The Chalkboard Chronicles is a documentary film about a curated art show, which occurred in 1997 in Soho, NYC.
Artist Tom Judd assembled a team of established as well as up-and-coming artists. He created a game where the rules were very simple.
Tom hung 3 chalkboards in the gallery front window of TZ Art at Grand and Wooster Streets. The entire show would be up for 4 weeks. Each week, 3 artists would show up and start work. They each got a chalkboard, and some chalk. What they did with those materials was entirely up to them.
Their work would stay up for a week. At the end of each week, Tom would erase the boards. The next morning, 3 new artists arrived and began the process anew.
This documentary short film captures the entire event, filmed over the course of a month. Coupled with modern day updated interviews with the surviving artists from 2014-15, The Chalkboard Chronicles not only revisits a fascinating art "happening" from a particular era of Soho NYC, but it also explores the deeper connections to the creative process, impermanence in art itself, and the common connections we all share to an iconic symbol from our youth.
The footage in 1997 was shot by acclaimed Director of Photography Scott Sinkler. Still photography was provided by Mark Malloy. Our DPs for 2014-15 were Mel Halbach and Andrew Geller. Andrew is also the editor of the film, which is being completed with the gracious support of Marc Brodzik and Woodshop Films.
The participating artists included:
Spalding Gray (creating a never-before-seen monologue)
Drew Beattie and Daniel Davidson