Many Voices Video Workshops

In October 2012, UMMA sent out a call for participation to filmmakers, artists, writers, photographers, storytellers, and arts enthusiasts interested in making a movie with the Museum. UMMA invited individuals to create 2-3 minute videos in response to works of art in our collection that would then be made available to the public in our galleries in April 2013 and on the DialogTable, UMMA's award-winning interactive storytelling and social learning tool.

Together with independent filmmakers Donald Harrison and Sharad Patel, who led the filmmaking workshop, UMMA staff project leaders Lisa Borgsdorf and Ruth Slavin selected thirteen participants through a competitive application process. Those selected range in age from fourteen to fifty-nine and include high school and undergraduate UM students, recent UM graduates, musicians, teachers, and community leaders. Some came to the workshops with no filmmaking or artistic background, others came with quite a bit, and the majority of participants fell somewhere in the middle. To effectively support such a spectrum of experience, Harrison and Patel employed a mentored learning model that balanced group workshop time with individual one-on-one coaching. To do this, they recruited two more experienced artists and filmmakers to serve as mentors, Emilia Javanica and Martin Thoburn. All four created their own movies as well.

Participants and their selected works of art included:

Latifa Al-Mohdar
Pablo Picasso, The Bullfight, 1934

Sudandyo Aprilianto
Auguste Rodin, Dance Movement A, B, C, E, modeled 1911, cast 1956

Ashlee Arder
Mask (vaca bruto, dugn'be type), Bijogo Peoples, Guinea Bissau, 1925–75

Ada Banks
Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Figure of a Girl in Blue (Portrait of Miss Minnie Clark), circa 1892

Paula Friedrich
Donald Maxwell Robiner inkwell collection, 1875–1975

David Gainsley
Ouk Chim Vichet, Apsara Warrior, circa 2004

Donald Harrison
Tyree Guyton, Ups and Downs, 1994

Emilia Javanica
Max Beckmann, Begin the Beguine, 1946

James Leija
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, “Untitled” (March 5th) #2, 1991

Collin McRae
Conch trumpet, in an embossed silver mount, 800–1900, Tibet or Nepal

Papillon
Chief’s caryatid stool (citwamo ka kaponya), 1850–99, Chokwe Peoples, Angola

Josie Parker
Pier Celestino Gilardi, A Visit to the Gallery, 1877

Sharad Patel
Man Ray, What We All Lack (Ce qui manque à nous tous), 1962

Keshav Prasad
Joan Mitchell, White Territory, 1970–71

Rafe Scobey-Thal
Alberto Giacometti, Standing Figure, 1957

Toko Shiiki
Shibata Zeshin, Five plates with floral design, circa 1879–90

Martin Thoburn
Jenny Holzer, Selections from Truisms, 1983

Martin Thoburn and Donald Harrison collaborative piece
Josef Albers, White Front, 1958