Images of a shadow puppet play, intermittent rapid editing, and sweeping shots of a farm, dogs playing outside, plants, kitchens and interiors, provide a naturalistic portrait of peaceful spaces and friends. Date of production unknown.
“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
This footage was most likely shot in 1984 in Monterey, MA, which JoAnn Elam visited several times in the early 1980s. Despite being underexposed, one sees the woods around Elam, a few people coming in and leaving the frame, and chickens on the farm. Like many other elements in this collection, mainly Monterey ’84, Monterey
Shot in 1984 in Monterey, MA, this footage shows a log cabin, the nature surrounding it, and two women gardening on a sunny day. JoAnn Elam’s interests in farm labor, gender roles, and nature intersect in Monterey ’84, where she also experiments with abrupt cutting techniques and reverse motion. Monterey seems to have been a
In this footage, JoAnn Elam focuses on a group of African American men picking up a tire, working the land, and taking care of animals on a farm. At the end, a woman who addresses Elam behind the camera is folding the laundry left to dry outside. As in many other elements in this collection,
“Monterey 85” acts as an ensemble of sorts tracing several principles engaging and interacting with Monterey’s rural scenery, as also depicted in Elam’s other forestry-filled Monterey films. From a woman toiling with the earth, to a man intently chopping wood, to a child crooning on the sideline, “Monterey 85” depicts a rural way of life