A New Color: The Art of Being Edythe Boone

BROADCAST NATIONWIDE ON "AMERICA REFRAMED" PBS SERIES

A NEW COLOR joyfully profiles the life and work of celebrated artist Edythe Boone whose colorful murals portray some of the major events of our time and illustrate the transformative power of art.

Long before Black Lives Matter became a rallying cry, septuagenarian Boone embodied that truth as an accomplished artist and educator. From humble Harlem roots, the indefatigable Boone pursued her love of art and her dream of someday creating a new color – “a color that no one had ever seen before.”

Boone moved her family to Berkeley in the 1970’s from Harlem to avoid the growing crack epidemic. In the Bay Area, she was drawn to community mural projects that channeled her artistic talent into public advocacy for racial and social justice, including the landmark MaestraPeace mural on the San Francisco Women’s Building.

Boone has made community murals her primary vehicle for helping people of all ages and ethnicities find their artistic voice and express their hopes and visions. A NEW COLOR highlights Boone’s work with Oakland middle school students on a mural project and with seniors at a center in Richmond.

Woven throughout the film is the personal journey that fuels Boone’s art, having lived through segregation and the Civil Rights movement, as well as the more recent tragedies of Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, and the chokehold death of her nephew Eric Garner, whose final words – “I Can’t Breathe” – ignited national outrage over racist policing.

Filmed over five years, A NEW COLOR illuminates how the passionate, heart-felt work of one resilient woman can reverberate throughout a community and inspire both art and a more powerful chorus for justice.

CURRICULUM FOR GRADES 8 - 12 & RESOURCE IMAGES

Preview link available upon request. Contact support@videoproject for more information

A Film by Marlene "Mo" Morris

57 Minutes

Scene Selection • Closed Captioned

Grades 6 - Adult

Item #: ANC-1121

Profiles the life and work of celebrated artist Edythe Boone

Starting at $79

Licensing Options

K-12 Schools, Public Libraries, Community Groups - $79 K-12 DVD + Digital File - $129 Colleges, Businesses, Other Institutions: DVD - $195 Colleges (DVD with Digital Site License) - $345 K-12 School District pricing available. Please inquire at [email protected]

Reviews and Festivals

"As a television producer and president of the Board of Berkeley Community Media, I believe in translating a message through film and art. This film is a phenomenal example of just that."
— Angela "Cleo" Smith, Television Producer

"Highly Recommended. A New Color tells the story of an artist whose transformative tenacity and creativity inspires young students to believe in themselves. Mo Morris is a fantastic filmmaker who has captured Edythe Boone's colorful wisdom with authenticity and vigor. It was an honor to have Mo Morris visit our 8th-grade classroom to screen the film and explore diverse topics of social justice, race, and human tribulations with our students."
— Karen Velasquez, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Escuela Bilingue Internacional

"A NEW COLOR is a testimony to the spirit, resiliency, and beauty of artist Edythe Boone and of the Visual Arts. It stresses the importance for children to get the best arts education possible by working with teaching artists who are expert and visionary in their art discipline. This timely film also addresses race relations problems our world is facing. All educators should see this film and share it with their students as it gives us a window into the artist's process and the Arts' great impact on our lives."
— Michael Watkins, Superintendent, Santa Cruz County Office of Education

"Edythe Boone's compassionate pedagogy is a model for artist educators working with any age and constituency."
— Juana Alicia Araiza, Public Art Program, Berkeley City College

"Recommended. Engaging 73-year-old artist Edythe Boone is at the center of this documentary from Marlene 'Mo' Morris that focuses on Boone's life and career as well as two of her current mural projects...An interesting slice-of-life portrait of an inspiring activist and educator whose medium is art."
— Video Librarian

"Septuagenarian artist Edythe Boone combines activism and art as she climbs scaffolding, works on murals and remains vitally involved with her community and work... This fine program, filmed over a three-year period, is a tribute to the grace and spirit of a celebrated artists who is known for her community murals."
— Booklist

"An inspiring portrait of the ebullient artist-activist…. Art and activism often go hand in hand, yet, even among artists whose work is oriented toward social justice, it’s rare to find someone whose creativity and community-building work are as naturally entwined as Berkeley’s Edythe Boone.”
— San Francisco Chronicle

"Highly Recommended. Layered throughout A New Color is the reality of violence, specifically police violence, hitting communities of color. The subjects of the documentary work through their anger, sadness, and fear with artwork as tragic events unfold in their communities...The film also offers a different lens into the Black Lives Matter movement and forms of protest through artwork. Suited for Art, Art Therapy, or Education courses."
— Educational Media Reviews Online

“A NEW COLOR is more kinetic and less rarified than your standard artist profile. From a West Oakland middle school to a Richmond senior center, Boone demystified the creative process by imparting techniques and encouraging unselfconscious participation.”
— Michael Fox, Oakland Magazine

"An exuberant and inspiring film...Tough and compassionate, wise and funny, she lived through segregation and Jim Crow maintaining her faith in humanity. In the classroom, Edy’s creative example inspires students to imagine new possibilities, challenge stereotypes and become agents of change."
— Legacy Film Festival on Aging

“A vehicle to discuss inequality and racial justice.”
— Berkeleyside.com

"Edythe Boone’s work documents the ways that art can seamlessly connect community, civic, and educational sectors. A New Color is a valuable cinematic tool for the education of students, artists, art lovers, teachers, activists, and everyone else."
— Stephanie Ann Johnson, PhD, Professor of Visual and Public Art , CSU Monterey Bay

"Highly Recommend. An inspiring, thought-provoking film worthy of the widest possible audience. Filmmaker Mo Morris has created an exceptional film that at first glance is the powerful story of one woman and her art. Yet, as the story unfolds, more complex issues are revealed, opening the door for deeper discussion after the film on many valuable topics including the power of art, art in education, and racial injustice."
— Lafayette Library and Learning Center, Lafayette, CA

WINNER
Audience Favorite, Mill Valley Film Festival
Best Short Documentary, Peace on Earth Film Festival

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Pan African Film Festival
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
Independent Film Festival, Boston
Sarasota Film Festival
San Diego Black Film Festival
International Black Film Festival of Nashville
Bushwick Film Festival
Harlem International Film Festival
Legacy Film Festival on Aging
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Oakland International Film Festival
Through Women’s Eyes International Film Festival

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