilting the canvas, using an under-painting establishing a color palette, and addingglazes of color. On being a visual artist, Ringgold speaks to the budding artist, "It's creative, it's imaginative, and it's hard work. Painting is hard work." Ringgold also comments on the cultural heritage addressed in this piece. She emphasizes that the differences in people are wonderful. Everyone's culture works for them. If it works for them, some part of it may work for you", says Ringgold. "The message of this quilt is that we are all chosen", concludes Robert Farris Thompson. 28 minute L&S Vudeo

 

 

 

 

Faith Ringgold: The Last Story Quilt. From the day she learned to draw, Faith Ringgold has worked steadily to master her craft and communicate her vision: to present a realistic view of the black female in society. This 28 minute L&S video is an insider's look at how one woman has fumlled her dream of becoming an artist. Cine Gold Eagle Award. "Interviews American painter, sculptor, and quiltmaker Faith Ringgold (b.1934) about her career as an African-American woman artist. She acknowledges the strong influence of her mother, a fashion designer and dressmaker, and describes her breakthrough technique of painting on cloth, which allowed her work to be rolled up and shipped inexpensively. Looks at the combined influence on her work of European painters and African traditions, particularly the patterns and repetition of African design." ISBN 1-882660-00-5 [1] Faith Ringgold: The Last Story Quilt is a video available through the Sullivan Video Library at The Speed Art Museum which holds a sizable collection of art-related videos available to educators at no charge.

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia O'Keeffe was produced by Perry Miller Adato in 1977 by WNET for The Originals: Women in Art series and distributed by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation. The video is self-narrated by O'Keeffe. The artist talks candidly about her work and life, showing how nature and the mountains and desert of New Mexico figure prominently in her work. The video includes comments by sculptor Juan Hamilton, who was her assistant, and critics Barbara Rose and Daniel Catton Rich. The Wildling Museum says: This 60 minute color film, produced in 1977 when O'Keeffe was 90 years old, captures O'Keeffe on camera for the first time candidly discussing her work and inspirations taken from the haunting mountain deserts of New Mexico. This film won the Peabody Award and the Bronze Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival."

 

 

 

Georgia O'Keeffe: A Life in Art Adato, Perry Miller, producer and director. A 2002 video from the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe. The Museum's orientation film created by the acclaimed, award-winning filmaker Perry Miller Adato. The film presents O'Keeffe's life and the origins and development of her art. VHS and DVD.

 


 

 

Great Women Artists -- Mary Cassat is a 45-minute video released in 2001 by Kultur Video. "Children and naturalism are the hallmarks of Mary Cassatt's work during the 1880's and 1890's. She absorbed from her Impressionist colleagues Caillebotte, Degas, and Renoir, as well as her study of Japanese prints, the modern idea that the background of a painting might be as significant as the foreground. Her paintings depict a world of her own creation, one that adults can fully understand only by recapturing their childhood persona." From the Back Cover: "Georgia O'Keeffe was an American abstract painter, famous for the purity and lucidity of her still-life compositions. In 1916 the American photographer and art gallery director Alfred Stieglitz (whom she married in 1924) became interested in her abstract drawings and exhibited them at his gallery in New York City and in other important institutions. O'Keeffe moved to New Mexico in 1949, and is best known for her large paintings of desert flowers and scenery, in which single blossoms or objects such as a cow's skull are presented in close-up views. ASIN: B00005ASQZ

 

 

 

 

Isabel Bishop: Portrait of an Artist. The master of romantic realism who captured on canvas the world of New York -- the hobos, shop girls, the weary day-to-day existence of life in the city, all painted from the perspective of her studio in Union Square. This 26 minute program brings to light one of America's true masters in a unique pairing of the artist at work and scenes recreating her most important paintings.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nan Goldin: In My Life is a 28-minute video featuring Goldin's celebrated 1996 retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, which was culled from a period that spanned more than 25 years of taking pictures of her friends, lovers and fascinating life. (video description courtesy of International Center of Photography)

 

 

 

 

 

 

O'Keeffe and Texas Takes a look at American Modernist Georgia O'Keeffe during her years in Texas. Explores how her experiences as a teacher and how the natural forms of the area around Amarillo and Canyon, Texas, influenced her emotional states and her art. 15-minute video. Description source: Amon Carter Museum Teacher Resource Center. The Museum contains a comprehensive lending library including many videos. TFAO wishes to extend appreciation to Katherine Moloney, Teaching and Visual Resources Coordinator, for acquainting TFAO with the Museum's collection.

Pablita Velarde: An Artist and Her People is a 20 minute video produced in 1984 by National Park Service Films and distributed by Interpark, Cortez, CO. Pablita Velarde a native American Indian and noted painter. Born in 1918 in the Pueblo of Santa Clara and educated at a mission, her artistic talents were encouraged by her teachers. Through her work at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, Pablita records the traditions and legends of her ancient people so that future tribal generations may know and understand their heritage. Here we see Pablita mixing her own paints from natural earth- found materials, sketching in the wilderness, teaching young Indian children. She captures on canvas, the essence and ceremonies customs, and present day Pueblo life. This National Park Service film was a winner of CINE Golden Eagle; Certificate of Creative Excellence, U.S. Industrial Film Festival; Certificate Salerno International Film Festival; award second International Craft Film Festival. (text courtesy of petroglyphtrail.com)

 

 

Persistent Women Artists. In this 28 minute 1996 program artist Betty LaDuke captures in conversations the spirit of three American women artists of diverse heritages: Pablita Verlade, Mine Okubo and Louis Mailou Jones. Their paintings, drawings, lithographs and murals reflect their experiences as Native- , Asian- and African-American women.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait of an Artist: Mary Cassatt, Impressionist From Philadelphia. Mary Cassatt is now recognized as one of the great American artists of the 19th century. The best examples of her work are shown in this video along with stills and on-site footage in order to gain a better understanding of this remarkable woman and her art. 30 minutes. (quote courtesy Plains Art Msueum)

Southwest of Georgia O'Keeffe, The ia a 11 minute 1995 video from Lucerne Media that covers the paintings of flowers, bones, and airborne images made during the lifetime of the noted American abstractionist Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), especially the Southwestern themes and landscapes for which she became most famous. She saw an abstract universe everwhere in the flowers, the city, the desert, and exploring the aerial view of the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

Squatting The Palace: An Installation by Kiki Smith in Venice is a 44 minute video produced by Edgar B. Howard. "This video takes a circular approach to an artist who works in overlapping spirals of creative energy. Smith works in her home ­ not in a space specifically designed as a studio but on the 2nd floor of her East Village townhouse. There, amid her books, a pet bird, and tiny kitchenette, Smith goes from drawing to collaging to modeling clay to painting plaster casts and back, again and again, moving from one discipline to another in a way that can seem aimless to a casual observer, but which is actually modus operandi of a highly sophisticated visual artist." (video available through Checkerboard Film Foundation, quote from Checkerboard Film Foundation)

 

 

 

TFAO does not maintain a lending library of videos or sell videos. Click here for information on how to borrow or purchase copies of VHS videos and DVDs listed in TFAO's Videos -DVD/VHS, an authoritative guide to videos in VHS and DVD format

 

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