Through a Glass, Lightly 1994
Distributed by New Day Films,190 Route 17M, P.O. Box 1084, Harriman, NY 10926; 888-367-9154 or 845-774-7051
Produced by Comforty Media Concepts, Jacky and Lisa Comforty
Directed by Jack Conforty
VHS, color, 20 min.
Adult
Art, Environmental Studies, Multicultural Studies
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Rue Herbert, Head, Library Media Resources, University of South Florida, Tampa"Outsider Art" refers to works by self-taught artists who produce outside the realm of traditional art, utilizing natural and intuitive creative forces. Through a Glass, Lightly provides personal profiles of David Philpot, Kevin Orth, and Mr. Imagination, three "outsider artists" residing in Chicago.
The initial individual introductions of each artist in their respective environments are very brief, making it difficult in some cases to know exactly who is being profiled. However, as the program shifts between artists several times, the viewer has the opportunity to tour each artist's workplace, and be a part of the collection of supplies and the creation of pieces.
Throughout the program, the artists offer running monologues, providing insight into their motivations. Hopeful messages of restoration and transformation are reflected through the artists' comments. While touring an abandoned lot in search of Ailanthus trees for staff carving, David Philpot surveys the area and remarks "this place, even though it may be dirty, and filled with what seems to be garbage and weeds and filth, is a place where you can gather art...this is the perfect place that really shows reclamation...to me it's a beautiful place, it's a Garden of Eden." After making some selections from his neighborhood alley and stopping in a local restaurant to pick up bottle caps saved for him, Mr. Imagination states "it's not that we're just making art with the waste material, but we are recycling, we are preserving." Upon surveying a dilapidated urban riverfront park near his studio, Kevin Orth reveals "what I would say to anyone who's wondering about my work, is that it's an affirmation of incredible life possibility in objects that might be seen as dead or worthless."
The video is filmed clearly and edited creatively. While the audio quality is very good, the inclusion of subtitles is helpful, because the artists are often talking while doing a variety of tasks, such as sawing weed trees, hammering bottle caps, or rummaging through trash dumps and alleys. It is appropriate viewing for all age and audience levels, in both academic and public libraries. The focus of the program goes beyond the obvious one of art, to include environmental, urban, and multicultural studies.