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.
Funded 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 NEMN Bronze
Apple
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. These
awards and the
CINE Golden Eagle
are among the most prestigious in the film and video
industry.
