Palm Desert's Popular Art Film Series' Seventh Season Debuts January 15

The following is a news release from the City of Palm Desert:

The public is invited to discover inspiring and thought provoking cinema at the 2015 Palm Desert Public Art Documentary Film Series. The popular series’ seventh season of free, art-themed documentaries begins on January 15 with a screening of Morris Louis: The Life and Art of One of America’s Greatest 20th Century Abstract Artists.

This rarely seen documentary chronicles the life and artwork of Morris Louis, a prolific painter whose work links Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting. His mature style is among the most recognizable of the Color Field painters and is characterized by layered rainbows of acrylic paint poured down huge blank canvases. The evening will also include a screening of Lyon Housemuseum, a short film that explores a private home museum and its art collection in a residential suburb near Melbourne, Australia. A question and answer session featuring Katherine Hough, Chief Curator at the Palm Springs Art Museum, will follow the screenings.

The documentary film series is presented by the City of Palm Desert Public Art Department and the University of California, Riverside Palm Desert Graduate Center. All films screen the third Thursday of the month, January through April, at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at UCR Palm Desert, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive. Each screening will include a featured speaker who will discuss that night’s film.

Admission is free, but reservations are recommended.

For more information and reservations, please call 760-837-1663 or register online at palmdesert.ucr.edu/programs/events.html.

Additional films include:

February 19

Ginny Ruffner: A Not So Still Life

This film peers into the kaleidoscopic mind of Ginny Ruffner, an artist as beloved for her magnanimous spirit as for her evolving “visual thought experiments.” The film explores the full span of Ginny’s fascinating journey, from her childhood in South Carolina to her emergence as a world-renowned artist. Meet the luminaries in her orbit and witness Ginny’s determination to recover from the accident that nearly claimed her life.

Featured speakers: Ginny Ruffner and Director Karen Stanton

March 19

The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America

From St. Louis’ role in our nation’s westward expansion to the construction of the largest stainless steel structure in history, this film chronicles the complete story of a great American symbol: the Gateway Arch. Narrated by Academy Award-winner Kevin Kline and featuring newly discovered construction footage, rare historical photographs, and early conceptual drawings, this movie presents a message of optimism about the human capacity to pursue dreams and America’s ability to achieve great things. Featured speaker to be determined.

April 16

Tim’s Vermeer

Tim Jenison, a Texas-based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did 17th century Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer manage to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography? The epic research project Jenison embarks on to test his theory is as extraordinary as what he discovers. A Penn & Teller Film, produced by Penn Jillette.

Featured speaker: Lisa Soccio, Assistant Professor/Gallery Director at College of the Desert

(Image via Shutterstock)