RAWVision: Films by Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists

About three years ago, Philadelphia collectors Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz began discussions with Hollywood film editor Jeffrey Wolf to take their passion for self-taught art to the film world. The Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists was formed to create a broader appreciation of self-taught art through the production of documentary films to educate and inspire a growing audience.

            Current activities include developing original film projects, researching and collecting finished films, continuing to develop a website/cyberarchive, raising funds, and establishing partnerships with filmmakers, curators, and arts patrons. Among the initial activities of the Foundation is the production of a documentary by Jeffrey Wolf about Idaho artist James Castle. Born deaf, Castle refused to learn to read, write, sign, or finger-spell, communicating instead through the eloquence of his art. James Castle: Portrait of an Artist reveals his creative process, as told by family members, art historians, curators, artists, collectors, and members of the deaf community.

            Already selected by the Philadelphia Film Festival, James Castle: Portrait of an Artist will be an integral part of a Castle retrospective in October 2008, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 
t: 215 979 1155. wwwFoundationSTAART.org