UPDATED 7/5/07
I am a HUGE fan of
Andy Warhol--his paintings, the numerous documentaries and biographies about him--and especially his films. It is common knowledge that
Warhol was born and raised in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania--all the way on the other side of the state from
Scranton. But were you aware that even
Andy Warhol has a posthumous connection to
Scranton? Let me explain.
In 2003,
Steven Watson wrote the definite portrait of the
Warhol Silver Factory years titled
Factory Made; Warhol and the Sixties. In my own humble opinion, I think this is perhaps the best book on
Warhol ever written. Not only does it paint a thorough and vivid picture of
Warhol's years of painting and filmmaking in the 1960s (most would agree the sixties was his most productive period as an artist), but it also gives chronological and detailed accounts and biographies of the eccentric group of actors and artists that played roles in his famous
Silver Factory in
New York City during that time. Everyone from
Warhol himself to his superstars (including
Nico,
Edie Sedgwick,
Mary Woronov and
Ultra Violet) to his friends and assistants (
Brigid Berlin and
Gerard Malanga) are profiled--even his near-assassin
Valerie Solanis is included.
On the final page of
Factory Made (page 436, to be exact), the final paragraph of the book discusses the preservation and continued revivals of
Warhol's films, (which include
The Chelsea Girls,
Empire and
Sleep), and this is where
Scranton is mentioned:
"In the meantime, the films of the Factory era are resting safely in the Museum of Modern Art's film vault in a rural setting outside Scranton, Pennsylvania. They reside at an eternal 38 degrees, and if they are to be seen, they must first spend a few days in the warming-up room. Art and artifact, they record the Sixties like nothing else."Now before you even ask, I must say that neither I nor my colleagues have any idea when the
Museum of Modern Art's film vault is, in the vacinity of
Scranton. It's a complete mystery to us. But if anyone can provide us with that final piece of the puzzle, please email me at
refdept@albright.org.
According to the
official website for the book,
Factory Made is in the process of being adapted into a
feature length documentary film.
Unfortunately, we do not include
Factory Made in our
library holdings, but portions of the book (including chapters excluded from the final edition) can be viewed online by
clicking here. It's an excellent book and I HIGHLY recommend it. In addition, an excellent 2006 film covering that time period titled
Factory Girl (starring
Sienna Miller as
Edie Sedgwick and
Guy Pearce as
Andy Warhol) will be released on DVD July 17th.
Albright Memorial Library will have a copy of
Factory Girl in its circulating DVD collection. You can place a hold on the DVD at
http://www.lclscatalog.org/
UPDATE 7/5/07 "Ask and you shall receive" is my new motto. Not one, but
TWO people helped me to answer the question "Where near
Scranton is the MOMA film vault?" Well, the answer is
Hamlin, PA-approximately 18 miles outside of
Scranton in
Wayne County.
The name of
MOMA's film vault in
Hamlin is
The Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center and it opened June 10, 1996. According to the web site, the $11.2 million film storage facility consists of two buildings on a 38-acre estate in
Hamlin and houses over 14,000 of
MOMA's rare film collection from 1894 to the present at a constant 38 degrees for preservation.
I want to give a big thanks to two awesome people for providing me with this last piece of the
Warhol/Scranton puzzle--
Brian Fulton, Library Manager at the
Scranton Times and artist
"The Other Michael" (whose website,
http://www.xradiograph.com/, is absolutely incredible--the
umbrella hats ROCK).
Friday, April 3rd is the first First Friday of Spring 2009 in Scranton. Dr. Peter Cupple informed me of a very special exhibit and guest artist, former Dalton resident Louis N. Pontone, who will be exhibiting a number of his works in his one-man exhibit, Ut Pictura Poesis, at AFA Gallery (514 Lackawanna Avenue) from April 2nd through April 28th. In addition, Mr. Pontone, who is curating his own show, will be at the AFA Gallery on Friday, April 3rd from 6 PM to 9 PM for First Friday in Scranton. The Opening Reception on First Friday is free and open to the public.
