Thursday, September 28, 5 – 9 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Called “an intuitive, remarkably personal love letter” by ArtForum magazine, the latest presentation in Ford Photography's Cinema at the Figge series celebrates the life and career of one of American music's most experimental and creative artists.
A singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist whose works spanned a disparate range of styles, Arthur Russell was at the forefront of New York City's avant-garde and disco scenes in the 1970s and '80s, and at the time of his AIDS-related 1992 death at age 40, his list of famed collaborators included composer Philip Glass, poet Alan Ginsberg, and Talking Heads' David Byrne. Directed by Matt Wolf, 2008's Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell tells its subject's tale through archival footage and interviews with the musician's family members and friends, and received the Best Documentary award at the Gaze Film Festival in Dublin. Among the film's rave reviews were the New York Times' description of it as a “tender, fascinating documentary that will delight the cult and instantly convert new members,” and the San Francisco Bay Guardian calling the work “an audiovisual kiss from Russell to those who loved him, and to a greater audience who has yet to discover him.”
Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell's 7 p.m. Cinema at the Figge screening will be preceded by a 5 p.m. social hour with craft beer provided by WAKE Brewing and a 6 p.m. short-film program with live music performed by Jeff Jackson, Johnnie Cluney, and other area talents. For information, visit Facebook.com/figgecinema and FiggeArtMuseum.org.
