Could he create a micro-cinema in his backyard?

Could he bring alternative filmmakers and other artists to Columbia to show and discuss their work? Give faculty, students, and members of the community the chance to talk with these artists? Create a laid-back, inviting atmosphere? Provide food and beverages? Give the event an intriguing name, maybe something like, “Yard of Cinema?”

He could, and he did.

“The first event was held in August 2002, just a few weeks after I moved here,” said Milutis, media arts. “Since then we’ve had four events and a total of seven visiting artists. All were from different geographical regions; we’ve had people from L.A., Milwaukee, Chicago, New York.

“The set-up isn’t fancy: a few chairs, a screen, a projector. It’s very casual, just like inviting a friend to my house and hanging out with someone I admire and appreciate,” said Milutis, a sound artist and experimental media aficionado.

“The thing about micro-cinema is that you create a space in which the artist can talk to the audience in a very intimate way. The whole relationship between artist and the audience is not a unidirectional one; it is a one-on-one conversation between artists,” he said. “It’s very freeform, and it’s a really good chance to get to know an artist. I choose artists that I know are talented but also articulate, fun, smart, and can really express their ideas about their work.”

Yard of Cinema artists have included Jackie Goss, a filmmaker and assistant professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College in New York; L.A.-based filmmakers Jennifer Stefanisko, who currently uses Super 8 found footage to create self-help videos, and Jay Stuckey, a painter who also makes short films and experiments with sound; and Chicago-based artists Bill Brown, who is well-known for his diary films and Tom Comerford with a selection of pinhole cinema; and Milwaukee performance artists Ms. Money Money and Theresa Columbus with a night of avant-garde karaoke.

“There is a strong community contingent, made up of more students and less faculty, and they are saying the events are getting better each time,” said Milutis, who is making tentative plans for future events. “I hope to have an evening with two poets, and an evening with a guy who is finishing this interesting film about birds and politics. Also, I have plans to host ‘The Super 8 Touring Festival,’ which tours internationally and showcases short Super 8 films only. Other artists with whom I have been talking about coming include Biotech artist Eugene Thacker from Atlanta, Milwaukee poet Zack Pieper, NYC filmmaker Michael Gitlin, and Milwaukee sound art band Neon Hunk.

“But overall we have no grand plans for ‘Yard of Cinema;’ we’re taking it show by show and running it all on a shoestring budget, although we are starting to get more recognition and financial support,” he said. A recent event was funded by Women in Production Professions (WIPP).

One thing Milutis cannot plan for, even tentatively, is the weather.

“The weather has not been very friendly, and almost every time it has been rainy and/or cold,” Milutis said. “That actually was a good thing because it led me to discover that my garage is probably a better place to hold the event. It’s certainly more cozy. Only now it should probably be called ‘Garage of Cinema’.”

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