We have a very busy weekend here at THEMUSEUM. Curator SEARCHING FOR TOM, Virginia Eichhorn, will be giving a guided tour of this new exhibition on Saturday at 5pm. Our Speaker Series kicks off on Sunday with arts reporter Robert Reid from The Record.

Most relevant to this post, we're also launching our SEARCHING FOR TOM Film Series on Saturday at 6pm with the screening of Aakideh: The Art & Legacy of Carl Beam. A bit of background on Carl Beam from Wikipedia:

"Carl Beam R.C.A. (May 24, 1943 – July 30, 2005), born Carl Edward Migwans, made Canadian art history as the first artist of Native Ancestry (Ojibwe), to have his work purchased by the National Gallery of Canada as Contemporary Art. A major retrospective of his work, mounted by the National Gallery of Canada, is on exhibition starting October 22, 2010, recognizing Beam as one of Canada's most important artists. He worked in various photographic mediums, mixed media, oil, acrylic, spontaneously scripted text on canvas, works on paper, Plexiglas, stone, cement, wood, handmade ceramic pottery, and found objects, in addition to etching, lithography, and screen process."

I had the opportunity to conduct separate email interviews with Paul Eichhorn and Robert Waldeck, the two primary filmmakers from W.E. Productions. Enjoy!

Q. How did you get into filmmaking? How long have you been making films? What makes you passionate about filmmaking?

Paul: I have been interested in film since I was in high school and dabbled in it as an amateur at that time. After studying film in university,  I did do some corporate video but was focused more on print for several years. It was after I met my co-director Robert Waldeck in the early 2000s that I decided to jump back into using moving images to tell stories once again working with Rob. To me, it is an ideal medium since it allows you to use words, visuals and sound to convey ideas and tell a story. The changes in technology are now allowing filmmakers at almost any level to do extraordinary things that would have been impossible even 10 years ago. It’s an exciting time to be involved in this area.

Robert: While I was a fine art student at McMaster University I took some film studies courses.  As my film literacy increased, I found a greater appreciation for the craft of filmmaking.  And now, as a documentary filmmaker I want to tell stories that captivate people and allow them to gain greater insight into a subject.

Q. Can you tell us what Aakideh is about?

Paul: Aakideh: The Art & Legacy of Carl Beam is film we started way back in 2004. It was originally supposed to be focused on Carl, his wife Ann and daughter Anong. They all made art and it was to be a story about them preparing for an exhibition of their ceramic art at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery in Waterloo. Unfortunately, Carl was beginning to have health issues and died the next year. We had to change gears and it just made sense to make a documentary about his art and his lasting legacy.

Robert: I would say Aakideh is about Carl Beam's passionate voice.  The documentary is an illustration of Beam's art practice, his activism, and his efforts to preserve his Ojibwe culture.

Q. What makes Carl Beam such an important Canadian artist?

Paul: Carl really broke new ground. He was the first artist of an aboriginal background to have a contemporary artwork purchased by the National Gallery of Canada. He combined his cultural background with the latest contemporary art practices and created works that really bridged cultures. Some of his art was about this Native upbringing (attending residential school) but much of his art was about larger, universal topics such as our use of science and fragile global environment. Carl was talking about sustainable living before it became the latest fade. Obviously, his art is quite relevant today.

Robert: Carl Beam was more than an image maker. He was a man who lived deeply.  He was an artist who addressed important cultural, political, and environmental issues that everyone needs to think about.

Q. What inspired you to write/direct/produce this film? How did you get started?

Paul: I had known Carl and his family back in the mid 1990s when my wife Virginia was curating exhibitions by Carl. Later we represented his wife Ann’s work at our gallery in Toronto. Rob got to know them a couple of years later and having that connection to the family made it easier to tell this very personal story. As Rob has said many times to other people, and I agree, having the trust of Ann and Carl’s daughter Anong to tell Carl’s story was crucial. We obviously knew that we needed them to be invested in this process to tell his story.

Robert: I've always been impressed with Beam's iconographic imagery that imprints itself in your mind long after viewing it. So, I jumped on the opportunity to travel to Manitoulin Island, with Paul, to meet the Beam family.

Q. Why did you decide to call the film Aakideh?

Paul: Aakideh means “bravehearted” or “one who is brave in Ojibwe.” Carl got this name when he was child. It seemed to be a great way to describe how he lived his life and how he approached his art practice. We also felt it was important to raise awareness about the Ojibwe language by using this title. Carl was passionate about the Ojibwe people retaining and passing on the language to the next generation. He actually was starting a language recovery radio station before his death. His daughter and son-in-law just got it on the air this past summer. Another great example of his legacy continuing today.

Robert: Aakideh is Beam's Ojibwe name.  Although the name means "brave one" or "brave hearted" it also sounds powerful like the man himself.

Q. The film has an interesting format to it.  Why did you decide to create the film in this way? Is there any significance to it?

Paul: I think Rob can provide some additional views in this regard since he shaped much of the visual look including the animations that were part of the doc. To us, Carl’s art is made up of many visual layers. He combined a number of different media in his works. In a sense, we felt it was only appropriate to do a similar thing within this film. We brought in archival video, family photos, journal notes, and his artworks. It only made sense to use all of these things to tell his story. Both Rob and I certainly have never looked at a documentary as something that is a person talking in an interview with a narrator filling in the rest. To me, that’s old school and documentaries can be so much more. Hopefully we are pushing the envelope and offering viewers a new sense of what a documentary can be. Even the great music soundtrack, composed by Dan Drysdale of Waterloo, references many different types of music styles. Even the approach to sound played off that whole concept of layers.

Robert: We really wanted the film to stylistically bring Beam's work to life. We thought about how he used grids and multiple pictures on one canvas and wanted to translate this technique in the format of the film.  As for the animations and motion graphic elements-- we wanted to make "Carl Beam"
inspired transitions for the various chapters of his art career.

Q. What was the most surprising thing you discovered over the course of making this film?

Paul: Though I knew when Carl began making art it was surprising that he really only got going in his early 30s. His art career wasn’t that long – not quite 30 years. But when you look at what he did over that time, it’s quite incredible. Many artists work 50-plus years to accomplish the same thing. Again, the number of years making art isn’t always the key factor. Look at Tom Thomson – he died in his late 30s but the impact of his art continues to be felt today.

Robert: Hearing the stories about the loss of language and culture in Residential School was eye opening. Then I began to realize how this struggle for power (between two cultures) is an underlying connection through all of Beam's work.

Q. What was the biggest challenge in representing such an important artist?

Paul: You obviously want to make sure the family feels the story is fair and does represent his legacy. They were open and really helped us a lot on the project The other thing is that you want to make sure it is a story that provides a few sides of the artist, not just one side. Carl certainly had a few sides to his personality and his art practice. I think we did a great job at showing those sides. I think taking six years to complete the project likely helped us to develop the story in a way that wouldn’t have been possible in quick, year and half production, which is often the case for projects like this.

Robert: Editing all of the great stories and artworks to fit into a 65 minute window of time was a very difficult task.

Q. Why should we watch this film?

Paul: It’s educational and fun to watch as well. I think people will not only learn about Carl Beam but also it provides a greater insight into what is to be an artist and how artists in general approach their art practice. I think for many people the whole art thing is a mystery and maybe this will take away that mystery for viewers. I think Rob and I would certainly like this film to connect to a wider audience beyond those who are interested in visual art. I know we have already had many people who have come  up to us after a screening and told us they would never watch something like this but they really enjoyed the film. That is great to hear.

Robert: Because everyone should hear Carl's story and gain insight into his art