Into the Light

A painting by Chris Saglimbene, one of the artists profiled in Into the Light.

Into the Light, a documentary about Matheny’s Arts Access Program, has been accepted into the Montclair Film Festival and will be screened at  2 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, at the Clairidge Cinema in Montclair, NJ. In the short film, director Paul Pawlowski profiles the lives and work of three artists as they prepare for Arts Access’ 15th anniversary five years ago. The film presents a brief history of Matheny and the creation and development of Arts Access, which enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators.

The three artists featured are Chris Saglimbene, a painter; Natalia Manning, a choreographer; and Jenny Durr, a writer. They are profiled and followed in and out of the studio. The film culminates with Full Circle, the annual celebration of Arts Access. This year, Arts Access will celebrate its 20th anniversary on November 2 and has received a Challenge America Fast-Track grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the 20th anniversary Full Circle celebration.

Tickets to the May 5th screening can be purchased by logging onto www.montclairfilmfest.org.