Chick Strand
Encyclopedia
Chick Strand was an experimental filmmaker, "a pioneer in blending avant-garde techniques with documentary".
she was given the nickname "Chick" by her father. Strand studied anthropology
at Berkeley
, and in the early 1960s organised film happenings with Bruce Baillie
. In 1961, Strand and Baillie, among others, founded what would later become San Francisco Cinematheque
under the name Canyon Cinema
. (Starting in 1966, the Canyon Cinema name would also encompass a seminal avant-garde distributor as well. The distribution and exhibition wings would split in the 1970s, resulting in the newly christened San Francisco Cinematheque.)
Later, with Baillie and Ernest Callenbach
, she edited the Canyon Cinema
newsletter Canyon Cinema News, which became a focal point for the West Coast
independent film movement. She enrolled on the ethnography
program at UCLA, and after graduating in 1971 taught for 24 years at Occidental College
. For over thirty years she made made regular trips to Mexico
with her second husband Neon Park
and made films about the people she met there. In later years she became a painter.
, told from the points of view of an elderly Warao
woman, a Franciscan nun and the filmmaker herself. Other films on Latin America include Cosas de mi Vida (1976), Guacamole (1976) and Mujer de Milfuegos (Woman of a Thousand Fires) (1976). Strand's ethnographic films are distinctive for their complex layering of sound and image, and the juxtaposition of found footage
and sound with original images. Later works include Cartoon le Mousse (1979), Fever Dream (1979) and Kristallnacht (1979). Fake Fruit Factory (1986) is included on the National Film Preservation Foundation
's 2009 DVD Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986.
Her films have been screened at the Museum of Modern Art
and the Tate
. An early promotional film for Sears, made with Pat O'Neill and Neon Park, is held along with her complete body of work in the collection of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
Life
Born Mildred in Northern CaliforniaNorthern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
she was given the nickname "Chick" by her father. Strand studied anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
at Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, and in the early 1960s organised film happenings with Bruce Baillie
Bruce Baillie
Bruce Baillie is an American experimental filmmaker and founding member of Canyon Cinema in San Francisco...
. In 1961, Strand and Baillie, among others, founded what would later become San Francisco Cinematheque
San Francisco Cinematheque
San Francisco Cinematheque is a film society founded in 1961 by a group of filmmakers, including Bruce Baillie and Chick Strand. Working with other groups like Canyon Cinema, the SF Cinematheque has shown experimental film and video in cooperation with venues such as San Francisco Art Institute,...
under the name Canyon Cinema
Canyon Cinema
Canyon Cinema is a San Francisco based filmmakers' cooperative specializing in the distribution of avant-garde and experimental film. The organization was instigated in about 1960 by Bruce Baillie as an exhibition outlet for independent film, and was formally established as a non-profit...
. (Starting in 1966, the Canyon Cinema name would also encompass a seminal avant-garde distributor as well. The distribution and exhibition wings would split in the 1970s, resulting in the newly christened San Francisco Cinematheque.)
Later, with Baillie and Ernest Callenbach
Ernest Callenbach
Ernest Callenbach is an American writer. Life & Work =Born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he attended the University of Chicago, where he was drawn into the then 'new wave' of serious attention to film as an art form...
, she edited the Canyon Cinema
Canyon Cinema
Canyon Cinema is a San Francisco based filmmakers' cooperative specializing in the distribution of avant-garde and experimental film. The organization was instigated in about 1960 by Bruce Baillie as an exhibition outlet for independent film, and was formally established as a non-profit...
newsletter Canyon Cinema News, which became a focal point for the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
independent film movement. She enrolled on the ethnography
Ethnography
Ethnography is a qualitative method aimed to learn and understand cultural phenomena which reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group...
program at UCLA, and after graduating in 1971 taught for 24 years at Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
. For over thirty years she made made regular trips to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
with her second husband Neon Park
Neon Park
Neon Park was an American artist and illustrator, best known for the images that have strongly defined covers for nearly every Little Feat album except for the band's self-titled first album. He also created the cover of Weasels Ripped My Flesh for Frank Zappa, as well as covers and graphics for...
and made films about the people she met there. In later years she became a painter.
Work
Mosori Monika (1969) is a documentary about colonialism in VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, told from the points of view of an elderly Warao
Warao
The Warao are an indigenous people inhabiting northeastern Venezuela and western Guyana. Alternate common spellings of Warao are Waroa, Guarauno, Guarao, and Warrau. The term Warao translates as "the boat people," after the Warao's lifelong and intimate connection to the water...
woman, a Franciscan nun and the filmmaker herself. Other films on Latin America include Cosas de mi Vida (1976), Guacamole (1976) and Mujer de Milfuegos (Woman of a Thousand Fires) (1976). Strand's ethnographic films are distinctive for their complex layering of sound and image, and the juxtaposition of found footage
Found footage
Found footage is a filmmaking term which describes a method of compiling films partly or entirely of footage which has not been created by the filmmaker, and changing its meaning by placing it in a new context. It should not be mistaken for documentary or compilation films. It is also not to be...
and sound with original images. Later works include Cartoon le Mousse (1979), Fever Dream (1979) and Kristallnacht (1979). Fake Fruit Factory (1986) is included on the National Film Preservation Foundation
National Film Preservation Foundation
The National Film Preservation Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress to help save America’s film heritage. Growing from a national planning effort led by the Library of Congress, the NFPF began operations in 1997. It supports activities nationwide that...
's 2009 DVD Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947-1986.
Her films have been screened at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
and the Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
. An early promotional film for Sears, made with Pat O'Neill and Neon Park, is held along with her complete body of work in the collection of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
.
Filmography
- Eric and the Monsters (1964)
- Angel Blue Sweet Wings (1966)
- Anselmo (1967)
- Waterfall (1967)
- Mosori Monika (1970)
- Cosas de mi Vida (1976)
- Elasticity (1976)
- Guacamole (1976)
- Mujer de Milfuegos (Woman of a Thousand Fires) (1976)
- Cartoon le Mousse (1979)
- Fever Dream (1979)
- Kristallnacht (1979)
- Loose Ends (1979)
- Soft Fiction (1979)
- Anselmo and the Women (1986)
- Artificial Paradise (1986)
- By the Lake (1986)
- Coming up for Air (1986)
- Fake Fruit Factory (1986)
- Señora con Flores / Woman with Flowers (1995/2011)