FILM PREMIERE - VILLA MONTALVO: THE EVOLUTION OF AN ARTS CENTER

Villa Montalvo: The Evolution of an Arts Center is a 90-minute documentary film that traces the history of the Villa from its inception as a country retreat for a wealthy San Francisco businessman and politician, through its development into the new millennium as a vital cultural resource for the San Francisco Bay Area. Filmmakers Valerie Archer and John Wainwright were initially drawn to the topic because of their interest in Montalvo’s Artist Residency Program. Residency Programs are one of the few forms of support for artists today, and it was the filmmakers ardent desire to document the significance of this little known but vital modern form of cultural patronage.

Filming began in 1998. The arts center was on the verge of creating a separate complex for the exclusive use of artists and the decision was made to follow this exciting and innovative venture to its completion. The filmmakers fell upon a treasure trove of historic photographs and documents, many of them gathered by professors James Walsh and Timothy O’Keefe, authors of the seminal written history of the Villa, Legacy of a Native Son. Drawn in by the apparent passion and personality of Montalvo’s progenitor, James Duval Phelan, and inspired by Montalvo’s fascinating archives, the scope of the documentary broadened to embrace the life of the man who bequeathed his estate to the people of California as a public park, and for the development of art, literature, music and architecture.

Lyric Media will add to the archives 40 videotaped interviews including those with Phelan family members, Trustees, Directors, Artists, Architects and Volunteers. The film also features clips from performances by Tony Bennett, David Benoit and the Juilliard String Quartet, as well as outreach programs, gallery exhibits and special events such as Open Studios and the annual Montalvo Service Group’s Yuletide celebration.

James Phelan’s passion for the arts was unique, and he imbued his estate with a perpetual love and a timeless vision for its cultivation. It is this vision that the filmmakers hope to convey, as it has been interpreted and reinterpreted throughout Montalvo’s history, to remain relevant to the present day.