Peggy Ahwesh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peggy Ahwesh
Born	1954 Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA
Education	Antioch College
Known for	Video art, film

Peggy Ahwesh (born in 1954 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania) is an American artist who makes experimental films and video art. She studied at Antioch College.

Peggy is known for creating many different kinds of films, including stories and documentaries. She uses various techniques like `sync sound` (where sound matches the picture), `found footage` (using existing video clips), digital animation, and `Pixelvision` video. Her work often explores ideas about who we are and how people are shown in different types of movies. She is interested in film styles, women's roles, and how stories are retold. Her films have been shown all over the world, in cities like San Francisco, New York, Barcelona, and London. Since 1990, she has taught film and electronic arts at Bard College.

Peggy Ahwesh's Journey in Film

Early Life and Inspiration

Peggy Ahwesh went to Antioch College, where she became very interested in the work of groundbreaking artists and filmmakers. After college, she returned to her hometown of Canonsburg. There, she started making films using `Super 8 film`, which was a popular way to make home movies and independent films back then. She felt that Canonsburg, a small industrial town, gave her a lot of artistic freedom. In the 1970s, she got involved with the local punk rock music scene. She made short films with her friends, documenting the punk bands.

Working in Pittsburgh

Later, Peggy started working at The Mattress Factory, a large art space in Pittsburgh. Here, she began her own film series. One of her first guests was the famous filmmaker George A. Romero, known for his horror movies. She showed his work locally and became friends with his film crew. By 1982, she started working as a production assistant on Romero's feature films. She met good friends there, including Natalka Voslakov and Maggie Strosser. Peggy says Romero greatly influenced her because he knew a lot about different cultures, genders, and independent films.

Soon after, Peggy joined Pittsburgh Filmmakers as a programmer. This meant she helped decide which films would be shown. She also wrote grants to get money for projects and worked with local clubs and the University of Pittsburgh. In 1980, Peggy organized a big group show featuring local filmmakers. She liked these group shows because they brought everyone together.

The Pittsburgh Trilogy

By 1983, Peggy created what is known as `The Pittsburgh Trilogy`. These were three films made one after another that showed the lives of her friends during the summer of 1983. Peggy says these three films—Verite Opera (1983), Paranormal Intelligence (1983), and Nostalgia for Paradise (1983)—are not just diaries or documentaries. Instead, she calls them "portraits" of her friends. These films helped Peggy explore her interest in people. She wanted to understand the relationships between people, how a camera interacts with a person, and what makes people interesting.

New Techniques and Teaching

In 1990, Peggy gained recognition for her film The Deadman (1990). This film was notable because she used 16mm film, which was different from her usual Super 8. In 2001, Peggy took her art to a new level. She used footage from the video game `Tomb Raider` in her experimental piece She Puppet (2001). This film explored female identity and how technology was changing.

Since 1990, Peggy has been teaching at Bard College. She is now a Professor Emerita, which means she is a retired professor but still highly respected. She continues to work on her own art projects.

Awards and Recognition

Peggy Ahwesh has received many awards for her creative work. These include:

• Bard College Research Grant (2002)
• Creative Capital (2002)
• Alpert Award in the Arts, Cal Arts/Alpert Foundation (2000)
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), Video Fellowship (2000)
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYSCA), Film/Video Fellowship (1993, 2002)
• New York Foundation for the Arts (NYSCA), Distribution Grant (1992, 1999)
• Guggenheim Foundation, Fellowship (1996)
• Jerome Foundation, Film Project Award (1990, 1998)
• Art Matters (1992, 1995)

Selected Films

Peggy Ahwesh has created many films and videos. Here are some of them:

• Bethlehem (2009)
• The Third Body (2008)
• Warm Objects (2007)
• Beirut Outtakes (2007)
• Dedication (2006)
• Certain Women, with Bobby Abate (2004)
• The Star Eaters (2003)
• She Puppet (2001)
• Heaven's Gate (2000–01)
• 73 Suspect Words & Heaven's Gate (1999–2000)
• Nocturne (1998)
• The Vision Machine (1997)
• Trick Film (1996)
• The Color of Love (1994)
• The Scary Movie (1993)
• Strange Weather, with Margie Strosser (1993)
• Martina's Playhouse (1989)
• The Deadman, with Keith Sanborn (1990)
• I Ride a Pony Named Flame (1988)
• Philosophy in the Bedroom (1987)
• From Romance to Ritual (1985)
• The Fragments Project (1985–1995)
• Ode to the New Pre-History (1984–1987)
• Pittsburgh Trilogy (1983)

Where Her Work Has Been Shown

Peggy Ahwesh's films and videos have been shown in many places around the world. Here are some examples:

• 2021: Vision Machines at Spike Island Artspace, Bristol, UK.
• 2019: Cleave at Microscope Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
• 2014-2015: Kissing Point at Microscope Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
• 2006: A special show of her work at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain.
• 2005: A special show at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, WI.
• 2004: Her films were shown at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in The Netherlands and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY.
• 2002: Her work was part of the 2002 Biennial Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
• 2001: A special show called "All the Girls with Cameras in Their Heads" at Cinematexas 6 in Austin, TX.
• 1999: A special show at The Guggenheim Museum in New York and LUX Cinema in London, England.
• 1997: Girls Beware! at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
• 1995: Her films were part of the 1995 Whitney Biennial Exhibition in New York.
• 1994: A special show at Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge, MA.
• 1991: Her work was included in the 1991 Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
• 1990: Her films were shown at The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA, and The London International Film Festival in London, England.