The Foundry for Art Design + Culture

Been sitting on pins and needles waiting to share the first of two campaigns we produced in the late spring for Excelsior College. Obviously filmed during our favorite normal. We wrapped filming literally just as things were shutting down in March, and spent the next several weeks editing.... We’re really proud of this work and it couldn’t have been possible without such an incredible client and talent crew and cast! Depending on where you live you may have seen this campaign or the other one that’s been running pretty heavy. You can see them both if you follow the link below. Filmed on our new Canon C500 Mark II and DJI Ronin II. Director & DP: Jesse Matulis AC: Geoff King Writer: Nick Matulis AD & Producer: Alana Sparrow Editing: Jesse Matulis VO: Daniela Malave PA: Jack McCarty Set Dressing: Colin Young H/MU: Breeanna Nichols Animation: Jared Schafer Talent: Donna Baird, Clare Madigan, Jocelynn Murphy, Jack McCarty, Chris Gonzales, Josie Smith, Carol Taylor, Rosemary Ronayne-Chace, Shirley Blanchard, Bo Phillips, Marlene Salazar, Sam Buti, Makenna G., Tori Rodriguez, Myles K.

Hey Upstate NY...

Rest easy @miltonglaserinc you were real good to us.

This most beautiful excerpt is from the poem Let America Be America Again (1936), by Langston Hughes. The poem highlights how class plays such a crucial role in the ability to realize the promises of the American dream. As a nation we still have never clearly defined what liberty means. During the Civil War both sides claimed to fight for it, each with their own definition.... Liberty meant slavery should be abolished; liberty meant the right to own slaves. The poem was written more than eight decades ago, but is just as relevant now as our nation continues to struggle to live up to its promise of freedom and equality for all. What does liberty mean to you? .... Today is Juneteenth! A day for us all to celebrate the profound contributions of enslaved black Americans to the cause of human freedom. June 19, 1865 Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Most people are familiar with the celebration and history behind the Fourth of July. However, when the United States became free in 1776, Black people weren’t freed from slavery at that time. So the Fourth of July holiday has always felt slightly tainted for many in the Black community. In fact, Black people were not declared free for another 87 years. And EVEN STILL, it took an additional 2 years beyond Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation for the last enslaved people to be freed in Galveston, TX. ...... We’re shouting out a few living contemporary Black artists and thought leaders who inspire us. @hankwillisthomas @austinchanning @malene.barnett @amandaseales @rudyfrancisco @slowfactoryfoundation @dianholton @karawalker @cedricsmithstudio @nickcaveofficial ... Incredible read link in bio: Why Juneteenth Matters, It was black Americans who delivered on Lincoln’s promise of a new birth of freedom.

I love myself more than you. Multiple generations have now long subscribed to doctrines scripted to advocate strategies of affirmation which claim to teach desperate followers how to manifest wealth, abundance and self-esteem. All with a strong focus on Me.... Three notable contributors include best selling author Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life (1976), and the ‘transformation’ teachings of Werner Hans Erhard, and the movie The Secret (2006) prescribed the montras of ‘I am valuable just as I am,’ ‘I love myself,’ or ‘I deserve all that I desire. Me. Me. Me. These teachings while claiming to make one feel good, they can be detrimental to the global concern if they are devoid of consciousness, responsibility, and moral choice. Those who accept like sentiments negate the veritable difficulties and concerns of life. Consequently, they run the risk of becoming disenfranchised, vulnerable, unconscious, to the rest of humanity. In American culture it is safe to say many are of a mindset our communities, the nation and the world are comprised of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots. We are struggling on the battlefield between the values of self-responsibility and the values of entitlement. The aforementioned calls for freedom, and freedom has never been free. It requires genuine vigilance and effort. It occupies that space of unselfish concern and acting despite our fear. If we abdicate self-responsibility, we will become silent observers of our lives. We relinquish personal authority and are then enslaved to merely follow. It’s time to turn Me into We. There is no me without you, and none are free, until all are free. . from recent Black Lives Matter rally in Cohoes, New York.