The Oregon Cartoon Institute presents

The Harry Smith Free For All

in partnership with The Late Now

hosted by Leo Daedalus

Sunday, May 19

11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

FREE at The Cleaners

at the Ace Hotel in downtown PDX

Oregon-born wild genius Harry Smith was an experimental filmmaker, artist, archivist, ethnomusicologist, student of anthropology, record collector, bohemian and mystic. The Harry Smith Free For All is a series of short, accessible, interactive presentations about his life and work.

Hosted by TLN's Leo Daedalus — the OCI's 2013 artist in residence — this free event is one of a series of May events in Portland put on by the Oregon Cartoon Institute and friends, celebrating Harry Smith in what would have been his 90th year.

Learn about all the events here.

In addition to hosting the Free For All, Daedalus also takes on Harry Smith’s unpredictable relationship to the concept of “truth” at 2:30 PM.

The Late Now is all Harried up to be OCI's partner for this event.

The Lineup ►

11:00 AM Kaveh Askari screens his new 7-minute experimental documentary about Harry Smith’s Bellingham years, and takes questions.

11:30 AM Doug Stewart demonstrates the recording technology Harry Smith used as a teenager when he recorded Lummi Indian rituals.

12:00 PM Recreation of selected String Figures from Harry Smith’s collection

12:30 PM Anne Richardson places Harry Smith within a timeline of Oregon film history

1:00 PM Joe McMurrian discusses Harry Smith’s curation of his 1952 Anthology Of American Folk Music

1:30 PM Dennis Nyback: Demonstration of Harry Smith’s performance art approach to projection of his 16mm films.

2:00 PM Andrew Ritchey discusses sound as an element in avant garde film

2:30 PM Leo Daedalus of The Late Now takes on Harry Smith’s unpredictable relationship to the concept of “truth”.

3:00 The Harry Smith Paper Airplane Invitational, an Indoor Air Show in honor of Harry Smith’s world class paper airplane collection.

3:30 Sacred Harp Singers perform traditional shaped note singing, one of Harry Smith’s obsessions, and invite the audience to sing along.

Above, Seattle artist Drew Christie provides a concise introduction. This reminiscence by fellow musicologist John Cohen dates to 1960 or 1961, judging from the prominence of The Twist.

> Get a Harry Smith Crash Course.

Site photography by Kerry Davis, Jim Clinefelter, Kathryn Elsesser, Richard Schemmerer, JC Schlechter.