New York-based filmmaker and multi-disciplinary artist Miatta Kawinzi, who was announced by New York City-based non-profit Queer|Art as the winner of the second annual Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant. Kawinzi will receive a $5,000 cash grant to support the making of a new film installation: “SHE GATHER ME”.
The grant award was announced during a special edition of the acclaimed screening series Queer|Art|Film, organized by Hammer Grant Manager, Vanessa Haroutunian, to recognize some of the many women experimental filmmakers who have been influenced and inspired by Hammer’s prolific career. The evening began with a special tribute to Hammer by Haroutunian and Hammer's longtime partner, Florrie Burke. They then invited the judges for this year’s grant—Carmel Curtis, Cecilia Dougherty, and Ayanna U’Dongo—to announce the winner.
Five other women were acknowledged as finalists for this year—Kim Anno, Erica Cho, Kimberlee Veneble, and collaborators Anna Burholt & Tandis Shoushtray. After the awarding of the grant, Haroutunian presented a selection of short experimental films made by women who have been inspired by Hammer and career. The screening, entitled “The Hammer Mix: Generations,” included works by some of the avant-garde’s most dynamic filmmakers—Peggy Ahwesh, A.K. Burns, Cheryl Dunye, Dani Leventhal ReStack, Lynne Sachs, and Cauleen Smith—and their work was paired with Hammer’s selected film entitled Still Point. Haroutunian and special guests Peggy Ahwesh and Lynne Sachs took the stage after the screening to engage in a conversation about the films and the artists’ influence from Hammer. Hammer wrote about the program, “I am honored to have inspired these genius filmmakers. It truly amazes me for when you are young and working hard you just think about getting the work out. Then to find years later that your films meant a whole lot to certain artists, these and others, just takes your breath away. I am delighted to have their selected works gathered together for tonight's program.”
LANDED, presented by Darkroom Detroit and curated by Millee Tibbs, explores contemporary landscape photography through the work of present-day image makers who confront the mythology of these spaces and challenge the gendered and colonial history of this practice.
Curated by Millee Tibbs, LANDED explores contemporary landscape photography through the work of present-day image-makers who confront and undermine the heroic Westernized gaze upon the landscape to disrupt our expectation of a romanticized ideal.
The exhibition brings together works from artists and photographers from across the country and internationally, many of them showing in Michigan for the first time. Exhibiting artists include: Amelia Bauer, Anastasia Samoylova, Donna J Wan, Griselda San Martin, Kimberlee Venable, Laura Plageman, Letha Wilson, Morgan Barrie, Rachel Sussman, and Bihn Dahn.
OPEN HAUS: “GRRL HAUS CINEMA” TAKES OVER THE BRATTLE ONCE AGAIN
Monsters & Animals will be playing at the 2016 Queens World Film Festival Friday, March 18th at 11:59PM. Click Here to purchase tickets.
On Saturday, April 2nd Monster & Animals will be part of the Narrative Shorts program beginning at 11:30AM. Click here to buy tickets.
Directory of Photography Kimberlee Venable
Featuring Leah Ruddick, Matthew German, Collier Meyerson and Szoke Schaeffer
Monsters and Animals is a surreal short film which follows Alice through her day as she navigates various human and monster interactions.
KIMBERLEE VENABLE: ALL THIS COMES BACK
April 20 – June 29, 2013
Art in General, 79 Walker Street, New York
The empty blue sky of space says “All this comes back to me, then goes again, and comes back again, then goes again, and I don’t care, it still belongs to me”–The blue sky adds “Don’t call me eternity, call me God if you like, all of you talkers are in paradise: the leaf is paradise, the tree stump is paradise, the paper bag is paradise, the man is paradise, the sand is paradise, the sea is paradise, the man is paradise, the fog is paradise”
Jack Kerouac, Big Sur
