River and Trees by Paul Buxman

The Friends of the Arts is a Reedley College organization dedicated to promoting the visual art of Reedley College students, on campus and in the community. On May 19, the group held its first event: a screening of a student-produced documentary film.

“The student film, Artists of the Great Western Divide, was a collaborative project with the Sequoia Riverlands Trust and a perfect event with which to launch the Friends of the Arts,” said Janice Ledgerwood, Reedley College art instructor and one of the event’s organizers.

The Sequoia Riverlands Trust (SRT), a non-profit Central California land trust, approached Ledgerwood about involving Reedley College in the organization’s annual Kaweah Land & Arts Festival. The Friends of the Arts and SRT developed two projects. The first was a series of short videos for use in SRT fundraising campaigns. The second was a student-produced documentary to be submitted to film festivals.

“What the digital film editing students have done is truly amazing.” – Janice Ledgerwood, art instructor

The Sequoia Riverlands Trust included the projects in a grant request to the California Council for the Humanities. They were awarded the grant for the weekend event. It was the first time in more than 15 years that a Central Valley organization received a grant from the council.

The film, Artists of the Great Western Divide, featured three local artists: Paul Buxman, a farmer and plein air painter; Matthew Rangel, a printmaker; and John Spivey, a photographer and author.

“We chose these three artists because of their ties to the Central Valley and also for the different media they use in creating their work,” said Ledgerwood. “Each focuses on the Central Valley as the subject for their art.”

Students in the digital video editing class worked on all aspects of the film: shooting and editing, conducting interviews, and creating special effects.

“Essentially my role was that of a producer,” said Ledgerwood. “It was my job to make sure all the background stuff was taken care of. Diran Lyons—who teaches the digital video editing class—acted as director, making sure that the students knew what they were shooting, the trajectory of the story line, setting up shots, et cetera.”

The final product was unveiled at the May event, but it might only be the beginning for the film.

“What the digital film editing students have done is truly amazing. Their film project will be submitted to every appropriate film festival I can find,” said Ledgerwood, including the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada and Sundance Festival. “Yes, Sundance,” she said. “I think the film is that good.”

The Friends of the Arts at Reedley College will organize additional events for community participation, including a trip to the Getty Center in Los Angeles and exhibitions of student work.

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