Relevance of Place film series now available
May 31, 2023
We are thrilled to release the first eight films as part of Relevance of Place, an online series of site-specific dialogues that explore the meaning of place at Tippet Rise Art Center.
Guided by Shannon Jackson, Chair of the History of Art Department at UC-Berkeley and a scholar of socially-engaged art, this platform invites artists, architects, designers, and creative thinkers to engage in conversation about the ethics, aesthetics, and relevance of place. These conversations explore “place” as a global, local, and personal concept as well as “place” as it refers specifically to Tippet Rise.
In individual interviews and group dialogues, each guest offers stories and insights from their own practice, in addition to reflections on the historic past and sustainable future of Tippet Rise—as an environmental site, as a working ranch, as a wide-ranging art center, and as a creative gathering space. Four films were recorded by guest filmmaker Eric Felipe-Barkin last October; they include conversations with Tippet Rise co-founder Cathy Halstead, architect Francis Kéré; designer, artist, and architect Ronald Rael; and Tippet Rise ranch manager Ben Wynthein. Artist and designer Walter Hood, architect Laura Viklund, and artist and activist Suzanne Lacy are featured in the films recorded in May 2022 by former Tippet Rise filmmaker and professor James B. Joyce.
Our co-founders Cathy and Peter Halstead shared, “It has been an honor and thrill to host so many incredible artists, architects, designers, activists, and filmmakers who took time out of their creative schedules to visit us in Montana and reflect on the poetic qualities of “place.” We are especially grateful to Shannon Jackson for her leadership, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm in crafting these conversations, which we hope will serve as a meaningful resource for everyone to enjoy.”
All eight films can be found on the Tippet Rise website and YouTube channel. They may be watched in any order and are each approximately 20 minutes in duration. The third Relevance of Place gathering took place earlier this month at Tippet Rise, with artists Jeffrey Gibson, Heather Hart, and Ben Pease, and Tippet Rise co-director Lindsey Hinmon. These will be added to the Relevance of Place collection in fall 2023.
A huge thank you to everyone who played a role in bringing this new project to fruition, including Shannon Jackson, our special guests, filmmakers and crews, and Tippet Rise team members.
We hope you will tune in!
