A documentary video about Chicago outsider artists
Through a Glass, Lightly
was
produced in conjunction with an exhibit at
the Terra Museum of American Art,
Reclamation and Transformation: Three Self-Taught Chicago
Artists,
featuring artists David Philpot, Mr. Imagination, and Kevin Orth.
Fund in part by Openlands Project and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley
Foundation.
Directed by Jacky Comforty
Producers: Jacky and Lisa Comforty
Associate Producer: Kathy Berger
Editor: Lissa Oliver
Camera: Ned Miller
Through a Glass, Lightly follows Chicago artists Mr. Imagination, David Philpot,
and Kevin Orth as they search Chicago’s streets and alleys for the raw materials of
their work -- weeds and bottle caps, rusted metal and broken glass, things thrown away and
places abandoned. We see how the artists transform unwanted, discarded objects into color,
form, texture; images and ideas; craft and art. The artists reveal how they have
transformed themselves into artists, and how African and other cultures have shaped their
vision. And so, though ostensibly about outsider artists, Through a Glass, Lightly
addresses broader themes: multiculturalism, the environment, inner city life, the creative
process and its impact on self-esteem. The artists talk of seeing differently,
appreciating the world around us, and having relations with people and the environment
that are "more careful and loving and sacred."
Comforty Media Concepts,
based in Evanston, Illinois, is an educational video
and multimedia production company, which also won an CINE Golden Eagle for Through a
Glass, Lightly and a 1997 Intercom Gold Hugo for their recent program on the inclusion
of children with disabilities, Step by Step: Heather’s Story.
