Chesapeake Film Festival: The Walkers of Oxford and their “Arc of Light”

For a documentary that was released over three years old, been broadcast several times on many PBS stations, and has been honored at a number of film festivals already, it was surprised that “Arc Of Light – A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss” is slated to be part of the annual Chesapeake Film Festival next week. In an industry that quickly discards its products, and particularly when they feature relatively obscure subjects like Bliss, the film has had unusually long run.

No doubt part of its staying power is its brilliant story of the artist Anna Campbell Bliss, who had the remarkable experience of learning from, and working with, Walter Gropius and other leaders from Bauhaus school of art and design to develop her own work. The film captures an important time in America’s own modern movement through her evolution as an architect and artist as well as her integrative use of math, computers, painting, printmaking, and calligraphy.

Another part of that staying power were film producers Cid and Richard Walker, who have now made Oxford their permanent home. While the film was truly a labor of love, the wife and husband team brought exceptional backgrounds to the project, including a long career at ARTnews magazine for Richard and Cid’s past work with CBS and NBC networks, BET, Discovery Networks, National Geographic, and the Voice of America.

In their joint interview with the Spy, they talk about their friendship with Anna Campbell Bliss, the making of the film, and their own struggle to produce a fairly complex story that was accessible and enjoyable for its viewers. Given the documentary’s long shelf life, they also express gratitude for their team as they take another victory lap at the Avalon on September 19th at the Avalon.

This video is approximately six minutes in length

Arc Of Light – A Portrait of Anna Campbell Bliss
Chesapeake Film Festival
Septmber 19th at 12:15 PM
Avalon Theatre
Easton