Tompkins County Public Library

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Library to Host Ithaca Motion Picture Project Exhibit, Opening Ceremony

The Tompkins County Public Library will unveil, “Timeline,” the flagship display of the Ithaca Motion Picture Project’s exhibit “Romance, Exploits and Peril: When Movies Were Made in Ithaca,” during a film splicing ceremony Thursday, September 29 at 1:00 PM in the Avenue of the Friends.

An 80-foot-long sculptural installation illustrating the chronology of motion picture history in Ithaca from 1912-1921, “Timeline” is the largest of eight displays being housed at locations throughout downtown in conjunction with “Romance, Exploits and Peril.”

The opening ceremony will be hosted by Library Director Susan Currie and feature remarks from City of Ithaca Common Council Member, Deborah Mohlenhoff ; Jean McPheeters, president, Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce; and Dan Lamb, district representative of U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY22). Ithaca Motion Picture Project (IMPP) founders, Constance Bruce and Diana Riesman will also make statements during the 30-minute ceremony.

The exhibit puts the Wharton movie studio and the movies made in Ithaca in context of the history of the motion picture industry. The Wharton brothers established their studio in present-day Stewart Park and transformed Ithaca,--with its dramatic natural landscapes built around a bustling town with a thriving academic community-- into a center for early movie-making.

"IMPP’s premiere exhibition represents three years of hard work developing partnerships with local educational, cultural and tourism-related organizations, as well as community leaders who support IMPP's mission to transform the Wharton studio building in Stewart Park into a motion picture museum celebrating local silent film history. We hope Ithacans relish the exhibition as much as we have enjoyed producing it," Bruce said.

The companion exhibits to “Timeline” will be on display at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), State Theatre Box Office, The Crescent Building, Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, Cayuga Medical Center, and Petrune on The Commons from October 1st through November 6th. The exhibit “Photo Players” at Gimme! Coffee on West State Street will open September 24th.

The installations were created by award-winning architect Todd Zwigard in collaboration with Art & Anthropology, whose principals Jason Otero and Joe Lamarre are responsible for the design of the Finger Lakes Wine Center. Julie Simmons-Lynch wrote the exhibition text. Sarah Adams, V. Romanoff & Associates; Terry Harbin, Ithaca Made Movies; and Diana Riesman curated the exhibition. Video reels were produced by Constance Bruce; Ann E. Michel and Phil Wilde, Insight Productions; with assistance from Harbin.

Established and incorporated as a nonprofit by Riesman and Bruce in 2009, IMPP is committed to the preservation and celebration of Ithaca's silent film history, and the Wharton movie studio’s contribution to Central New York’s silver screen legacy. This is the organization’s first exhibit. IMPP’s ongoing activities include co-sponsoring film events with Cornell Cinema and the Park School at Ithaca College, presentations to civic organizations on Central New York’s silent film history, and producing screenings with live music, all with the intent of drawing attention to the silent films and popular serials produced here a hundred years ago.

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