In this rare circa-1966 film produced by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, renowned sculptor Richard Hunt invites Studs Terkel into his Chicago studio—a space alive with scrap metal, in-progress works, and the hum of creative labor. The 22-minute program opens with Hunt welding salvaged car bumpers into abstract forms, narrating his process: “I like the idea of making somehow organic forms out of mechanical material.”
Filmed between the rawness of the studio and the quiet intimacy of Hunt’s living room, the conversation touches on art, perception, race, and livelihood. When Terkel, in a tuxedo, asks what it’s like to be a Black sculptor, Hunt answers wryly, “It’s sort of hard to tell because I’ve never been a white sculptor.”
Intercut with rotating shots of Hunt’s sculptures, the film highlights his belief that art should remain open to interpretation: “It wouldn’t be much if people couldn’t see any more than the artist saw.” The piece closes with Terkel calling Hunt “something of a phenomenon … one of the most gifted and assured artists.”
Produced with the cooperation of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee by Ash Film Productions under NDEA Title VII, this short film is a striking document of an artist who was already reshaping the American sculptural landscape.
Filmed between the rawness of the studio and the quiet intimacy of Hunt’s living room, the conversation touches on art, perception, race, and livelihood. When Terkel, in a tuxedo, asks what it’s like to be a Black sculptor, Hunt answers wryly, “It’s sort of hard to tell because I’ve never been a white sculptor.”
Intercut with rotating shots of Hunt’s sculptures, the film highlights his belief that art should remain open to interpretation: “It wouldn’t be much if people couldn’t see any more than the artist saw.” The piece closes with Terkel calling Hunt “something of a phenomenon … one of the most gifted and assured artists.”
Produced with the cooperation of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee by Ash Film Productions under NDEA Title VII, this short film is a striking document of an artist who was already reshaping the American sculptural landscape.
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