Simple Mask and Puppet Making           AT-48
30 min / color / 1992 / AIMS / VHS
Preschool through adult
Internationally acclaimed master puppeteer David Poulton demonstrates the centuries-old art of puppet and mask making. The materials he uses are simple and affordable and produce whimsical characters such as elephants, koalas, lions, finger puppets, scarf puppets, and Greek masks. The program stimulates children's imaginations and teaches several skills, including the proper use of scissors; hand, eye, and mind coordination; development of symmetry recognition; and the understanding of three-dimensional concepts. It increases artistic awareness, the benefits of patience, and instills a sense of accomplishment in creating art.

Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting
60 min / color / 1996 / PBS / VHS
High school through adult
Sister Wendy Beckett has transformed public appreciation of art through her astonishing knowledge, insight, and passion for painting and painters. Join her on this unique tour of art and history that sweeps from cave drawings, through the Renaissance, and all the way to New York’s Soho scene. Filmed on location, Sister Wendy brings to life the artists, their paintings and their world, creating a spectacular panorama of Western art that is in itself a masterpiece

1. Early Art           WDY-1
From the mysterious cave paintings at Lascaux to the spiritual visions of the Middle Ages, Sister Wendy traces the roots of Western art. We visit tomb paintings from ancient Egypt, Greek vases and statuary, Medieval England’s Book of Kells, and illuminations in Les Tres Riches Heures from Gothic France before looking at the dawn of artistic Enlightenment in the work of Giotto and the vibrant art and life of Tuscany. Traveling north across Europe to Bruges, Belgium, we view Flemish painter Jan van Eyck’s miracles with oil and wood, and on to Holland, where the horrific visions of Hieronymus Bosch mark the end of the Gothic era.

2. The Renaissance           WDY-2
Sister Wendy travels to Florence, where Fra Angelico and Botticelli redefined art, to witness the awakening of art called the Italian Renaissance. See the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and discuss the sly smile of his Mona Lisa. In Rome, see masterpieces commissioned by the Popes ñ Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling and the works of Raphael ñ and in Venice, the works of Titian and Giorgione. Then follow the Renaissance north across the Alps to Nuremberg, where religious strife brought a new purpose to painting and Durer redefined the role of the artist in society.

3. Baroque to Romanticism           WDY-3
As the Reformation spread, the Church sought to use art to bring man closer to God. Artists responded by creating the glorious Baroque style. Sister Wendy explores its artistic legacy by traveling to Rome to learn of the violent genius of Caravaggio and of Gentileschi, the woman whose own personal abuse fueled an unquenchable artistic passion. In Spain we see El Greco’s unforgettable works, while in Antwerp we view the greatest of all baroque painters, Peter Paul Rubens. The Baroque style set the stage for Vermeer and Rembrandt in the Netherlands, Velazquez in Spain, and the work of the expatriate French painter Nicolas Poussin in Italy.

4. The Age of Revolution           WDY-4
Two social cataclysms were about to shake art to its foundations, ushering in the groundbreaking work of the Impressionists. Sister Wendy traces this astonishing evolution across Europe. In England, the Industrial Revolution brought wealth that gave rise to the portraiture and pastoral paintings of Gainsborough and Turner’s stirring visions of progress. In France, the sensual, ornate style of Rococo art ended with the French Revolution. It paved the way for Manet, whose work and theories scandalized Paris. See how his colors and forms led to Impressionism, shown in the rich hues of Renoir and Monet, the cold eye of Degas, and the powerful images of the troubled genius van Gogh.

5. Modernism           WDY-5
In this concluding segment, Sister Wendy traces the development of 20th-century art and its legacy to the future. She travels to Provence to see the roots of modern art in the work of Cézanne, then to Paris to witness its fiery birth as Picasso introduces Cubism and Matisse and Kandinsky redefine space and form. Observe the bold lines of Modrian and meet Dali and the Surrealists. She crosses the ocean to New York as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning create Abstract Expressionism. Finally, we witness Rothko’s monochromatic visions, the Pop Art of Andy Warhol, the Minimalism of the 1960s, and ponder their impact on art today.

Sisyphus           ED-70
3 min / b&w / 1976 / PFP / 16mm
Middle school through adult
In very understated animation, filmmaker Marcell Jankovics presents a version of the classic Greek tale of a greedy king doomed forever to push a heavy boulder up a mountain, only for it to roll back down again. Simple black-and-white drawings and an unusual soundtrack that signifies Sisyphus’s labored breathing convey the intense effort of his ominous task.

Sixty-Second Spot           ED-108
25 min / color / 1974 / PFP / 16mm, VHS
Middle school through adult
This film is about the epic struggle involved in making big-budget television commercials-in this case a $250,000 7-Up take-off on old desert movies. The film follows production from storyboard to preproduction planning and casting, to on-location filming in Yuma, Arizona. We sit in on actual casting sessions, observe key planning sessions at the ad agency, watch rehearsals, overhear budget discussions, and experience on-location problems.

Skyscraper
58 min each / color / 1991 / FFH / VHS
Middle school through adult
This extraordinary video series follows the design and construction of Worldwide Plaza, from architect David Childs’s preliminary sketches to the financing, excavating, leasing, construction, and completion of the $550 million, 47-story tower in Manhattan. It is a dramatic story of money, people, and technology-of lawyers, architects, contractors, and workmen coordinating their time and resources to erect a colossal American landmark.

1. Rock and Paper           SKY-1
This program introduces the major players in the Worldwide Plaza project, including developer William Zeckendorf, Jr., architect David Childs, and construction manager Dominic Fonti. In early 1985, Childs and his team of architects prepare preliminary design drawings, create scale models, and use sophisticated computer imaging to explore different ideas for the structure.

2. Time and Money           SKY-2
Construction manager Dominic Fonti travels to Florida to observe critically important tests of air infiltration, wind resistance, and water penetration on a mock-up of Worldwide Plaza’s exterior wall. Back at the Manhattan site, tower cranes swing steel columns and beams into position, and ironworkers wrestle them into place and bolt them together in the skyscraper’s frame.

3. Steel and Stone           SKY-3
Time-lapse photography dramatizes the skills of the project’s ironworkers as they assemble the steel framework in one corner of the building. In Venice, the cameras venture into a marble quarry and examine a mock-up of one of Worldwide Plaza’s granite columns. At a neighborhood fair, residents and businessmen react to the building that is transforming their community.

4. Copper and Diamond           SKY-4
The series journeys to Canada for a glimpse into the lives of some of the building’s ironworkers, Mohawks who live on a reservation near Montreal. As the last piece of high steel goes up, the construction managers hold a topping-out ceremony. Worldwide Plaza’s crowning glass pyramid is installed onto its frame, 770 feet above the ground. The cameras tour the completed building.

5. Higher and Higher           SKY-5
This program chronicles the evolution of the American skyscraper over the last century and speculates on the skyscraper of the future. Some of America’s most famous architects, engineers, and developers speculate on just how high buildings might go in the future, and what the ramifications for their residents-and the cities around them-might be.

Skyscraper: The Vertical Masterpiece           ED-419
44 min / color / 1998 / FFH / VHS
High school through adult
The challenging world of skyscraper construction is revealed as experts, including Paul Goldberger of The New York Times, discuss the design and cultural significance of the world’s tallest building-the Z-4 Project-under construction in Shanghai. Archival film of other famous skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building, provide a backdrop for discussions about design and engineering of very tall architecture.

A Sleepy Hollow Memorial           ED-396
15 min / color / 1994 / CTC / VHS
Middle school through adult
Nestled in the Hudson River Valley lies Tarrytown, New York, home of the noted author Washington Irving, who immortalized its inhabitants in his story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This program is a memorial to this father of American literature and the historic sites associated with him. William Lent, from the Friends of the Old Dutch Burying Ground, guides viewers through this famous graveyard where the Headless Horseman began his famous journey and the oldest gravestones have both Dutch and English inscriptions. Adjacent to this burying ground is the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, final resting place for Washington Irving, as well as other notables, such as Andrew Carnegie and Samuel Gompers.

Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood         ED-462
56 min / 1997/ IM / VHS
College through adult
This documentary traces the history of African-Americans in Hollywood motion pictures from the turn of the 20th century to the near present. It is a comprehensive account of both the conflicts and the triumphs and loaded with clips from great movies. Featured are Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Paul Robeson, Stepin Fetchit, Lena Horne, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Jim Brown, Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones and many others. Narrated by Louis Gossett, Jr.

Smile for Auntie           ED-188
5 min / color / 1983 / WW / 16mm
Elementary school through adult
Film animator Gene Deitch has created a bold characterization of a silly aunt who looms over baby, trying to elicit a smile. The sparse, menacing text and sound effects inspired by Auntie’s absurd posturings perfectly portray an experience uncomfortably familiar to anyone who had an overattentive mother, aunt, or grandmother! Suggested Classroom Activities: Have children draw a picture that is based on a different viewpoint than their own, such as a baby’s, a dog’s, a bird’s. Have students “act out” their impressions of a particularly bothersome, funny, or cherished relative.

Snow           ED-60
9 min / color / 1969 / P / 16mm
Preschool through adult
This acclaimed documentary contrasts the warm comfort of railroad passengers with the cold, brutal work that must be done to keep the line clear. A superb visual essay about trains.

The Snowman           ED-227
26 min / color / 1986 / WW / 16mm, VHS
Preschool through adult
In this award-winning film, based on the book by Raymond Briggs, a young boy dreams that his snowman comes to life. He brings the snowman into his house, and together they explore rooms, exchange jokes and warnings, share a meal, and discover the joys of friendship. The fantasy continues into the night sky, as the snowman flies the boy off to visit exotic cities and villages before they return home at sunrise. Muted pastels and an exquisite orchestral score performed by the Sinfonia of London make this nonverbal story an adventure for all seasons.

Sol Lewitt: Four Decades
56 min / 2000 / DVD
High school through adult
Filmed for his retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the artist, in conversation with curator Gary Garrels, discusses four decades of intense exploration of the basic forms of visual language: lines and arcs; geometric forms; black, white and primary colors.

Sole Mani           ED-307
4 min / color / 1989 / DC / VHS
Preschool through adult
For Mario Mariotti, a hand is a one-man band-or orchestra, to be exact. With a little tempera paint, Mariotti, a Florentine conceptual artist, transforms his hands into curious, fantastic creatures. In this inventive film, 2 hands become a tuxedoed symphony. The conductor leads his harpist, cellist, horn players, and choir through a beautiful musical score until a discordant note discombobulates the musicians, resulting in an unexpected finale. Sole Mani (“Hands Only”) is a whimsical riot of color and sound sure to amuse, mystify, and inspire young viewers.

Something to Do with the Wall           ED-354
90 min / color / 1990 / FRIC / VHS
Middle school through adult
Filmmakers Ross McElwee and Marilyn Levine first shot footage in Berlin on the 25th anniversary of the Wall’s erection, when the imposing structure was still very much intact as the world’s outstanding symbol of the Communist hardline. They thought their film would document the community of international tourists, American soldiers, and West Berliners who all had to contend with the seemingly eternal presence of the graffiti-emblazoned eyesore. But in 1989, as the original film neared completion, the wall came down. McElwee and Levine found themselves in Berlin again, retracing their steps to capture the new atmosphere of the reunited city. The filmmakers became active par-ticipants in an attitude-adjusting process that harkens back to the myths and fears that ran rampant among students in the classrooms of 1950s America.

Sonoma           ED-117
9 min / color / 1977 / SBC / 16mm
Middle school through adult
Taking its title from an Indian word meaning “valley of the moon,” Sonoma is imbued with a sense of mystery and lyric tranquility. Filmmaker Dennis Pies’s pencil and charcoal drawings create a dreamlike abstract landscape. Muted pastel colors appear as imaginary flora and fauna emerge and humanlike figures begin to take shape. A vision of a new world at the dawn of consciousnesss.

The Sorceress: Kiri Te Kanawa           PE-48
50 min / color / 1994 / BF / VHS
Middle school through adult
Contemporary and Baroque styles interweave in this performance fantasy featuring the music of George Frederick Handel. Early-music specialist Christopher Hogwood conducts, Toronto’s Baroque Opera Atelier choreographs, and Kiri Te Kanawa stars in this stylish and imaginative blend of stage drama and rock video. The warring forces of good and evil, combined with the power of romantic love, make this opera a riveting and spellbinding spectacle. Italian with English subtitles.

Sort of a Commercial for an Icebag           WA-170
16 min / color / 1972 / BEN / 16mm
Elementary school through adult
Pop artist Claes Oldenburg takes us along as he creates an outdoor sculpture for the World’s Fair in Osaka, Japan. With impish wit and artistic virtuosity, he examines familiar objects for their properties of hardness, softness, form, texture, movement, color, lighting, and scale, which ultimately leads him to a giant motorized, metal-capped pink icebag. Finally, the completed sculpture is seen in various settings, as Oldenburg considers its qualities in different light and climatic conditions. You’ll never look at an icebag in quite the same way again! Blue Ribbon, American Film Festival.

The Sound Collector           ED-251
12 min / color / 1986 / NFB / VHS
Preschool through adult
The Sound Collector, using a combination of animation, collage, paper cut-outs, and colored inks on glass, features Leonard, a 6-year-old boy with an unusual hobby; he collects sounds. Transforming household noises around him into elaborate fantasies, he creates an adventure story for his scornful older brother in which knights in armor chase away monsters and perform other daring deeds. This film will entertain young and old alike and adapts to a variety of classroom uses, encouraging creativity and stimulating discussion on topics such as individuality, family relationships, and imagination. Suggested Classroom Activity: Have students make a storyboard series of drawings, creating an original story of their own from noises they have recorded from a variety of sources-for instance, household and street noises, athletic events, or even the school cafeteria.

Sound of Sunshine, Sound of Rain           ED-168
15 min / color / 1984 / FILM / VHS
Elementary school through adult
This sensitive animated film takes us into the world of a 7-year-old boy who is blind. As we follow him on a trip to the park and the grocery store, we experience his sightless world of sound images. The animation in the film helps us understand how non-sighted people perceive color and sound. Imaginative teachers will find many uses for this film, especially helping children explore the creative use of their senses. Red Ribbon, 1985 American Film Festival.

SOUTH: Ernest Shackleton and the Endurance Expedition         ED-498
88 min / 1919 / MS / VHS
High school through adult
This actual motion picture of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s attempted expedition to the South Pole (1914-16) in the ship Endurance is a milestone in the art of documentary filmmaking. The astounding story of survival is made vivid and immediate by the footage shot by the crew’s cameraman Frank Hurley in utmost dire and adverse conditions and assembled as a travelogue after their rescue. Silent with music and intertitles.

Southeast Asia: Temples of Glory           OA-26
25 min / color / 1992 / CTC / VHS
Middle school through adult
In southeast Asia lie the ruins of 2 ancient capitals: Ayutthaya in Thailand and Angkor in Cambodia. While both lend a spectacular beauty to the landscape, history has treated each in diverse ways. Angkor has been victim to the bloody history that followed its construction and lay in disrepair in war-torn Cambodia. On the other hand, Ayutthaya, in a more prosperous Thailand, has been carefully preserved and receives numerous tourists each year. This program views these 2 monuments to the past, examining their differences and similarities. Above all, the film pays tribute to these two magnificent ancient cities.

Soutine           WA-298
28 min / color / 1987 / DC / 16mm
College through adult
Russian-born Chaim Soutine, one of the great 20th-century Expressionist painters, was haunted by memories of his father’s butcher shop. His work is filled with vibrant, bloody reds, energetic slashes of thick paint, and forms that appear to cringe, lunge, and shout. Soutine was an introverted, unstable man, and interviews with his friends and colleagues such as Jacques Lipchitz reveal the inner, tortured artist. Although his life was short (1894-1943), he was prolific, and his work remains as a testament to his creative energy and genius.

The Space of Pottery           WA-442
26 min / color / 1992 / UC / VHS
Middle school through adult
This sensitive documentary explores the work, creative process, and philosophical perspective of internationally acclaimed ceramist Paul Mathieu, whose works in porcelain defy conventional boundaries of craft, sculpture, and representation. The video illustrates the many stages of the ceramic process as Mathieu creates a complicated piece inspired by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawkings’s book A Brief History of Time. The work consists of 7 highly decorative, fully functional porcelain dishes that stack into a sculptural unity.

Spaces: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph           WA-193
29 min / color / 1983 / MOMA / 16mm
High school through adult
This is a profile of Paul Rudolph, the controversial American architect who has been called “the most original architect in the U.S.” and who has designed more than 200 buildings over the last 30 years. His work includes the Yale Art and Architecture Building, the Southern Massachusetts University campus, and the Chapel at Tuskegee Institute. Of particular interest is the film’s coverage of the conflicts and frustration Rudolph encounters in accomplishing his work. Spaces helps us understand the compromises a person must sometimes make in order to survive as an artist.

Speak of Me as I Am: The Story of Paul Robeson            ED-556
55 min/ 1998/ FFH/ VHS
College through adult
Actor Denzel Washington narrates this fine BBC documentary on the life of Paul Robeson. Since his death in 1976, Robeson's talents as an actor and singer have become well known. This video explores more of his civil rights activism and his championing our country's friendship with communist Soviet Union where he was beloved. Spirituals featuring his rich baritone voice are heard throughout on the soundtrack.

A Special Letter           ED-209
5 min / color / 1985 / DC / 16mm, VHS
Middle school through adult
Through delicate pencil drawings, this animated film tells a true story of a special love between a mother and her grown daughter. Memories of the difficulties faced by a Polish family in a World War II concentration camp make the daughter aware of how the gift of love is spiritual as well as physical. In only a few minutes, the film touches on the meaning of love as an aging parent becomes like a dependent child. The film is particularly appropriate for social studies, art, and film classes, and is an excellent stimulus for creative writing activities.

The Spice of Life series
13 volumes; 26 min ea / 1983 / VHS
Upper elementary through adult
A fascinating, fact-filled series that traces the colorful history of spices and herbs over the centuries and right into present day kitchens. Images of the major spice countries are woven with historical background of human events and actual usage by cultures all over the world. One will be amazed at how these unassuming accoutrements have affected what we do and who we are.

Allspice           SL-1
Chilies-A Dash of Daring           SL-2
Cinnamon: The Elegant Addition           SL-3
Cloves: Natures Little Nails            SL-4
Curry Around the World            SL-5
Garlic's Pungent Presence           SL-6
Herbs: Aromatic Influences           SL-7
Mustard: The Spice of Nations           SL-8
Nutmeg: Nature's Perfect Package           SL-9
Pepper: The Master Spice           SL-10
Peppercorns: Fresh Ground Flavour           SL-11
Saffron: Autumn Gold           SL-12
The Spice of India           SL-13

The Spinney by Jean Dubuffet
16 min / 1989 / VHS
Middle school through adult
This non-narrated film with an eccentric soundtrack takes place in a French studio. Watch as Dubuffet's monumental sculpture, The Spinney, is constructed from beginning to the finished work. The process involves many stages as the final piece is placed in an open space amongst a housing community.

Spirit of the Arctic           WA-498
26 min / color / 1995 / FWA / VHS
Middle school through adult
The distinguished Inuit artist, Abraham Anghik-Ruben, and his colleagues share their philosophies and artistic methods in this video on the creative process. Viewers learn the problems involved in creating monumental sculpture from materials such as one-ton blocks of limestone and marble, and 16-foot long whale jawbones. When the sculptures are complete, however, the magnificence of the finished works transcends all of the problems encountered.

Sprout Wings and Fly            ED-527
30 min / 1983 / VHS
High school through adult
In this portrait of old-time Appalachian fiddler Tommy Jarrell, legendary documentary maker Les Blank provides a life-affirming and compassionate take on the theme that art, music, dance, food and earthly pleasures help human beings live joyously in the face of certain death. Filled as much with warmth as scholarship, this film shows the music to be a natural, unfiltered reflection of people's lives.

Squiggles, Dots, and Lines           ED-312
25 min / color / 1989 / KV / VHS/DVD
Elementary school
This video presents Ed Emberley, Caldecott Award winner and celebrated children’s author/illustrator, together with his versatile drawing alphabet, a six-symbol resource for kids to use to help them learn to draw or to enhance the drawing they already do. Elementary school kids will revel in the bounty of art experiences offered in this video on art and creativity. Fourteen kids share their fun on camera, telling stories, making cards and books, creating a giant mural and getting ready for a party. Throughout the program, Emberly’s “lessons”-short narratives, supported by dynamic computer graphics-present different aspects of his drawing technique.

Staging Classical Comedy           PE-53
25 min / color / 1989 / FFHS / VHS
High school through adult
Tragedy upholds traditional values and comedy attacks them,which explains much of the changes from the plays of the Greek playwright, Aristophanes, to those of the Roman Plautus. These changes also reflect the move from Athenian democracy to Roman totalitarianism. Wary of creating permanent spaces that might be used for mass meetings, the Romans constructed temporary wooden structures to house their theatrical productions. Since they were made of wood, they did not survive. To determine how Roman comedy was staged, evidence must be sought in surviving artifacts, contemporary Latin descriptions, and in the plays themselves. This program uses Plautus’ Miles Gloriosus to test the stageability of a classical comedy as authentically as possible, combining a full-scale reconstruction of the lost stage, the ancient text, and a still-vital comic style.

Staging Classical Tragedy           PE-52
30 min / color / 1989 / FFHS / VHS
High school through adult
Understanding Greek tragedy in terms that the ancient playwright may have intended requires going beyond the text to the staging of the play. It is staging that defines the relationship between chorus and actors, between actors and audience, and between playwright and play. Using the theater of Epidauros as an example (it was built a century after the heyday of Greek classical theater but is well-preserved), this program identifies the physical parts of the acting space and, with specific reference to The Oresteia, shows how the plays would have been staged in the playwright Aeschlyus’ time.

Stained Glass           AT-63
15 min / color / 1993 / Lucerne / VHS
Elementary school through adult
There is a moment when sunlight shines through the rose windows at France’s Chartres Cathedral that is breathtaking. Viewers share this exciting experience and learn how medieval artisans created these glass wonders. In a modern stained glass studio, traditional techniques are demonstrated, and there is a discussion of how glass is made. Suggestions for simulating stained glass in the classroom are given for the beginning artisan.

Stained Glass: Painting with Light           AT-17
20 min / color / 1974 / BARR / 16mm
Middle school through adult
In this film, artists and master craftsmen are shown designing and constructing stained glass windows and lamp shades. As they work, the camera explores both traditional and contemporary examples of this unique art form. Through extreme close-ups and narration by the craftsmen themselves, this film explains the medium as it enhances our appreciation of the unique properties of glass and light.

The Statue of Liberty           ED-206
58 min / color / 1985 / DC, PBS / 16mm, VHS, DVD
Middle school through adult
This provocative film, by award-winning director Ken Burns, explores the history of this famous monument and the meaning of liberty itself on the occasion of the statue’s renovation for its centennial celebration in 1986. The story of its creation in France by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, and its installation on Liberty Island in New York harbor, is extensively illustrated with rare archival photographs, drawings, and paintings that detail its construction. The film raises the deceptively simple question, “What is liberty?” The possible answers are thought-provoking.

Steel Houses           ARCH-1
30 min / color / LF / VHS
High school through adult
Five spectacular houses made of steel are profiled in this video. The architectural history and construction techniques are revealed by examining these houses built between 1952 and 1987 in Australia, including framework, interiors, and decorative touches.

Stefan Roloff: Faces of an Artist           WA-407
20 min / color / 1992 / CG / VHS
Middle school through adult
Berlin artist Stefan Roloff has produced over the last decade an immense variety of original, colorful and provocative art that has been exhibited internationally at such places as the Smithsonian Institution and the Centre Pompidou. Now a New York City resident, Roloff reveals the evolution of his fanciful visions during a visit to this studio. Roloff’s recent innovative applications of computer and video technologies expand on these visions. In his animated Moving Paintings, progressive layers of a painting accompanied by music by Peter Gabriel, Suicide, and others exemplify this creative use of new technology.

Steppin’           PE-42
56 min / color / 1992 / FL / VHS
Middle school through adult
This lively program introduces viewers to the step show, an exciting dance style popular today among black fraternities and sororities. In addition to many rousing, crowd-pleasing performances, the program examines the cultural roots of steppin’ in African dancing, military marching, and hip-hop music. It also discusses its contemporary significance on college campuses, including predominantly white campuses, where this little-known African-American art form has served to improve race relations by enabling white students to better understand black cultural expression.

Stilt Dancers of Long Bow Village           OA-17
26 min / color / 1980 / FI / 16mm
Elementary school through adult
Banned during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the art of stilt-dancing has now been revived. A village festival presents a vivid glimpse of this almost-lost art. Against a background of folk music, the camera records the last moments of preparation as the people of Long Bow Village dress to portray characters from myth, history, and village life.

A Stitch for Time           WA-333
53 min / color / 1987 / DC / VHS
High school through adult
What can the average American do to have a voice in current events-a voice that pleads for peace? In Boise, Idaho, a number of homemakers joined together to express their thoughts in fabric and thread. They design and create “peace quilts,” which are presented to world leaders and organizations. The camera follows them as they design and sew a stunning quilt in collaboration with Soviet women and present it to the ambassadors of the United States and the Soviet Union on the eve of the Geneva Peace Talks. This is a story of courage, optimism, and faith, and about how ordinary people facing an enormous problem can empower themselves and make strong, meaningful statements.

The Stone Carvers           AT-23
29 min / color / 1984 / DC / 16mm
Middle school through adult
From the Gothic cathedrals of Europe to the skyscrapers of New York, stone carvers have brought enduring beauty to our architectural environment. Amidst the gargoyles of the Washington Cathedral, some of the last remaining Italian-American stone carvers demonstrate their ancient craft and exchange lively stories about their customs and experiences as carvers. This film, by noted filmmaker Paul Wagner, is both sensitive and amusing in its study of a disappearing art form. Finalist, 1985 American Film Festival.

Stonehenge: Mystery on the Plain           WA-282
24 min / color / 1980 / EBEC / VHS
Middle school through adult
Today the movements of the sun, moon, and stars are measured through sophisticated electronics. This film investigates the possibility that 5,000 years ago early Britons may have procured those same measurements through the arrangement of stones in mysterious lines and circles on sacred sites that dot remote areas of Britain. On the Salisbury Plain in southern Britain lies Stonehenge, the most famous of these stone circles. Speculation abounds on its origin, its purpose, and its influence on the inhabitants of ancient Britain.

A Story, a Story           ED-236
10 min / color / 1973 / WW / 16mm, VHS
Elementary school through adult
In an animated version of Gale Haley’s book of the same title, Anansi the Spiderman, folk hero of the Ashanti people of Ghana, strikes a bargain with Nyame, the Sky God. Anansi agrees to capture a leopard, a hornet, and a fairy and bring them to Nyame, who will then share his wonderful stories with all the people. The wiley spiderman has to use numerous clever tricks to keep his part of the bargain! The film Anansi the Spider, which tells about another adventure of this African folk hero, can be shown with this film.

The Story of English Furniture I           WA-267
The Story of English Furniture II           WA-268
108 min each / color / 1986 / FI / VHS
College through adult
Could you be sitting on a masterpiece? Arthur Negus and Hugh Scully show that there is much more to furniture than meets the eye, as they tell the fascinating Story of English Furniture from its beginnings to the 20th century. The all-important points of design and detail are explained to help us better understand the process of dating furniture and differentiating between an original and a fake or copy. Part I covers the Middle Ages to the 18th century; Part II, the late 18th century to the present. (Note: These are separate programs; please indicate whether you want Part I, Part II, or both).

The Storytellers           WA-408
28 min / color / 1991 / CG / VHS
Middle school through adult
The traditional art of storytelling is celebrated through the profiles of 3 storytellers. Judith Black’s stories explore the Jewish immigrant experience; Michael Cotter, a Minnesota farmer, tells of the extraordinary qualities of ordinary people; and Rex Ellis deals with the historical period of enslavement of African Americans. Featuring interviews and samples of their storytelling, this video explores the reasons why each became a storyteller and the role it has played in their lives.

The Street           ED-82
10 min /color / 1977 / NFBC / 16mm
Elementary school through adult
This innovative and touching animated work by Canadian filmmaker Caroline Leaf is based on a book of the same title by Montreal author Mordecai Richler, who also wrote The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. The central characters are a Jewish grandmother and her young grandson. The grandmother, ill but lingering on for many years, becomes the focal point for the family’s tensions and squabbles. She is, as well, a source of both fear and wonderment to her grandson. Leaf uses an unusually fluid medium for her animation-water-based tempera and oil paints on white glass.

Strings           ED-343
10 min / color / 1992 /NFBC / VHS
Elementary school through adult
Hauntingly beautiful images by Wendy Tilby tell the sensitive story of the yearning for communication between a man and a woman. Within the anonymity of a city apartment building, the occupants of 2B and 3B co-exist from a distance. Although no words have passed between them, they are linked by the sounds that pass through the floor between them-he knows her footsteps; she hears his music. Accomplished by an animation process that involves painting on glass and stop-action filming, Strings takes a new look at the familiar strangers who populate our lives. Academy Award Nominee, Blue Ribbon, American Film & Video Festival. Closed captioned.

Strokes of Genius
Varied times; see below / color / 1983 / DC / 16mm, VHS
High school through adult
This 5-part film series explores a lively chapter in the history of art that emerged in the 1940s and 1950s, not in Europe but in America. Labeled the New York School, Action Painting, and Abstract Expressionism, the movement was spearheaded by a remarkable group of artists who dared to proclaim and practice a bold new visual language of line, color, and form.

1. Jackson Pollock: Portrait (54 min)           SOG-1
Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) stunned the American art world with his inventive brand of “action painting.” Following Pollock’s first one-man show in 1943, he achieved national recognition for his vibrant experiments with materials and technique. He continued to exhibit frequently throughout the decade and became the subject of widespread public debate.

2. Arshile Gorky (29 min)           SOG-2
Born in Armenia, Arshile Gorky (1905-1948) fled Turkish persecution and arrived in American in 1920. He studied painting in Boston and New York, proving the breadth of his talents in work influenced by such masters as Cézanne and Picasso. In the 1940s, he developed his own style, which was regarded as a bridge between European Surrealism and American Abstract Expressionism. This documentary profiles the different stages of Gorky’s painting style.

3. Franz Kline Remembered (29 min)           SOG-3
Franz Kline (1910-1962) grew up in the coal country around Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a terrain that would later be reflected in his art. In 1948, Kline’s first one-man show included mostly black-and-white paintings, a style that eventually brought him widespread public and critical attention. This film explores the artist’s personal response to extreme poverty early in his career, followed by recognition and success.

4. DeKooning on DeKooning (58 min)           SOG-4
Willem de Kooning was born in Rotterdam, Holland. He emigrated to America in 1926 and worked for the Federal Arts Project during the Depression. After his first public show in 1948, he produced an illustrious and undiminished flow of art. The film illustrates the different phases of this prolific artist’s career.

5. David Smith: Steel into Sculpture (58 min)           SOG-5
David Smith (1906-1965), born in Decatur, Indiana, first became interested in art during high school. Later, while working in an auto plant, he learned many useful skills handling and cutting metals. He began to make welded steel sculptures in 1932 and, by his death in 1965, Smith had produced more than 600 works and had changed the very concept of sculpture in the process.

A Study in Choreography for Camera           PE-10
4 min / b&w / 1945 / GROFL / 16mm
High school through adult
This silent film by Maya Deren is a classic experiment in film-dance. Making the most of cinematic techniques, Deren uses the camera to create its own space and time, acting not merely as a recording instrument but as an integral part of the choreography. A Study in Choreography seems primarily involved with exploring the power of imagination and how, when coupled with a camera, it can defy space and time.

Suleyman the Magnificent           WA-271
58 min / color / 1987 / MET, HV / 16mm, VHS
High school through adult
This exciting film explores politics, society, and culture under the Ottoman Empire in Turkey, highlighting the reign of Sultan Suleyman (1520-1566), whose achievements were recorded in word and image in the sumptuous Book of Suleyman. Included are chronicles of the battles he fought, his daily life as Sultan, and his political clashes with European monarchs in the extension of his empire. Miniature paintings and architectural monuments such as the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul highlight this historical description of a golden age long past.

Summer Legend           ED-240
8 min / color / 1986 / CF / VHS
Preschool through adult
In a delightfully animated retelling of a Micmac Indian legend, the cycle of the seasons is explained. An Indian warrior confronts the spirit of winter, who has taken control of the land. In his wanderings, he discovers the princess of summer, who returns with him to his frozen homeland and strikes a bargain with winter, allowing the warm and cold season each to have 6 months of the year.
Suggested Classroom Activities: Show the film Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky. Discuss how different cultures have created legends to explain natural phenomena. Have students work in groups to create their own legends and produce written, illustrated versions to share with the class.

Sundae in New York           ED-157
4 min / color / 1984 / DC / 16mm
Middle school through adult
New York’s irrepressible former mayor, Ed Koch, sings a special rendition of New York, New York in this amusing and energetic clay animation extravaganza. Other famous figures, such as Frank Sinatra, Woody Allen, and Rodney Dangerfield, also appear. This gallery of comedic caricatures creates an exuberant 4 minutes, a masterpiece of clay animation by filmmaker Jimmy Picker. Appropriate for both general audiences and film study groups. 1983 Academy Award, Best Animated Short Film.

The Sunflower Princess           ED-361
12 min / color / 1991 / CTC / VHS
Preschool through adult
A wonderful myth about sunflowers is retold as Texas storyteller Finley Stewart describes the tale of a Native American princess with a mind of her own. So intent is she to do as she pleases, she is banished from 2 kingdoms. In the end, however, we learn why the sunflower follows the sun.

Surrealism: Poetic Vision           WA-405
59 min / color / 1993 / CG / VHS
College through adult
Surrealism, as an art movement, flourished in Europe between the 2 world wars and derived its inspiration from dreams and other illogical and fantastic expressions of the unconscious mind. This video traces the history of the movement from its literary predecessors to its founding by André Breton and his Manifesto of Surrealism in Paris in 1924. The efforts of numerous artists, such as Cocteau, Bunuel, Dali, Ray, Artaud and Duchamp, are seen in archival footage and photos, interviews with scholars, historians and biographers, as well as dramatic reenactments of key moments in the history of surrealism and excerpts from the work of contemporary surrealist filmmakers. In its imaginative and off-beat multimedia presentational style, the video attempts not simply to explain surrealism, but also to convey the surrealist experience.

Surrealist Film: The Stuff of Dreams
39 min / 2005 / DVD
College through adult
In 1929 Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali made Un Chien Andalou, heralded as the first true surrealist film. This documentary carefully positions the surrealist movement in the social context of its time and examines its legacy. The anti-narrative, 'anything goes' esthetics of the surrealists made an important contribution to the language of cinema, and some would argue that its most lasting impact was on the music video.

Susan Rothenberg           WA-237
44 min / color / 1983 / AIC / 3/4"vc
College through adult
Susan Rothenberg’s poetic images-from her well-known early horse paintings to her more recent abstract works-have always been restricted by the flat objectivity of her densely painted surfaces. Ultimately, though, image and surface combine in a private symbolism and restrained drama that are visually and emotionally compelling. In this interview, conducted by filmmaker Robert Storr, Rothenberg discusses her life and the development of her work.