AVANT-GARDE FILMMAKER RECIEVES CREATIVITY IN MOTION AWARD
8-14-07
Filmmaker and professor of film studies Philip S. Solomon has been named the 2007 Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion recipient. Solomon will receive a piece of sculpture and a check for $40,000 to use at his discretion, based on his entry titled “American Falls.” The presentation will take place at a ceremony to be held Wednesday, Sept. 5, on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus.
“American Falls” is a six-channel, surround-sound digital video installation to be projected on the walls of the rotunda at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Solomon, who is known for his experimentation with film emulsion, calls it “a Sistine Chapel for the American Dream” and plans to open the exhibit in early fall of 2008.
Among the many influences of the installation are Frederick Church’s painting “Niagara Falls,” from the Corcoran’s collection; Diego Rivera’s Works Progress Administration Arts Project murals; various war memorials in the Washington, D.C., area; and an episode of “Star Trek” titled “The City on the Edge of Forever;” in which images are “history as a river of time.”
“My project is ultimately one of great hope, stemming from a lifelong love for this American experiment of ours that seemed so vivid to me during my (television-infused) childhood; but it is also necessitated by my deepest concern for its present and future directions,” Solomon writes in his proposal.
A professor of film studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Solomon earned his bachelor of arts degree in filmmaking at State University of New York at Binghamton and his master of fine arts degree at Massachusetts College of Art. He is the recipient of the first prize in the Onion City Film Festival for his work with the late Mark LaPore, Untitled (For David Gatten); a Juror’s Award at the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival for his film Psalm III: “Night of the Meek”; a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship; and the University of Colorado-Boulder Marinus G. Smith Parents Association Teaching Recognition Award. Along with his many honors, he has screened his work in the RedCat Cinema in Los Angeles, Tama Arts University in Japan, Whitney Biennial and Museum of Modern Art.
In his letter of support for the project, Paul Roth, curator of photography and media arts at the Corcoran Museum of Art, writes, “I was thrilled when Phil Solomon proposed this extraordinary idea to me. Walking in our Rotunda, it is easy to envision how unusual and marvelous this multi-channel film will be. It is rare to be able to mount a cutting-edge contemporary art project that will have widespread appeal to a diverse audience, including children. We at the Corcoran enthusiastically commissioned him to realize this piece.
“Phil Solomon is precisely the type of artist who most benefits from the financial and career support of an important arts award like the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize. In a very real sense, I can attest that this award would make a substantial difference in his work, in the realization of his project here at the Corcoran, and in the public awareness and reception of his work.”
About the Prize:
The Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize, established in 2002, is a biennial prize honoring the creative process given by the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences. The prize celebrates a visionary creative work in process, recognizing the power of original thought and expression in possibly enriching the world around us. The work or project must be under way at the time of application, and is open to all fields of creativity, including, but not limited to, the arts, cultural affairs, education and science. The $40,000 award is available to U.S. citizens and can be used in any way the recipient chooses. This year’s submissions included more than 300 applicants from disciplines as diverse as archaeology, sculpture, community outreach programs and operas. Past recipients include Elizabeth Ingraham, artist, and Steven C. Levi, educator. For more information, visit the Web site at cim.ou.edu.
About Jeanne Hoffman Smith:
The prize is supported generously by Jeanne Hoffman Smith, Oklahoma City resident and social worker, and is named after her parents. Smith is a great supporter of local film programs and serves the community is several ways, including as a member of the Inasmuch Foundation Advisory Committee, Oklahoma State Film and Music Commission; trustee, Oklahoma City Art Museum; trustee and founder, Oklahoma City University Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature; board member, Oklahoma Humanities Council; and trustee, Kirkpatrick Foundation.
CALL FOR ENTRIES ANNOUNCED FOR AWARD FOR
CREATIVE PROCESS AT OU
11-15-2006
NORMAN – Nominations for the biennial $40,000 Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize honoring the creative process are being sought by the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences. The prize was established in 2002 to recognize and encourage the process of creativity as it unfolds and is expressed by individuals in diverse ways. The deadline for Phase One of the application process is Nov. 15.
Oklahoma City supporter and award founder Jeanne Hoffman Smith says she established the award to further society’s awareness of and focus on this important and often under-explored area. “The goal of the prize is to stimulate a better understanding of the creative process itself and to motivate creative individuals to develop their own original ideas into projects,” she says. “We are excited to announce the third round of submissions for this biennial prize.”
“The prize has no boundaries. This means it is not an art award or a history award or a writing award or a medical award. It’s a creative award. That’s where the world is going in all fields,” said last year’s recipient, Steven C. Levi.
Levi also noted that the prize has opened many new doors for him, and he believes that the creative force is what is going to keep the United States ahead of the game. “The Americans who are going to save America are the creative individuals. They are the ones who are going to be coming up with the innovations that will break the mold of the-way-things-have-been. I like to think I’m one of those Americans, and the prize proves it.”
“The Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize reflects a growing need to financially and culturally support our country’s original thinkers,” said University of Oklahoma President David Boren. “The fact that a university with OU’s tradition of academic excellence is home to such a generous and forward-thinking concept makes me very proud. It’s a natural partnership.”
Any U.S. citizen is eligible to apply for the award. Submissions are open to all fields of creativity, including, but not limited to, the arts, cultural affairs, education and science. Applicants are asked to submit a one-page letter detailing the creative process to date of the project they are submitting for consideration. The summary should describe the vision and purpose of the project, and why it should receive special recognition. The focus must be on the creative process itself (completed projects will not be considered). Four copies must be signed, dated and postmarked by midnight on Nov. 15. Letters should be sent to Creativity in Motion, University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, 633 Elm Ave., Norman, OK, 73019-3118. After reviewing the letters, 50 individuals will be notified by Jan. 31, 2007, that they have been chosen to submit full applications, which must be completed and sent back by April 1, 2007. A panel of expert jurors will review proposals and select and notify the winner in early August 2007. The prize will be awarded at a special event Sept. 5, 2007, at OU.
About the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize
The Thatcher Hoffman Smith Creativity in Motion Prize, established in 2002, is funded through the generous contributions of Oklahoma City supporter Jeanne Hoffman Smith. This biennial award, dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging the creative process, is a collaborative effort with OU’s College of Arts and Sciences. The prize awards an unrestricted sum of $40,000 to an individual whose work demonstrates original thinking and the promise of continuing creative work. It celebrates a visionary work in process, recognizing the potential power of its original expression to affect and enrich the world around us. The work or project must be under way but not completed at the time of application. Named to honor Jeanne Hoffman Smith’s mother and father, Grace Thatcher and Roy Hoffman, Jr., this unrestricted award is unique in its lack of parameters.