Public Opening Reception: Saturday, May 2^nd, 2015, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Deborah Colton Gallery is pleased to announce Frozen Film Frames: Portraits of Filmmakers by Jonas Mekas, an exhibition that honors filmmaker and  legendary pioneer of American avant-garde film Jonas Mekas with a gallery exhibition and film screenings at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon. On view from April 1 to June 7, 2015, Frozen Film Frames: Portraits of Filmmakers by Jonas Mekas, presented in collaboration with the Cinema Pacific Film Festival and co-curated by Richard Herskowitz and Deborah Colton of Deborah Colton Gallery, includes twenty-two of Mekas's photographic portraits extracted from his classic films.

"Mekas is revered for his experimental diary films, his founding of the New York film institutions Filmmakers Cooperative and Anthology Film Archives, and his passionate promotion of avant-garde cinema in his "Village Voice" column," says Herskowitz. 

The images in "Frozen Film Frames," provided courtesy of the artist and Deborah Colton Gallery, are drawn from adjoining frames in Mekas's films, and reflect his characteristic single-frame filming style. Among the subjects are Robert Frank, Elia Kazan, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Andy Warhol, and Wim Wenders. Also on view is Jonas Mekas's 1997 feature film, "Birth of a Nation," which consists of 170 portraits, sketches, and glimpses of independent film makers and activists shot between 1955 and 1996. The exhibition is supported by a JSMA Academic Support Grant.

In addition to the exhibition, in April, Schnitzer Cinema dedicates two programs to Mekas. 

On Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m., Colton and Herskowitz explore his diaries and film portraits including a conversation with Mekas via Skype. "Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol" (1990, 36 min.) chronicles not only Warhol, but also the social and cultural excitement that swirled around him. The film includes footage from the first public performance of the Velvet Underground at Delmonico's Hotel in 1966 and includes an array of luminaries from John Lennon to Edie Sedgwick. "Zefiro Torna or Scenes from the Life of George Maciunas" (1992, 35 min.) is a tribute from one Lithuanian expatriate to another. Comprised of diary footage, the film explores the life and work of Fluxus artist Maciunas from 1952 until his tragically early passing in 1978. It includes bits of Fluxus events and performances, and is a beautiful portrait of a lost friend and living spirit.

On Wednesday, April 29 at 7 p.m., guest speaker Scott MacDonald screens "Walden (Part One), as part of Cinema Pacific.  "Walden" was Mekas's first diary film, and it was edited as a collection of images gathered between the years 1964 and 1969. Its original title was "Diaries, Notes, and Sketches." The sketches refer to various films that, edited previously, were later included in "Walden: Report from Millbrook" (1965/1966), "Hare Krishna" (1966), "Notes on the Circus" (1966), and more. Scott MacDonald, the leading chronicler of avant-garde filmmakers, is the author of the five volumes of the "Critical Cinema" series (UC Press) and of several other books on avant-garde film. MacDonald will also speak the following day on "Avant-Gardens: Landscape in Experimental Film" at 3:30 p.m. in PLC 180.

Mekas was born in 1922 in Semeniskiai, Lithuania. Among his many awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship (1966); Mel Novikoff Award at San Francisco Film Festival, (1992); Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from Ministry of Culture, France (1992 and 2000); and Special Tribute, New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1996). In 2013, Mekas participated in an extensive presentation of his works at the Serpentine Gallery, London, and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. The "frozen film frames" have been exhibited and acclaimed at the Venice Biennale, MOMA/PS1, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, among other venues.

Jonas Mekas was a featured artist and special guest of the 2013 Houston Cinema Arts Festival, which presented his film Sleepless Night Stories as part of the festival's "Cinema on the Verge" programming that highlights the most adventurous film and installation work by experimental media artists. Sleepless Night Stories debuted at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2011 and continues to enthrall audiences with Mekas's recording the seemingly mundane happenings in his life.

Deborah Colton Gallery first debuted Jonas Mekas in the solo exhibition, Film Framed, in 2005.  Since then Deborah M. Colton has included Jonas Mekas in various Art Fairs and exhibitions throughout the United States. Select exhibitions include a one-man exhibition at the 2013 Paris Photo Los Angeles, then in 2010 - a series of exhibitions and performances, Roulette at The Emily Harvey Foundation in NYC (through Deborah Colton Gallery's OUTPOST NYC DCG) and a solo exhibition at Deborah Colton Gallery in 2013 in conjunction with the Cinema Arts Festival, LIFE GOES ON... I KEEP SINGING. The Jordan Schnitzer Museum exhibition contains excerpts from this 2013 exhibition. 
 

The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon's academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public.  The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, America and elsewhere as well as changing special exhibition galleries.  The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Association of Museums. 

Cinema Pacific is an annual film festival based at the University of Oregon in Eugene that is devoted to discovering and fostering the creativity of international films and new media from Pacific-bordering countries, including the U.S. Through onsite and online presentations, the festival connects stimulating artists and ideas with a diverse public, furthering our understanding of world cultures and contemporary issues.

Deborah Colton Gallery is founded on being an innovative showcase for ongoing presentation and promotion of strong historical and visionary contemporary artists worldwide, whose diverse practices include painting, works on paper, sculpture, video, photography, performance, conceptual future media and public space installations. The gallery aspires to provide a forum through connecting Texas, national and international artists to make positive change.  While at the museum for these events, Deborah Colton will be the guest speaker at a luncheon to students on April 16th to discuss the exhibition and her work with Mekas, and to share insights from her experiences as a gallerist and an active art patron.