Deb Ellis Documentary Premiere

The Vermont Arts Council is pleased to announce the premiere of a new documentary film by Deb Ellis. The event will be hosted at the Brownell Library in Essex Junction at 7 PM on Friday, February 20, 2009. Following the film there will be an opportunity for a brief question and answer session with the filmmaker.

Created as part of Vermont’s Big Read project, the film focuses on six Vermont artists whose work explores social and political issues. The artists interviewed in the film include: papermaker, Drew Cameron; filmmakers Alan Dater and Lisa Merton; poet, Major Jackson; performance artist, Janice Perry; and Founder of Bread & Puppet Theater, Peter Schumann. These artists discuss issues of censorship, protest, media bias and the role of the artist in a democracy.

Vermont's Big Read Kick-Off Event

Vermont’s Big Read begins on January 24th with a kickoff event featuring a keynote address by Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman. The event will also include a video interview with Ray Bradbury, a preview of a new documentary by Vermont filmmaker Deb Ellis, and performance pieces by Peter Schumann of Bread & Puppet and papermaker Drew Cameron.

Fahrenheit 802

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Now in its fourth year, the program is designed to restore reading to the center of American culture and address the national decline in literary reading.

The Vermont Arts Council selected Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 for its 2009 Big Read. Bradbury used his art form to critique what he saw as an increasingly dysfunctional American society. The Arts Council is using Fahrenheit 451 as a platform for statewide discussions about how Bradbury and other artists have used their work as social commentary. All Vermonters are encouraged to read the book and take part in community discussions about the role artists play in bringing attention to social and political issues, inspiring people to think about those issues and, in some cases, motivate change.

For information on Big Read events in your community and how you can take part, click here.

Disclaimer: Please Read!

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