Education: University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Ithaca College, DePaul University
- Embassy of Italy (Washington DC) in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Rome, Italy): Grant IRE; 5 Month Grant, 1999: Documentary Filmmaking & Contemporary Sculpture Studies in Italy. 10 Month Grant, 2001 (continuation of studies)
- Chicago Community Film Workshop 2001: Filmmaker Special Assistance Grant
- National Italian American Foundation 2004: Heritage Grant
- Chicago Artist Assistance Program 2006: Grant/Award provided by the Illinois Arts Council and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs
Festivals
MARCO GIOVANNI FERRARI
SCREENINGS & RELEASES: -"Full Circle", 2000: A promotional video for sculptor Virginio Ferrari. Length: 10 minutes. Screenings: International Short English Film Festival, ARCI, Legnago, Italy 2000/01 - Angelciti Film Festival, Chicago 6/2001 - San Gio Video Festival, Verona, Italy 2002.
-"Qui Si Puo Passare", 2002: A short documentary film on the strange archeological artwork of Luigi Lineri. Revealing the thin line between reality and fantasy. Length: 22 minutes. Format: MiniDV. Language: Italian Screening: San Gio Video Festival, Verona, Italy 2002.
-"Full Circle", 2004: The 2nd Edit of the independent documentary feature film "Full Circle" on the life and career of sculptor Virginio Ferrari. Length: 140 minutes.Formats Used: Mini DV, Digital Beta, Super 8mm, 16mm.Language: English and ItalianScreening: Artists' Month, Chicago Cultural Center 10/2004.
-"AudioVisivo" Poi Dog Pondering DVD, 2004: Showcases music videos, behind-the-scenes footage from the recording of their album "In Seed Comes Fruit", live performance footage, interviews, and more in this comprehensive visual anthology. Length: 60 minutes. Formats Used: Mini DV.
VIDEO INSTALLATIONS: - "Baldoria", 10/10/2002: A multi-media art exhibit featuring five Italian-American artists. Exhibited at Buddy Gallery, Chicago, IL. Sponsors: National Italian American Foundation, FIERI, IACC mid-west, Ass. Italiani Chicago.
- "Red Trees Project", 10/2002: Short video documenting artist Lee Tracy's Art Installation which covered a Chicago water tower with 120 shrouds of fabric - screened at Artists Studio.
- "Full Circle", May and July 2003: Sculpture installation & screening at the "Intersezioni 2003 Multi-Media Exhibit", Interzona, Verona, Italy. July screening was at the Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea e Moderna-Palazzo Forti Retrospective Art Exhibit of "Virginio Ferrari; Ombre della Sera:1959-2003."
Professional Affiliations
LIVE VIDEO MIXING/PROJECTIONS Music and Cultural events in Chicago: • Topaz & R. Walters 20th Congress with Fred Wesley Concert @ Metro 4/2001 • DJ Timo Mas/Pure Productions @ Crobar 5/2002 • "Electronica" with DJ Traxx @ Redno Five 8/2002 • Miss India USA Pageant @ Rosemount Center 9/2002 • Poi Dog Pondering New Year's Eve Concert @ Vic Theater 12/2005 • Gen Art: Alberto VO5 "Red Room" Event @ River North Art Center 2/2006 • Gen Art: Shop Chicago Event @ Union Station 3/2006 • Gen Art: Ignite! Art Event @ Kaleidoscope 7/2006 • Gen Art: Shop Chicago Event @ Union Station 9/2006 • Poi Dog Pondering New Year's Eve Concert @ Vic Theater 12/2006 • Resident VJ @ Marshall McGearty Tobacco Lounge 7/2006 - current
Marco Giovanni Ferrari's Interests
General
"Our relationships with each other, with nature, society, time and space their negative and positive situations and tensions is what I try to show through my video projects. I have found that my personal process of documenting and filming connects me to the time and environment that I'm living in, and if a remnant of this process can be passed along to a larger audience a positive connection can be achieved".
- 06/29/2008-Ravina Festival, Highland Park, Illinois - Collaborative Video Projections with film/video artist Luke Savisky for Poi Dog Pondering.
PDP@Ravina-06/29/2008
MGF NEWS
-Experimental Videos-
In the spring of 2007 I organized concerts for the Italian jazz pianist Beppe Grifeo, performing at the Chicago Cultural Ceneter and the Elastic Arts Foundation, where I projected live video. During the summer of 2007 I created short silent films for Poi Dog Pondering's collaboration with the Chicago Sinfonietta re-mix of the opera, "Carmen". In the fall of 2007 I projected live experimental videos along with 8fatfat8's musical performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art-Chicago.
-Music Videos-
Recently completed a music video for the Poi Dog Pondering song "Perfect Music" which is on their upcoming album, entitled "7". And I will soon be cutting a music video for the J Davis Trio.
-Documentary Videos-
Recent documentary projects include the film entitled, "Sandro: Figure e Ritratti", on Sandro Miller's Photography Exhibit at the Centro Internazionale di Fotografia - Scavi Sacligeri, Verona, Italy. I'm currently filming the recording of Poi Dog Pondering's latest record, which will develop into a documentary film that is expected to be released as a DVD companion to their CD sometime this spring/summer (2008).
Other documentary projects on slate include the completion of the film festival version of the independent documentary feature film "Full Circle", on the life and career of renown sculptor Virginio Ferrari. In 2001 I began production on a social video project that documents the transformation of Chicago's lakefront focusing on a South-side neighborhood, Hyde Park, where the community is resisting the change. I'm planning to complete a rough cut for the summer of 2008.
-Virginio Ferrari sculptor-
I have also been curating the production of a museum quality 500 page anthological art book entitled "Virginio Ferrari Sculptor: 1957-2007", independently produced by the Ferrari Studios. It has been designed by the award winning Samata/Mason design firm based in Chicago, and will be printed and published by the internationally renown company Grafiche Aurora in Verona, Italy. The expected release date is December, 2008.
In the summer of 2007 we installed the monumental public sculpture, "Ecstasy", in the Chicago Park Districts-Model Yacht Basin, Hyde Park, Chicago, and it was inaugurated in September. We are currently planning a major exhibit in China and working on other public sculpture proposals in Verona, Italy and Chicago.
