The Oklahoma City University Film Institute’s documentary series will open its 19th year at 2 p.m. March 26 with Marcie Begleiter’s new film “Eva Hesse” in the Kerr McGee Auditorium of Meinders School of Business. The school is located at N.W. 27th Street and McKinley Avenue.
Admission to all three films in the series is free. The series is supported in part by the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Endowment Fund and endowments through Oklahoma City University and the Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
“Eva Hesse” follows the famed German-born, Jewish American artist at the close of the 1960s as she crests the wave of a swiftly rising career. One of the few women recognized as central to the New York art scene, her work was finally receiving both the critical and commercial attention. Dying of a brain tumor in 1970 at age 34, she had a mere decade-long career that, despite its brevity, is dense with complex, intriguing works that defy easy categorization.
“Eva Hesse” offers a deeper understanding of the extraordinary artist, not only in terms of her ground-breaking work, but also the life that provided the fertile soil for her achievements. The documentary not only traces Hesse’s path, but also engages in a lively investigation into the creative communities of 1960s New York and Germany.
This screening of “Eva Hesse” is co-sponsored by the Oklahoma City University School of Visual Arts and The Respect Diversity Foundation.
The theme of this year’s season is “Why Art Matters.” Tracy Floreani, the director of the series, said the theme is intended to illuminate the continuing importance of the arts in society, education and human experience.
A discussion session follows each film screening for those who wish to participate. Other dates and films in the series are:
- April 9, Nelson George’s “A Ballerina’s Tale: The Incredible Rise of Misty Copeland
- April 23, Mark Landsman’s “Thunder Soul”
