The Dove Block Project presents “Arthur Dove: Full Circle”
The Dove is undertaking the production of a full-length documentary about Arthur Garfield Dove. The film will celebrate his importance as an American artist, and his lifelong connection to Geneva, NY and the Finger Lakes region.
Arthur Dove is widely regarded as America’s first abstract artist. The film will bring Dove, his environment, and his art to life. We will also explore Dove’s life with his second wife, artist Helen Torr, chronicling their work and relationship as told through their personal diaries and letters.
While Dove’s work is well-known in the art world, to museums, and to collectors, the full story of his life has never been told on film. Arthur Dove: Full Circle will transport us into his world and preserve his legacy for future generations in a visually dynamic way.
For more information on the production, please take a look at the Deck our production team created.
FUNDING
The Dove Block Project will fund this important project through national, state and regional grant applications along with general public fundraising efforts, private donations*, and special events.
We will produce a short trailer for Arthur Dove: Full Circle to assist in fundraising efforts. The trailer will also be used for on-site visitor education at The Dove, the greater Finger Lakes region, and by interested partner organizations.
*If you’d like to support the documentary, please contact us at info@thedoveblockproject.org.
OUTLETS AND AUDIENCES
The trailer for Arthur Dove: Full Circle will be distributed to outlets in New York State, nationally, and internationally to build interest and financial support.
We plan to show Arthur Dove: Full Circle right here at The Dove and at film festivals around the world, as well as in independent movie theaters that specialize in art films. We will offer opportunities to NYS Arts organizations for screenings and panel discussions. We are already reaching out to buyers in the broadcasting and streaming space for potential licensing, including PBS, Ovation, and others. A distribution plan will be made specifically for colleges, universities, museums, and other appropriate venues, including tourism locations throughout the Finger Lakes Region.
OUR PRODUCTION TEAM
The Dove is partnering with Emmy Award winning Producer/Director Joanne Fish (Binghamton, NY) who will lead all field production and supervise the editing of Arthur Dove: Full Circle.
Joanne Fish has produced, written and directed more than 250 programs for network television, including A&E BIOGRAPHY, Modern Marvels on HISTORY CHANNEL, LIFETIME’S Intimate Portrait, CBS: Rescue 911, and a HISTORY CHANNEL Special about GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER for Black History Month. She won an Emmy award for "Class Acts" a documentary about Los Angeles’ first public High School of the Arts. She received seven Emmy nominations for her work in television.
In 2007, Fish completed her award-winning documentary on the “Queen of Rockabilly” Wanda Jackson. The film, entitled “The Sweet lady with the Nasty Voice,” won the Founders Award for “Best in Show” at the Oklahoma City Film Festival, a Cine Golden Eagle Award, and was an official entry at over 20 other film festivals, including SXSW in Austin, TX. The documentary was acquired by Smithsonian Network as part of its premiere launch.
Her most recent production is “Mr. Handy’s Blues,” a feature length documentary about composer W.C. Handy. It was shown at several film festivals, and is currently in distribution with films.com.
“Throughout my career I have done many television programs that focus on both historical and current biographical subjects…telling the life story of a person is one of my greatest challenges and greatest pleasures, said Fish. “I am passionate about weaving the threads of the story together in a visually creative way that is also impeccably researched and true to the essence of the person I am presenting. I try to evoke emotional responses from the audience so that they too can make a strong connection to the subject.”
Fish adds, “Arthur Dove is the perfect subject to explore in the documentary format, and a continuation of my passion for telling stories that may not be well known to the public at large. His story is compelling in myriad ways, and his work was unique in its time. He was known as the first American abstract artist in his day, and while he may be under-celebrated in some ways, there has been a significant uptick in publications and interest in him recently.”
Fish has engaged Austin Street Productions (ASP), located in New York City, to be the umbrella production company for the film. Co-owner Bill Hunt brings 25+ years of expertise in budgeting, scheduling, and workflow to the table. ASP will provide the infrastructure that a project of this magnitude requires. ASP’s long-term relationships with networks and buyers are key to future distribution plans.
Members of TDBP will undertake project fundraising and provide access and assistance in the securing of interviews, filming locations and rights to Dove’s works. We will consult on content, ensuring that the story we tell is accurate, authentic and unembellished.
