Swem Library is pleased to announce the arrival of Aram Vidal, a Cuban audio-visual artist, as the library’s first artist in residence. Mr. Vidal, who will be on campus from June 3 to July 19 as part of his first visit to the US, is currently a graduate student in Mexico. He has chosen William & Mary to continue his studies and creative pursuits.
Mr. Vidal is an accomplished media artist and scholar whose documentaries have won international awards and critical acclaim. In 2007 his Off Generation (1-5) won Best Documentary at Cuba’s 6th New Filmmakers Festival. For the last several years he’s been working on a documentary trilogy. The first looks at the plight of young artists in Cuba, where state support for filmmaking is dwindling; the second (with subtitles by W&M students as part of the New Media Workshop course) examines the life of Cuban exiles living in Mexico. His third documentary will explore the Cuban exile community in the U.S. While at William & Mary, Mr. Vidal will also work with students on an experimental video and meet with faculty in various departments and programs.
This important new initiative is made possible through the efforts of Joel Schwartz and the QEP/Mellon Initiative; Laurie Koloski and the Reves Center Faculty Fellow in International Student-Faculty Research Initiative; Steven Sechrist and the Reves International Students and Scholars Division; Connie McCarthy and Troy Davis, the Earl Gregg Swem Library; Ronald St. Onge and the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures; and Arthur Knight and the Film Studies Program.