News

September 13, 2013

8 FLAGS Restoration Premiere

Last night I was reminded of why we do what we do. Over forty people packed into a small Garfield Ridge Public Library meeting room to view and discuss the 1970 Chicago-made doc, 8 FLAGS FOR 99 CENTS. The film, made by Chuck Olin & Joel Katz, provided a space for Garfield Ridge residents to express their opinions on the...

September 6, 2013

JoAnn Elam Collection Update

Still from GRAINS by JoAnn Elam We’re hard at work digitizing our Ruth Page Collection, but that doesn’t mean we’ve abandoned our other collections! The JoAnn Elam Collection, for instance, is near and dear to our hearts. The collection contains the films and production elements of Chicago experimental filmmaker JoAnn Elam (1949-2009). Since we first acquired the collection back in...

August 19, 2013

Digitizing the Ruth Page Collection (an experiment in accelerated access)

a sampling of the many film prints & elements in CFA’s Ruth Page Collection Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), we have begun digitizing the dance films of the Ruth Page Collection. With over 400 16mm films & elements (!) of performances, rehearsals and television appearances, these films document the dance legacy and artistic circle of...

August 6, 2013

Do you know these Garfield Ridge residents?

On September 12th, we will premiere the 16mm restoration print of 8 FLAGS FOR 99 CENTS in the south-west Chicago neighborhood it was shot in. The film (made in 1970 by Mike Gray Associates, Chuck Olin & Joel Katz) asks Garfield Ridge residents of their opinions on the Vietnam War. The filmmakers went to this particular neighborhood expecting pro-war &...

August 2, 2013

Chicago Academy of Sciences: Dr. William J. Beecher

Dr. William J. Beecher Since November I have been hand inspecting the Chicago Academy of Sciences collection, consisting of over 1300 film materials, and this past month have officially made it halfway though this interesting collection. Dr. William J. Beecher was the director for the Chicago Academy of Sciences from 1958 to 1983. Between those years, Beecher acted as the...

July 25, 2013

CFA Media Mixer 2013 (in review)

All three videos from this year’s CFA Media Mixer are now streaming online! Check ’em out: 1. ”What I Want” (Film by Alexander Stewart ; Sound by Sam Prekop; Video Sponsor:  Pentimenti Films) 2. ”Love and Care of Pets” (Film by Jesse McLean ; Sound by Sich Mang ; Video Sponsor: BRMC Group) 3. ”Songs for Earth And Folk” (Film by Cauleen Smith ; Sound by The...

July 19, 2013

Spencer Williams & His Prolific Film Career

Still from “Amos ‘n’ Andy” starring Spencer Williams (pictured above) & Alvin Childress Spencer Williams is best known for his role as Andy in the 1950s “Amos ‘n Andy” television series and less known for his extensive work in film. Before achieving his TV fame, he directed, wrote and performed in a string of movies aimed at black audiences. Williams...

July 9, 2013

CFA Films Head to the Capital

This morning we packed up three CFA films to ship off to our nations capital. They’ll take part in the National Gallery of Art’s annual showcase of film preservation from international archives and special collections. This year’s programs range from rediscovered American rarities to artists’ films and unsung shorts from the 1960s, and to major French classics celebrating their fiftieth anniversaries...

June 4, 2013

CFA Media Mixer 2013: Meet this Year’s Artists

This year marks the second year of our CFA Media Mixer event. So… what’s the Media Mixer event all about? Well, the premise is simple: three filmmakers, paired (blind date style) with three audio artists, had the full run of CFA’s vault to create some video art. We’ll premiere the finished videos on Thursday, June 6th alongside lots of other...

May 10, 2013

Frank Koza (1920-2013)

Two canisters filled with newsreel trims found in CFA’s Frank Koza Collection We are sad to have to once again announce the death of another Midwest filmmaker and cinematographer – Frank Koza.  Frank had a long history of shooting news, first based out of the east coast and then Chicago.  He was a member of the International Cinematographer’s Guild Local...

May 2, 2013

Goldsholl and Janiak Design Films Slated for Preservation

CFA is happy to announce that the National Film Preservation Foundation has awarded CFA another grant to photo-chemically preserve four more films from the archives.  FACES AND FORTUNES, DISINTEGRATIONS LINE #1, DISINTEGRATION LINE #2, and ADAM’S FILM all reflect the influence of the “American Bauhaus” movement introduced by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy during the late 30s/early 40s in Chicago.  Designer and filmmaker...

May 1, 2013

Mike Gray 1935-2013

I feel this is one big mistake. Mike has been working on multiple projects (books and films) with his partner and wife Carol Gray. He sprints when he moves, never lollygagging from one place to the next. By the way, he is not finished with THE ORGANIZER featuring the work of community organizer and Black Panther Bobby Lee (also known...

April 24, 2013

A Big Welcome and Another Thanks…

CFA welcomes Bridgette McCullough Alexander to our Board of Directors.  She joins a growing, vibrant, creative and supportive group of people who shore up CFA and enrich our programs.  I am genuinely happy and proud to be in their company.  Bridgette joins Andrea Gambino, Margaret Newman, Jacqueline Stewart, Stephen Journey and myself on the Board of Directors. My friend and...

April 23, 2013

Some more great news today for CFA and the Ruth Page Dance Collection…

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded CFA another grant to further process the Ruth Page Collection. This means the 16mm films and videotapes in the collection will be digitized, giving the folks at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, dance scholars, historians, student dancers, and anyone who has an interest in artistic movement access to these materials....

April 9, 2013

Discovering Kodacolor at CFA

Kodacolor box found in the Chicago Academy of Sciences’ collection While processing the Chicago Academy of Sciences’ (Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum) collection, I came across an unfamiliar stock among some 1930s-40s home movies. Found on metal 100’ and 50’ spools sans box, the edge markings read “Kodacolor Safety Film” and dated from 1936. What struck me immediately was that not only...

April 4, 2013

CFA Acquires 3 Films by Larry Janiak

For the past few months we have been gathering information about the Chicago-based design firm Goldsholl Design & Film Associates for our upcoming program MEET MORT & MILLIE (Sunday, April 7th at the Chicago Cultural Center). Former employess of the firm turned out to be some of our best sources – Susan Keig, Wayne Boyer and last but not least,...

April 3, 2013

Meet Our Panelists!

For this year’s Out of the Vault program, MEET MORT & MILLIE, we’ve gathered an exciting batch of people to help shed light on the industrial films of Goldsoll Design & Film Associates. But before we get to our panelists, let’s first meet our moderator– Amy Beste! Amy recently authored a chapter on the Goldsholls in Chicago Makes Modern: How Creative Minds Changed Society,...

March 30, 2013

Martin Scorcese’s 2013 Jefferson Lecture

This year’s National Endowment for the Humanities 2013 Jefferson Lecture will be delivered by director Martin Scorsese. The annual Jefferson Lecture, sponsored by NEH, is the most prestigious honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities. Mr. Scorsese, of course, needs no introduction, but a significant factor in his selection has been his advocacy and involvement...

March 25, 2013

CFA Media Mixer Updates

Last spring we asked 3 filmmakers (Kent Lambert, Jessica Bardsley, Ellen Castleberry & Andy Resek) and 3 musicians (CAVE, Tim Kinsella, Josh Abrams) to team up and make a short film using CFA footage. We then premiered their finished films at our first annual CFA MEDIA MIXER benefit. Our goal behind this creative-based project was to inspire artstic use of our incredible films and collections. The event...

March 8, 2013

Celebrating International Women’s Day (all year round) at CFA

At CFA we celebrate ladies all year long, but days like International Women’s Day give us a great excuse to further celebrate the abundance of inspiring women associated with our collections –  Katharine Bowden (an early graduate of Valporaiso University), Margaret Conneely (amateur movie-maker extraordinaire), Sylvia Davis (producer of an early 1950s Chicago WBKB-TV wrestling show), Terry Davis (international travelogue...