The Coleman Center for the Arts closed its first season of experimental films for the Black Belt in the Black Belt at Larkin’s Restaurant & Deli. Lunchtime patrons watched In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth) alongside their meal. Participants from Sumter County, Selma, Uniontown, and McComb (MS) were featured in the work. The screening is part of CAUSE COLLECTIVE’s ongoing project, The Truth Booth.
In August 2018 collective member Jim Ricks shared the giant inflatable speech bubble and video recording booth in the parking lot of Larkin’s. In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth) was a part of For Freedoms Initiative, a platform for greater participation in the arts and civil society. Inspired by American artist Norman Rockwell’s paintings of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms (1941)—freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear—For Freedoms Federation uses art to encourage and deepen public explorations of freedom in the 21st century.
The CAUSE COLLECTIVE is a team of artists, designers, and ethnographers creating innovative art in the public realm. Collective members include: Ryan Alexiev, Hank Willis Thomas, Jessica Ingram, Bayete Ross Smith, Natasha L. Logan, Will Sylvester, Jorge Sanchez, Jim Ricks.
The screening series features the work of Alabama or regional filmmakers. The screening series is open to the public and free of charge including refreshments (popcorn, bottled water). Whenever possible the filmmakers are present for post-screening talkbacks and workshops.
The installation and resulting screening were supported in partnership with the Educational Foundation of America and Alabama State Council on the Arts.