North Adams - Until the late 1950’s Disney Studios was the main source for animated films, producing commercially successful films that catered to a mainstream audience. This changed in 1955 when the marriage of animators Faith and John Hubley began not only a loving union that spanned more than two decades, but a collaborative partnership as well.
The documentary Independent Spirits: The Faith and John Hubley Story, showing at MASS MoCA on Thursday, February 10, at 8pm, focuses on the careers and the joint works of these Academy Award-winning animators and the ways in which they re-defined animation through innovative graphics and experimental sounds.
With the opening of their own studio, Storyboard, the Hubleys adhered to the belief that animation could deal with serious issues and, therefore, make a difference in the world. Following the film will be a post-screening discussion with the Hubleys' daughter, renowned animator Emily Hubley.
“The Hubleys could take on anything in terms of subject matter: nuclear annihilation, the Cold War, overpopulation, the death and rebirth of creativity. They seemed to be limitless, in terms of their daring, and what they wanted to put into animation – what they felt animation could handle,†according to John Canemaker, animation historian and filmmaker.
Directed by film historian Sybil DelGaudio, Independent Spirits explores the artistic works of Faith and John Hubley and their abilities to blend humor, intelligence, and social commentary into their animation. The couples’ ultimate goal was not to depict a cartoon mouse being chased by a cartoon cat, but "to increase awareness, to warn, to humanize, to elevate vision, to suggest goals, to deepen our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to one another."
Asking audiences to use their imaginations, the Hubleys introduced non-traditional techniques to the world of animation, including a blend of watercolor, wax crayons, and multiple exposures and lighting from beneath the camera. These techniques gave the films a spontaneous appearance and emphasized the free-form graphic approach that is now known as Hubley-style animation.
Independent Spirits also addresses the passion, spirit, and commitment of independent artists trying to exist in a culture of compromise and tradition. In the costly realm of filmmaking, independent artists are often tempted to negotiate their personal beliefs and visions by taking commissioned jobs in order to fund their own pieces of work. Having worked on separate projects before their partnership in 1955, Faith and John each brought their own unique qualities to the table.
Before working with Faith, John nurtured his artistic brilliance at the Disney Studio while Faith, whose experience in a tough New York City neighborhood formed her rebellious spirit and deep respect for cultural diversity, worked in Hollywood as a sound effects and music editor and script supervisor. Though television shows like Sesame Street commissioned the Hubleys to create animation shorts, the couple never deterred from a promise made in their wedding vows, “to make at least one independent film a year;†a promise that Faith Hubley maintained after her husband’s death in 1977 until her own passing in 2001.
Director Sybil DelGaudio is best known for her four-part series entitled Animated Women. The series won recognition at many festivals and museums, and was honored with an Emmy Award and a CINE Golden Eagle. DelGaudio teaches film studies and production at Hofstra University, where she is professor and chair of the Department of Audio/Video/Film. She is a film historian whose reviews and articles are published widely, and she is a frequent speaker and panel moderator on topics relating to film theory and animation.
Tickets for Independent Spirits: The Faith and John Hubley Story are $6. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available in advance through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. (closed Tuesdays). Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111.
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Use of Slurs Sparks Community Conversation in Pittsfield
The discussion will be held Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Conte Community School in partnership with the public schools, Westside Legends and the Berkshire chapter of the NAACP.
On Thursday, interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said the district recognizes the seriousness of concerns from students, families, and staff members in a statement to the school community.
"As interim Superintendent, I have a broad view across our school system and am hearing experiences and concerns from many corners of our community. From my 26 years in education, I know these challenges are not unique to our district. That said, this is our opportunity to do this work within our own schools and strengthen our public education system and culture," she wrote over Parent Square, which was posted on social media and the district website.
"I want to be clear that there is no place for derogatory or discriminatory language in our schools, whether in classrooms, hallways, on athletic fields, buses, or anywhere in our learning environments. We must address individual situations thoughtfully, fairly, and with care for everyone involved, while also committing to the long-term work of shaping school environments where every student experiences dignity, belonging, safety, and respect."
At this meeting, they will discuss how to best move forward together.
"Our students are watching how we respond," Phillips wrote.
"We have an opportunity to model what it looks like to address difficult issues with fairness, dignity, honesty, and care, and in doing so, strengthen our schools for the long term."
Last week, the Pittsfield Public Schools Human Resources Department confirmed that an 8th-grade teacher at the middle school was placed on leave. The teacher was reportedly describing a classroom incident when the slurs were repeated.
The complaint was publicly made by parent Brett Random, who is the executive director of Berkshire County Head Start.
On her personal Facebook page, she said her daughter reported that her math teacher, "used extremely offensive language including both a racial slur (N word) and a homophobic slur (F word) and then reportedly tried to push other students to repeat those words later in the day when students were questioning her on her behavior."
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