On June 2, artist Gregory Crewdson will release a special edition print in benefit of The Triplex, an independent movie theater in Great Barrington, and Aperture, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of photography that has collaborated on several publications and programs with the artist. The picture, made by Crewdson 20 years ago, features actress Lauren Ambrose and has never before been released, published, or shown publicly. The print will be available for one week only, through June 9, through Aperture.
The Triplex, like so many small independent movie theaters across the country, faces an uncertain future. When news of its possible closing spread, a group of people living in or with ties to the Berkshires quickly came together and started a non-profit to buy the theater and save it. The small movie house is currently the only full-time working movie theater in town, or for 45 minutes in any direction. But the Triplex’s legacy looms larger than that. For Crewdson, and many others, the theater is associated with the late legendary film critic Pauline Kael, who lived in Great Barrington. Kael was a family friend of Crewdson’s, and he used to see movies there with her, especially in her later years. Many other local artists, writers, and filmmakers have their own anecdotes about Kael frequenting the theater, and there are even discussions about renaming it after her.
Gregory Crewdson and Lauren Ambrose are among local residents who are actively trying to save the theater. By a stroke of serendipity, Crewdson had just recently come across the picture he made featuring Ambrose in his archives and was struck by its beauty and magical quality, and what a time capsule it had become. He decided to use it to benefit the cause. The picture was made in 2003 when Crewdson was just embarking on the body of work that would ultimately be made across eight productions, shot with his full cinematic lighting team and a production crew of over 100. “Beneath the Roses” remains his most elaborate and lengthy undertaking to date. This is the first time Crewdson has made an unreleased work from the
series available as an open-editioned print.
Gregory Crewdson, Untitled, Unreleased #4, 2003, digital pigment print, 8.5 x 12 in. (image) 11 x 14 in. (sheet), will be signed by the artist. The special edition will remain open through June 9, and available for $250 or paired with a subscription to Aperture quarterly magazine for $310 at here.
For details on the limited edition and to read a conversation between Crewdson and Ambrose on the behind-the-scenes creation of the print, visit Apeture’s website.
That same morning, Friday June 2nd at 10 am in the upstairs theater at the Triplex in Great Barrington, there will be a presentation by Nicki Wilson and Sam Handel, officers of the board of the newly formed nonprofit Save the Triplex. They will be sharing the latest information of the group’s effort on purchasing the theater and the need to continue to raise money through their website savethetriplex.org. There will be time for questions and answers after the sharing.
Lauren Ambrose, the actress currently starring in the hit TV series “Yellowjackets” and featured in Crewdson’s donated photo, will also be there.
This event is free and open to the public.
