Thumbs Up for Mother Universe: Stories from the Life of Lonnie Holley, Presented with Indigo Arts Alliance
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95 minutes. Not rated. Directed by George King.
After the world gave up on Lonnie Holley, the Universe sent him the gift of art. Born, one of 27 children in Jim Crow Alabama, Holley was stolen away as an infant and sold for a pint of whiskey. Growing up in grinding poverty and abuse on society’s margins left its scars. At age 28, Holley discovers making things quiets the demons that haunt him to this day. He begins to make art out of what the rest of us throw away—trash, garbage and debris. Now, nearing 70 years of age, his artwork sits in the Smithsonian, the National Gallery, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while his music has garnered international critical acclaim for its stirring soulful depth. Thumbs Up for Mother Universe tells the story of how Lonnie Holley overcame the longest of odds to become an unlikely art superstar.
Presented with Indigo Arts Alliance.
Register here to receive a free link to view the film between February 12–23.
Watch a recorded conversation between Lonnie Holley, Indigo Arts Artistic Director and Co-Founder Daniel Minter, and Dr. Rachel Harding, Associate Professor of Indigenous Spiritual Traditions in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado Denver.