Producer: Cat Ashworth
Director: Cat Ashworth
Length: 29 minutes
Production Format: Hi-8 transferred to Betacam SP
Genre: Historical Documentary
Completion Date: 1995
The Orator, The Pigeon and the 21' naked Green Man explores the history of Rochester, New York, through the public artworks that were created from 1840 to 1940. By placing the public artworks in their historical context, the documentary examines the reason for their creation, community participation and reaction to the artworks, and the values each work represents as a symbol of its times.
The documentary focuses on three important artwork; the Fredrick Douglass statue (the orator), the statue of Mercury (the 21' naked green man), and the Spanish American War Monument (the fat eagle that looks like a pigeon). The video tells the story of the transformation of Mercury from a tobacco promotional gimmick to an icon that now represents the city of Rochester. It also chronicles the difficult struggle to raise money to erect a statue honoring and African American, Fredrick Douglass, and the angry reaction to modern art that the Spanish American War monument evoked.
The documentary was funded by a grant from the Reynolds Library Video Project and premiered at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. It is available for rental from the Rochester Public Library.
VIDEO CLIPS
The Orator (Quicktime, 16.4 MB)
SCREENINGS
2001: Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, (Film screening and lecture)
1993: History Preserved-A Cultural Gem, George Eastman House, Dryden Theater
1993: Rochester Public Library, Permanent Collection, Rochester, NY
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©2005 R. J. Wright