In 1973 a group of film students from the Harpur College Cinema Department looking to create a contemporary and fertile context for their work found The Collective for Living Cinema, an artist-run cooperative that would serve both as an exhibition venue and a center for production and discourse. Above the first program note was a miniature manifesto stating their intention to “overcome the economic, social and political burdens of an art in chains.” Lasting for 19 years, The Collective came to embody the under-defined moment between the canonized generation of “the essential cinema” and the transfiguration of film as “new media” embraced by the institutional hierarchy of the art world and subject to the theoretical, critical and economic tidal forces therein. Run as a multi-disciplinary venue, The Collective continuously engaged in a recovery of the recent past, championing the marginal and positing alternative film histories. The screening room was seen as a workshop in which this culture became immersed in its own brand of cinematic delirium. Annette Michelson pointed out that The Collective “attempted to break down distinctions between industrial film and avant guard film, between films that form part of a classical canon and those which are on the margins or periphery of canonical taste.” By “maintaining and constantly questioning an exploratory attitude rather than by embalming predigested classical canon”, Michelson stated, The Collective emerged in the 1980’s as the “liveliest” New York film venue of it’s time.

This exhibition will re-examine the Collective’s history and parallel it’s mission within the current set of “economic, social and political chains.” It has been organized as a series of individually programmed screening events at ORCHARD (April 6-8 to be held at Anthology Film Archive), a timeline of documentation and an installation specific to the ambivalent capacity of cinema to enter the gallery through production / distribution on video.

Peggy Ahwesh Abigail Child Vivienne Dick Su Friedrich Joe Gibbons Bette Gordon Nicolás Guagnini Bob Fleischner / Mark Graff Henry Hills Ken Jacobs Gerorge Kuchar Saul Levine Ken Ross / James Livingston Jeff Preiss Yvonne Rainer Stuart Sherman Michael Smith

ARTISTS CALL: Super 8 Against U.S. Intervention in Latin America: Scott B Andrew Chambers Doug Eisenstark Mary Filippo Clifford Fournier Ellen Gain Julio Benítez, Doug Hertz, Rob Scheber & Nancy Sullivan Silvia Goldsmith Andrew Guthrie Jim Hubbard Robert Huot Bette Gordon & Karyn Kay Lewis Klahr Lorna Lentini Dan Walworth, Norman Cowie & Yanni Damianos Hilary Kliros & Anne Manuel Katy Martin L. Mentel Marjorie Keller & Sidney Peterson

Screenings and events by: Theo Angell Dominic Angerame Peggy Ahwesh, Christina Battle Ericka Beckman Bette Gordon and James Benning Dara Birnbaum Mary Billyou Bill Brand Bill Brown Pola Chapelle Abigail Child Lili Chin Cinema Zero Ann Craven Direct Art Product Mark McElhatten Marianna Ellenberg Angie Eng Redmond Entwistle Bradley Eros Helki Frantzen Brian Frye Ernie Gehr Paolo Gioli Amy Granat Bette Gordon Sabine Gruffat Ali Hossaini Ken Jacobs Lewis Klahr Jutta Koether Anya Maddow-Zimet Ruthie Marantz Bruce McClure Shana Moulton Julie Murray A.P. Komen/Karen Murphy On Film Inc. Leighton Pierce Jeff Preiss Jennifer Reeves Steve Reinke Shelley Silver Jason Simon Michael Smith Deborah Stratman Elisabeth Subrin Leslie Thornton, Anthony McCall, Claire Pajaczkowska, Andres Tyndall and Jane Weinstock Grahame Weinbren Brian Wilson Pawel Wojtasik Fred Worden

April 6-8 Screenings at Anthology Film Archive. For info: http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/