Art is fundamentally a commentary on life. Here are four powerful new films that help us to see social distortions and to find beauty in the way these artists correct our vision.

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Combining two decades of exclusive access plus a lifetime of archival footage, Crutch depicts dancer and performance artist Bill Shannon from his early years to his rise to prominence as an award-winning, cutting-edge performance artist whose work finds outlet at prestigious venues worldwide. Crutch documents Bill's extraordinary journey in intimate detail, from the history of his medical odyssey and his struggles with Perthes' disease, to the evolution of his crutch dancing and skateboarding, to his global acclaim in the worlds of theater, choreography and performance artist. The film also delves into Bill's provocative street performances, in which he exposes the hidden world of bias and assumptions that disabled people encounter in public on a daily basis.

Shot on location, from Pemaquid Point, Maine to the streets of Berlin, Alan Magee: art is not a solace explores the renowned visual artist's subjects, locales, and the historical sources which have sustained his work for five decades. Best known for his captivating realist paintings, Magee also creates works that delve into the darkest aspects of human nature. These arresting images—which comment on corporate greed, on cruelty and gun violence, and on civilian and military victims of war—seem at odds with his more serene paintings of nature and found objects, but through his distinctive visual language and interconnected themes, Magee suggests that these dual realms are inseparably interwoven.

Haida artist Robert Davidson is one of the foremost cultural icons of the age. Haida Modern features candid and revealing conversations with the artist himself, along with commentary from art historians, politicians, musicians and family members detailing the importance and impact of Davidson's work. In the film, we see how Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens alike— inspired by Davidson's art—are coming together to forge political movements, led by Indigenous activists and artists who are fighting the critical environmental battles of our time. That is the great and enduring power of Robert Davidson’s 14,000 year old indigenous Haida culture: the power of an art so beautiful, it must be seen over and over again.

In this beautiful and informative short film, famed Haida artist Robert Davidson carves his latest monumental totem pole and gives a rare insight into the deeper meanings of the imagery found on North Coast Indigenous art works. Davidson—an articulate and engaging master carver—shows how he created a totem pole called "We Were Once Silenced," a work dedicated to the memory of the wrongs suffered by his people at the hands of the captains of colonization. In his new, more hopeful work, Robert celebrates the cultural and political reawakening of the Indigenous peoples of the world in general, and the Haida Nation particular, with a pole called "Gyaangee: Beyond Being Silenced."

All films are available on DVD with public performance rights for school and library purchase or rental. Academic streaming can be licensed from Docuseek. Campus and community groups interested in hosting a community screening can book now through Bullfrog Communities.

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