Series: Pearls of Wisdom
ABOUT THE FILM
In-Person Only: March 23
This documentary features the extraordinary life and groundbreaking work of Queens-born artist and cartoonist Art Spiegelman, who transformed comics into a powerful medium for exploring profound and often harrowing themes. Best known for Maus—his Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust graphic novel hailed by the New York Public Library as one of the 125 most important books of the last 125 years—Spiegelman’s body of work also includes In the Shadow of No Towers, Breakdowns, and The Wild Party.
Featuring vivid illustrations from his comics and provocative New Yorker magazine covers, the film delves into Spiegelman’s creative journey, shaped by his Holocaust-survivor parents and his love for MAD Magazine’s irreverent satire. It also highlights his role as one of the nation’s leading public intellectuals and as a fierce advocate for free speech, stepping into the spotlight to protest book bans and censorship after Maus was removed from Tennessee school curriculum in 2022.
Through candid interviews and rare archival material, Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse offers a portrait of an artist who confronts fascism, then and now, with unwavering wit and intellect. As one of the nation’s leading public intellectuals, Spiegelman demonstrates the power of art to illuminate our personal and collective histories, making sense of a turbulent world through his chosen medium of comics.
Director Bio: View on IMDB Bernstein | Dolin
Molly Bernstein is an accomplished documentary filmmaker, best known for directing An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell, and The Show’s The Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, which aired on Sky Arts UK. Philip Dolin is a filmmaker known for Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, recognized as one of Entertainment Weekly‘s top films of 2013. He has created over a hundred short films for nonprofits and began his career producing hip-hop videos for artists such as Salt-N-Pepa.
Sponsors: Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, Jessica Prince + David Wilborn
