Dark the Night and Bright the Stars
Followed by a Q+A with the Lights Out co-founders!
“To make is to grieve and to praise”—Sarah Haskell.
To be connected to the ancestors is to be aware of the enormous presence of humanity preceding us. Many turn to this presence when comfort is needed, for guidance found through tradition and generations of muscle memory. But ancestry is also complex, heavy, and intense. Along with guidance comes tragedy and remorse, grief. There is a strong hermetic thread connecting each artist in this film. The spirit felt by each of them has in common one command, to work alone, to better commune with the inner eye. Though each artist engages with the concept and spirit of ancestry in their own way, we get a sense from all of them that ancestry is not merely looking into the past, but an imperative to get to work, to be present, to develop what is still unfinished.
Originally filmed as a separate series from January 2021–February 2023, we discovered a powerful thread connecting seven artists who each engage with their ancestry in deeply intentional ways. Each artist’s thread is unique, their materials and forms sometimes very similar to others’ and sometimes diverging widely. All are guided in their own private way by an insistent spirit that motivates and inspires. The work created by this inspiration moves beyond the personal lives of each maker into a constellation renewed and enlivened by each, and by the spirits of the past and future.
This film accompanies the 2025 exhibition “Dark the Night and Bright the Stars” showcasing Gabriel Frey, Raphael Gribetz, Sarah Haskell, Daniel Minter, David Lone Bear Sanipass, Avis Turner, and Maria Wolff. Their work reflects a broad spectrum of traditions—Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq, Jewish, Afro-Atlantic, Scandinavian, and Celtic—each illuminating history, identity, and intergenerational connection. Produced by Lights Out Gallery and hosted by Waterville Creates.
Following the film screening there will be a curators talk by Lights Out co-founders: Daniel Sipe, Reed McLean and Karlë Woods.
“To make is to grieve and to praise”—Sarah Haskell.
To be connected to the ancestors is to be aware of the enormous presence of humanity preceding us. Many turn to this presence when comfort is needed, for guidance found through tradition and generations of muscle memory. But ancestry is also complex, heavy, and intense. Along with guidance comes tragedy and remorse, grief. There is a strong hermetic thread connecting each artist in this film. The spirit felt by each of them has in common one command, to work alone, to better commune with the inner eye. Though each artist engages with the concept and spirit of ancestry in their own way, we get a sense from all of them that ancestry is not merely looking into the past, but an imperative to get to work, to be present, to develop what is still unfinished.
Originally filmed as a separate series from January 2021–February 2023, we discovered a powerful thread connecting seven artists who each engage with their ancestry in deeply intentional ways. Each artist’s thread is unique, their materials and forms sometimes very similar to others’ and sometimes diverging widely. All are guided in their own private way by an insistent spirit that motivates and inspires. The work created by this inspiration moves beyond the personal lives of each maker into a constellation renewed and enlivened by each, and by the spirits of the past and future.
This film accompanies the 2025 exhibition “Dark the Night and Bright the Stars” showcasing Gabriel Frey, Raphael Gribetz, Sarah Haskell, Daniel Minter, David Lone Bear Sanipass, Avis Turner, and Maria Wolff. Their work reflects a broad spectrum of traditions—Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq, Jewish, Afro-Atlantic, Scandinavian, and Celtic—each illuminating history, identity, and intergenerational connection. Produced by Lights Out Gallery and hosted by Waterville Creates.
Following the film screening there will be a curators talk by Lights Out co-founders: Daniel Sipe, Reed McLean and Karlë Woods.