BRATTLEBORO — 118 Elliot Gallery's “Creative Relations'' exhibit will close on Sunday, June 26, at 5 p.m., with the first full screening of Through Her Mind's Eye, a film by local artist John Loggia, made with compelling Super 8 and 8mm film footage his mother, Marjorie Sloan Loggia, shot of people, the places they inhabit, and the things they do around the world.
“Loggia''s score combines with his mother's compelling eye to tell an abstract yet emotional story that begins with a view from a New York apartment and ends with it being built over,” says a news release.
“Creative depictions of everyday life are interspersed with images from the civil rights and anti-war movements as well as scenes from the cultural awakening of the 1960s and early '70s shot in China soon after Nixon's visit in 1972,” gallery organizers said in a news release. “In keeping with her interest in experimental filmmaking, the edit retains as much as possible the look and feel of the footage as it was discovered and includes roll-outs, flares and accidental exposures.”
“Marjorie Loggia was an unfulfilled artist who subverted her own ambition to serve her husband and family,” Loggia said. “Seen through the veil of time, the film captures 20th century optimism tempered by a palpable sense of horror and regret.”
Marjorie Sloan Loggia (1920–2005) was an editor and producer who supported many artists and actors trying to find their way in New York City. She was deeply involved in the Actors Studio and was a close confidant of Stella Adler, among others. She edited and wrote the introduction for The Collected Works of Harold Clurman, a 1,000-page chronological epic offering a comprehensive view of American theater seen through the eyes of one of its most extraordinary critics (Applause Books, 2000).
Painter and 118 Elliot partner Tina Olsen said she conceived of the “Creative Relations” exhibit concept and commented on its success.
“We invited artists to reflect on how their family history, personal experiences, and significant relationships influence their creative work,” Olsen said. “Intimate explorations of how creativity helps heal the legacy of personal and cultural trauma embedded in family history emerged, provoking a positive outpouring from the community.”
The show includes work by Jason Alden, Finn Campman, Toto Feldman, Schuyler Gould, Liza King, John Loggia, Aron Namenwirth, Phyllis Odessey, Tina Olsen, Markie Sallick, Helen Schmidt, Julia Zanes, and others they've selected, offering a window into each artist's life.
118 Elliot is considering repeating the show with different painters next year. “It's like we hit a deep well we can dip into to explore these creative relations all around us again and again,” Olsen said.
On Thursday, June 23, at 4 p.m., these artists will share their views on the influences of these creative relationships in their own work and with each other and the public in a roundtable discussion: “The Epigenetics of Creativity.” Many of the artists will be present for the closing screening as well.
Gallery hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 7 p.m. to the show's close, or by appointment by contacting 118elliot@gmail.com.
Coming in July, 118 Elliot will present The Most Costly Journey: Stories of Migrant Farmworkers in Vermont, drawn by New England cartoonists, and Golden Cage: Photos and Audio Stories of Mexican Workers on Vermont Dairy Farms, curated by the Vermont Folklife Center with oral history workshops and talks all month.