Women Artists & Artisans Films

This film screened at Mass MoCA in 2009 - 2010, and screened at the New York State Museum as part of a solo exhibition of Joan Steiner's work in 2007 - 2008. In her many books and exhibitions, artist Joan Steiner has created a deceptively innocent, three- dimensional miniature trompe l'oeil world—a hotel lobby, an old-fashioned general store, the Taj Mahal, a cathedral interior—out of ordinary, everyday objects—pretzels, tape dispensers, a garter belt, even deer vertabrae—with such seamless artistry that, at first glance, her works seem to be simple dioramas. The joy of her work is in discovering the hundreds of objects hidden within conventional forms, so conventional, in fact, that the eye initially passes them over. But Steiner's work is not only deceptive in its simplicity; it's subversive, as well, calling into question the surface attributes of a normative visual world we take for granted where, in fact, nothing is as it seems.

Carolyn Marks Blackwood photographs nature within a several mile radius of her house, with most of her photos taken just a few steps from her door above a cliff along the Hudson River, facing the Catskill mountains. Blackwood particularly loves skies, clouds and water, and depicts them with surreal abstraction. "I find my photographs," she says. Using almost no manipulation other than cropping, her photographs burst with color and depth. Sometimes they are in gray tones, such as ice breaking up into beautiful cubist patterns in the Hudson River, and she is also a fan of abstraction.

A lifelong plein air painter, Barbara Masterson lives on a farm in the heart of the Hudson Valley's apple orchard region. Captivated by the sight of migrant workers who came into the scenes she painted, Masterson began incorporating them into her colorful paintings— first at a distance, but soon cultivating personal relationships and gaining a deep insight into the crucial work they perform in an increasingly harsh political environment. Her intimate, large-scale portraits of those who often remain "unseen" by society are unforgettable. Masterson was able to invite the subjects of her paintings to see their portraits exhibited in a gallery show and even meet the patrons who purchased the artwork. Audiences remember her stunning paintings long after viewing this artist profile film and have sought out her exhibitions around the region. The filmmakers had the opportunity to visit the orchards and meet the workers with whom Masterson has developed friendships over the years while creating this film in 2017 and were thrilled to watch the expert at work in her studio.

It's absolutely mesmerizing to watch Kingston mixed-media artist Susan Basch engage in her chosen art form, the ancient Japanese braiding technique called Kumihimo. "I use a round wooden stand called a Mura Dai, weighted wooden bobbins called tama, and an extensive variety of threads and yarns to create my hand woven braids," explains Basch, and "each braid is considered a reflection of the braid-maker." With a wide variety of colors and textures to choose from, Basch creates gorgeous patterns with endless possibilities. Having studied jewelry making and gemology, Basch developed her own unique craft by grouping different braids together to create necklaces as well as the handcrafted beads and silver clasps that embellish her wearable works of art. Blauweiss' short film provides a glorious treat for the eyes as we tour Basch's colorful and impeccably well-organized studio filled with colorful yarns she dyes herself using locally-grown plants. We listen to Basch guide us through her fiber and metal work areas filled with the tools of her trade, and see works in progress as well as finished pieces that would look stunning in any context.

Elizabeth Zunon is a book illustrator and author who specializes in African and African-American subject matter. After creating a book about Harlem Renaissance artist Romare Bearden, Zunon was deeply influenced by his style. She often uses both collage and painting in her artwork. One of her books tells of women in Africa who developed a creative solution to the problem of discarded plastic bags in the streets and rivers which were harming children and animals. The women collect and clean the bags, cut them into strips, crochet them into purses, and sell them. The inspiring story tells of both environmental protection and women's empowerment. Zunon also recently wrote and illustrated a book about her grandfather who cultivated cocoa beans in the Ivory Coast, a story her father recounts while baking a chocolate cake with his daughter. This short film gives a glimpse into Zunon's influences, unique style, and beautiful work on these three delightful books.

Karen Berelowitz doodled through three decades of school and an international development career before launching Karmabee in 2007. She prints her hand-drawn black & white designs on note cards, baby clothes, kids and adult T-shirts, cork coasters, tote bags, face masks, and more. Karen works out of her home studio in Kingston, NY, where she does everything from artwork to silkscreening to managing the retail, wholesale, and online aspects of her business. "I didn't go to business school or art school, says Karen, "and it's really fun just to come up with ideas and then figure out how to make them happen." Growing up in South Africa and spending much of her previous career in Latin America, Karen's designs have an ethnic quality to them that she feels is more subconscious than anything intentional. "I've never known how to describe my style," says Karen, "I've always just doodled...I don't think about it." Karen also teaches small business classes, licenses her drawings, and creates custom logos and designs.

Creating stained glass windows takes an enormous amount of creativity and skill, and repairing and restoring the antique masterpieces is an intricate art form in itself. In this short film, watch expert Doris Cultraro demonstrate the complex process of melting antique patina, removing copper foil, tracing shapes, tracking each individual piece, recutting glass, and fitting it all together to beautifully restore windows, panels, lampshades and other decorative stained glass pieces. Working in her DC Studio in Germantown, Doris also combines modern computer software with an ancient art to design and fabricate colorful custom creations. This mesmerizing film will undoubtedly change the way you look at stained glass!

Catherine Sebastian has a broad approach to her photography: she sees it as a collaboration between her and the image. She loves that viewers can appreciate her images for very different reasons. Her photos fall into a wide variety of styles, from "sometimes a shot is just there" to abstracts to a full portfolio of music photography. Sebastian feels composition is one of the main pillars of her work, not just the placement of objects, but the placement of light as well.

Inspired by nature and the interconnectedness of all things, artist Elisa Pritzker wants the viewer to take time to see beyond what catches their eye at first glance. Drawing abstract designs on bones and other naturally beautiful objects, her studies of Native American culture, in particular the Selk'nam tribe in Argentina, have seeped deep within her being so that the images flow and her marks come to life.

This film is about a multi-media art installation called Big World In There which turned a former church space into a participatory experience of art and music with larger-than-life flowing garments. These could be manipulated by the audience using ropes, reminiscent of sailing technology. The creators chose the image of a shirt because it's reminiscent of “shelter, it's a doorway you can enter into, it has a front opening, and it has arms that will enwrap you... it's very warm and benevolent.” With music combining bells, organs, folk songs, a heartbeat, and psalms, and words projected upon the walls, the piece provided the audience a multi-faceted audio-visual immersion into a unique world. The installation was created by three artists: sculptor Kate Hamilton, video artist Tona Wilson, and composer Jonathan Elliott.