Monterey ’80

“Monterey ’80” documents a visit in 1980 by JoAnn Elam and her husband Joe Hendrix to the maple farm in Monterey, MA, owned and operated by Elam’s friend Bonner McAllester and her husband Joe Baker. Elam and McAllester were close friends since their time at Antioch College together, and this film is one of many Elam made during visits throughout the 1980s, with a possible goal of relating them into a greater work. Similar to the other Monterey films, this film captures life on the farm, including the log house and natural foliage surrounding it, goats and chickens, and Baker and Hendrix working the land. Elam sits on the porch of the house and knits. The final section of the film switches to black and white and features McAllester, Baker, Hendrix, and Elam inside, singing and playing guitars together.