Projectile Arts Weekly

Akim Funk Buddha with Ken Butler

Thur 15 June 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Akim Funk Buddha on a cloudy day in New York City. Music by Ken Butler. Don't Miss Akim's Performance at The Blue Note This Friday at Midnight. Ken Butler will be at The Kion Loung on Wednesday 21 June.

Director: DeWitt Davis | Cinematographers: Ruben O'Malley and Alan Smith | Editors: Irina Emel and Casey Meade

Don't Miss Intuition IV

Tues 16 May 2006 08:00:00 -0600

Intuition III took place on 28 April 2006 at the beautiful My Moon Restaurant in Brooklyn NY. was Projectile Arts' first benefit gala with a seated dinner, live and silent auctions, fashion show, and a great selection of talented and inspiring performances by Akim Funk Buddha, Haale , GlobeSonic and The Shakti Spirit Dancers, Joshua Geisler, Paprikada. Benjamin Barber eloquently supported the cause of interdependence and the importance of art and culture in a globalized world. Qatar officiated the auction, and Babatunde dazzled us whith his retrospective collection of outfits. This year's event, Intuition IV, promises to be an even more enjoyable and extraordinary experience featuring some of the same artists and some new contributors to the Projectile Arts community. See you there!

Music Inn Documentary Preview

Wed, 10 May 2006 08:00:00 -0600

Please join us for a special preview of Music Inn at the Berkshire International Film Festival before the screening of Kokoyakyu on Sunday 14 May 2006, at 2pm. The film's producers will be in attendance. In Lenox, Massachusetts, between 1951 and 1960 at a place called Music Inn, there was a turning point in the history of music in America. Under the stewardship of Stephanie and Philip Barber Music Inn began with informal jazz and folk "Roundtables" and "Workshops" of scholars and critics, and culminated in the first School of Jazz -- where students learned from and performed with accomplished masters. Frequent participation of students and performers from nearby Tanglewood stimulated cross-fertilization between classical music and jazz. Music Inn was an undeniable force in the emergence of jazz from crowded urban clubs into concert halls. Louis Armstrong remarked in 1953, "They're doing wonderful things up there. They're really helping make music history." Noted participants at Music Inn included Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Guthrie, Geoffrey Holder, Langston Hughes, Mahalia Jackson, Tom Lehrer, John Lewis, Babatunde Olatunji, Oscar Peterson, Max Roach, George Russell, Gunther Schuller, Pete Seeger and Randy Weston. The list of performers of the Music Barn constituted a virtual who's who of now world-renowned musicians. This historic documentary film, produced by Ben Barenholtz and Narrated by Benjamin Barber, will be completed by the end of 2006.

Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball - Selected Scenes

Tues 02 May 2006 08:00:00 -0600

In February of 2006, producer Takayo Nagasawa went to Osaka, Japan to show a rough cut of Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball to the students involved with this film. This week's Vlog combines selected scenes from Kokoyakyu with footage of teachers and students responding to the rough cut. Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball Screening Schedule: May 4 @ 2pm - Berkshire International Film Festival This screening will feature a Question and Answer session with Kenneth Eng and Alex Shear. There will also be a special presentation of Music Inn, a new Documentary from Projectile Arts. It will include a discussion with Casey Meade, Ben Barenholtz, and George Scholler. June 2 - 11 - Brooklyn International Film Festival July 4 @ 10pm - POV Broadcast Premiere

Reality Art Class Teachers Collective: Volume II

Tues 25 April 2006 08:00:00 -0600

On March 15, 2006 the Reality Art Class Teachers Collective presented a special exhibit of work at Projectile Arts Studios in Brooklyn, NYC. The Reality Art Class Teachers Collective is a group of passionate teachers who make art with education and education with art. Their concept of "Freespace" is an experiment in learning. "Freespace" is about "being" and "becoming" in the fullest sense. Exploration and inquiry are encouraged by both teacher and student with the freedom to move through various roles in an atmosphere of unrestrticed support. For more information, visit the Reality Art Class Website. If you missed Volume 1 of the Reality Art Class Teachers Collective series, see the March 13 Vlog.

Kung Fu: Take Me To The River

Mon 17 April 2006 08:00:00 -0600

24 January 2001: Take Me To The River music director Joshua Geisler, and painter Vernon Woodroffe, were in Allahabad India with the Projectile Arts multi-media crew documenting the Maha Kumbh Mela festival. They had been awake for nearly 2 days, working and wandering in the midst of 15 Million Hindu pilgrims on the largest bathing day of the festival. Caught on video by Kenneth Eng, this spontaneous performance was our way of contributing to the festival and the entertainment of the throngs of pilgrims.

Take Me To The River: Preview

Mon 10 April 2006 08:00:00 -0600

Take Me To The River is a documentary film of the Maha Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival and pilgrimage which was the largest gathering in the history of the world. The film documents the event by immersing you in the midst of the madness. Through misty dawns, crowded streets, peaceful moments and chaotic sprints to the river, you'll journey into the Sangam, the physical and spiritual heart of the Mela where sins are cleansed, bathers can escape infinite karmic cycles and world peace is possible. You'll meet Swamis from the largest and most prestigious Hindu holy orders, ascetic naga babas, boatmen, policemen and pilgrims. "Take Me To The River" ultimately conveys the essence of the Mela experience.

Intuition III 2005 - Fashion by Babatunde

Mon 03 Apr 2006 07:06:47 -0600

This video is an excerpt from Babatunde's fashion show at Intuition III, a benefit gala for Projectile Arts on April 28th, 2005. Babatunde is a Nigerian fashion designer whose work has been influenced by numerous traditional cultural styles, including the garments worn by naga-sadhus and other pilgrims that he studied at the Maha Kumbh Mela in India, where he was a member of the Projectile Arts multi-disciplinary documentary expedition. The Intuition III fashion show featured outfits taken from the last 10 years of Babatunde's work. Intuition III occurred at My Moon Restaurant in Brooklyn NY. In addition to the fashion show, the event featured an exquisite dinner by guest chef Safronis Portulidis, appearances by Dr. Benjamin Barber, Akim Funk Buddha, Haale, GlobeSonic and The Shakti Spirit Dancers, Paprikada, and Qatar, silent and live auctions with lots of great company and positive energy. INTUITION IV is Wednesday 7 June 2006, at Pier 63 and Lightship Fryingpan. West 24th Street. The Hudson River, Manhattan.

Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball - Behind the Scenes

Mon 27 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600

Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball;/a> is an inspiring new documentary film directed by Kenneth Eng (Take Me To The River), that follows teams from two different schools in their struggle to reach Japan's national tournament. The film focuses on Baseball as a way to experience some of the nuances of Japanese culture, as they take an american concept and apply their own values, traditions and passions. From the dirt and grass of the playing field, to the bleachers and noisemakers of the fans, we explore the first-hand experiences of those whose lives are consumed by the annual High School Baseball tournaments. Kokoyakyu will be broadcast by POV on PBS July 4th at 10pm. Opening theme by Karen Tanaka.

RAC Episode #1 Excerpts from Weeksville Project - 20 March 2006

Mon 20 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600

Reality Art Class is an innovative educational program that uses art to engage students in learning across all subjects and standards. This video contains excerpts of a documentary that the students made from their trips to Weeksville, Gates Project, Seneca Village, and the projects that they did in class to accompany these trips. Reality Art Class was founded by Howard Schwartzberg and is a collaboration between Projectile Arts and The Career Education Center (CEC), a New York City Alternative Public School. Music used without permission. (Thank you Eminem and other artists!).

Reality Art Teachers' Collective

Mon, 8 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600

The Reality Art Class Teachers' Collective is a group of New York City Public Teachers who meet weekly at Projectile Arts to explore ways of using art to foster a deeper understanding of all academic subjects. The members of the collective will present their work at a special exhibition on Wed March 15th at 80 Franklin Street, 4.30-7pm. All are welcome. Music by Antoine Salem.

Terra Livre Update

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 04:00:00 -0600

Terra Livre is a unique documentary film project that tells the stories of those most affected by the Landless Workers Movement in Brazil, currently the largest social movement in the world. Director Kate Cunningham updates us from the field. Still Photography by Sandra Lorenço. Music by Antoine Salem. Please support the Terra Livre documentary project! Make a tax-deductible contribution here.

Haale at Club Helsinki

Wed, 1 Mar 2006 08:00:00 -0600

Haale at Club Helsinki - Great Barrington MA, 3 February 2006. Presented by Projectile Arts. Haale's voice was playful, sultry, and nuanced; she could wail over the din as well as coax a melody out of her breath. She stood her ground and sang; despite the Sufi roots, she wisely left the twirling interpretive dance routines to others. A rocking ode to Jimi Hendrix?s stint as a paratrooper was a pea in a pod to a rocking version of an ancient Iranian folksong. A quiet mid-set song, with only the strings behind her, was a perfect piece of melodic chamber-pop, without a hint of exotica, but not a bit out of place. The 90-minute set seemed to pass in a blink. -Paul Rapp, Metroland.net - see review

Projectile Arts Video Log Intro

Fri, 11 Feb 2006 12:20:00 EMT

The Projectile Arts vlog is a series of short videos devoted to the mission and work of Projectile Arts and our diverse community of Artists. Every week we'll post a new update from our film crews in the field, live events, artist profiles, and behind-the-scenes looks at the process behind everything. By subscribing to the vlog via RSS you'll receive a new video each week automatically, without going to our website every time. Music by Bassnectar . (Thank You Lorin)

Koko-yakyu: High School Baseball

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 8:10:00 EMT

Kokoyakyu - High School Baseball is a documentary film that captures the journey of Japanese youth as they embark on their annual pilgrimage to Koshien. For More information, visit the Kokoyakyu Home Page.

Interdependence Day

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 10:18:00 EMT

September 12th is Interdependence Day, a movement started by in 2002 by Dr. Benjamin Barber, author of "Jihad vs. McWorld" and "Fear's Empire." Projectile Arts began documenting the Interdependence Day movement in Rome and will continue to compile footage for several years, ultimately producing a feature documentary about the movement, its leaders and the issue of global interdependence from a variety of perspectives. For more information about Interdependence Day and Interdependence Day 2006 in Morocco, visit www.civworld.org

New York City Spirit

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 9:15:00 EMT

New York City Spirit inspires a worldwide audience to recognize unity in the heart of diverse self expression. The film travels through all five boroughs of New York City and presents an unbiased display of multiple cultural, religious and spiritual disciplines. New York City Spirit is about how individual New Yorkers choose to connect to a higher truth and meaning in everyday life. www.nycspirit.com