Stephen Silha recites “This is It#2” for his family and friends at Walker Art Center
Director Stephen Silha writes of the first big Museum showing of Big Joy in his hometown of Minneapolis at the Walker Art Center:
The big event on Thursday 8/22 was everything I had hoped it would be. My sister Alice reserved a big table at Gather, the restaurant in the Walker, for family and close friends. I invited my high school friend Anne Sivright Jefferson and her husband Randy. She brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers. We ate at 5 p.m.
Then, about 6, a poetry workshop organized by Rain Taxi Review of Books began in the Walker’s large lobby. Wine and beer and snacks were served (for a price), and a raft of local poets were on hand to read and write poems with the theme BIG JOY. They had to be 20 seconds (or less) long. Many of us wrote poems, and some people brought poems they had written. It was a fun social time, and Sally Dixon brought all her Broughton books, replete with witty inscriptions by James.
At 7:15, we all went into the theater – which was quite full… nearly 300 of the 341 seats were occupied! The poets (and others who had written) were invited down to read by Rain Taxi editor Eric Lorberer, who got excited about Big Joy the moment I wrote him back in March. He asked me to recite This is It #1 and the beginning of the reading and This is It #2 at the end.
Then, Sheryl Mousley, the Walker’s film curator, introduced James Broughton’s The Bed (1967), and they showed a gorgeous new 16 mm print from Pacific Film Archives in Berkeley, projected from their new state-of-the-art system that can show either 16mm or 35mm films. It was stunning. The blues in the sky were so blue, and the film got the kind of laughs that would have made James giddy.
Sheryl introduced me, and I invited people to, in Eric Slade’s words, “let the film wash over them.” I had no idea that the Walker would have sign-language interpretation, not only for the poetry reading, but for the entire film! I wish I had a film of that! The film, shown from a DCP, looked and sounded brilliant in that theater, where Sheryl said James and Joel Singer had shown their films long ago.
The reaction of the audience was resounding – they applauded through much of the credits, and most people stayed for the Q&A. (My nephew David went out to the lobby and sold books, films, T-shirts and bells, and gave away poetry cards and postcards.) There were some great questions. The usual: “Why didn’t James’s daughters participate in the film?” But also, “Will you have closed captions on the DVD?” And “Can you comment on James’s relationship to the natural world in California?” And “How did he make money between the time he was in Europe and the time he started teaching?” And “Where is Joel now?” Several people commented on how well crafted the film was, and how full of surprises.
BIG JOY IN THE PRESS:
CBS / WCO online (8/21/2013): Movie Blog Q&A With ‘Big Joy’ Director, Former Minnesotan, by Eric Henderson
Pick of the week!:
CBS / WCO online (8/19/2013): Movie Blog: the Week’s Best by Eric Henderson
Twin Cities (8/17/2013) Big Joy: Movie Pick
Star Tribune (8/17/2013): Big Joy focuses on James Broughton, an artist who followed his own weird, by Kristin Tillotson
KFAI 90.3-fm / Fresh Fruit (8/15/2013): Live interview with Stephen Silha on Fresh Fruit (weekly LBGT radio show, 15 minutes; Click 8/15, scroll 31 minutes intro program.)
Poking Around with Mary (6/8/2013) Big Joy, the James Broughton documentary, coming to the Walker by Mary Treacy
Lavender Magazine (8/8/2013): Arts Spotlight / Pick by John Townsend
Southwest Journal (8/1/2013): Big Joy – Pick