Bard College: J4J Tutorial and Film Club

Miranda gave Joanie 4 Jackie to Bard College in 2003. From 2004-2007, students in the The Bard College Joanie 4 Jackie Tutorial created new J4J Chainletter compilations as well as organized and exhibited materials from the project. The tutorial was a credited course overseen by professor Jacqueline Goss. Today The Joanie 4 Jackie Film Club – run by students and faculty – brings professional women filmmakers to Bard to present their work.

 

As Annie Maribona recalls: “My professor, Jackie Goss, and I got together to use some grant money to get Miranda to come speak at the university. She did a lecture/presentation/screening and a dance party. […] I asked Miranda if I could intern with her that Summer in Portland and she said yes. I lived in Portland that Summer, in an attic of a huge house in Irvington. I rode my bike to Meier & Frank at 3am to do inventory and then to Miranda’s house to help her with whatever she wanted help with. She put me on a pile of VHS tapes in the corner of her living room. I made 2 chainletter tapes and zines. It was really fun. She said she wanted someone or somewhere like a school to take over Joanie4Jackie and so we figured out how we could get it to work at Bard with the help of Professor Jackie Goss.”

As Charlotte Greville recalls: “I loved receiving the new videos. Opening the hand made/drawn/designed/collaged packages was its own tiny video Christmas. Women of all ages would send their video/films by mail to us. Jackie would collect them till we had 7 or 8. Then we would all gather in the film department and watch the new submissions. They were from everywhere and all very unique and special. I can remember brain storming ideas for the number cues/intervals between videos. The jewelry box with the spinning ballerina! Not my idea but I helped film and edit and my hand might be opening the box a few times. Then we would send out 10 VHS tapes to everyone who was on the chainletter. We would screen the new and old chainletters at Bard. I made silk screen T-shirts, bandanas and bags with J4J logos I came up with. My favorite one was a little Shirley Temple looking girl leaning back on a huge VHS bigger than her. I got mixed up and if you looked closely it read Joanie for Fackie not Joanie for Jackie. The cursive J flipped to an F at some point in my process but no one noticed. Shhhh. We would sell them at J4J screenings at Anthology [Film Archives] in NYC. The money went to new chainletters and I think a desk for our office at Bard. I can remember building the desk. J4J was a big part of Bard for me. I loved being part of it.”

 

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