Free Screening of 'M.C. Richards' Slated - October 25, 2007
GREAT BARRINGTON - The Berkshire International Film Festival and the Triplex Cinema continue their monthly free screenings with the presentation of the award-winning documentary "M.C. Richards: The Fire Within" on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 11 a.m. Filmmakers Richard Kane and Melody Lewis-Kane will introduce the film and answer questions.
The film documents the source of our creativity as told through the life of artist, teacher and anthroposophist Mary Caroline Richards (1916-1999). Known for her underground classic "Centering: In Pottery, Poetry and the Person" and "Toward Wholeness: Rudolf Steiner Education in America," Richards was a pivotal figure at the experimental Black Mountain College near Ashville, N.C.
She was head of the faculty from 1949 to 1951 with those who later became avant garde luminaries in the New York art scene - Robert Rauschenberg, Willem and Elaine deKooning, Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Snelson, Ben Shahn, David Tudor, Buckminster Fuller, Arthur Penn, Karen Karnes, Robert Turner, Merce Cunningham and John Cage.
Described by film director Arthur Penn as "a luminous and inspiring film about a brilliant teacher and artist...," it shows Richards engaged in contemplative questioning regarding the nature and mystery of art, imagination, wholeness, community and our place in the cosmos.
To date the film has been selected a winner by eight film festivals. It has been on tour throughout the U.S. screening at more than 100 universities, communities, and arts centers.
"... For anyone interested in art and creativity and their relation to the challenge of being human, this film offers much that is nourishing and thought-provoking… the film offers insights into the meaning of art and corroboration of the importance of art as a basic, essential, meaningful human activity," said Ronald E. Koetzsch, editor of Renewal magazine.
The Berkshire International Film Festival will be held May 15 to 18, 2008, at the Triplex, the Mahaiwe Theatre and Mixed Company. Passes will go on sale Friday, Nov. 23. For information: www.biffma.com |
