United Cultural Fund grants total $228,000 for 2013

By Barb Van Atta

Broome County Arts Council Board Chairman Fred Xlander and Executive Director Sharon Ball today (March 13) announced the awarding of more than $228,000 in United Cultural Fund (UCF) grants for 2013. Seven arts and cultural organizations will share in $210,428 in UCF general operating support grants. Project grants totaling another $18,298 will be shared by 14 organizations and individual artists.

Art Mission screens provocative film

Reviewed by George Basler

In the midst of big-budget summer blockbusters flooding local multiplexes, a small but important film has opened at the Art Mission & Theater in downtown Binghamton.

Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch, is a documentary that focuses on schoolyard persecution and  its impact on students and their families. While some may consider sitting through a documentary as a far-from-entertaining way to spend a Sunday afternoon, I found Bully anything but bland. It’s extraordinarily compelling as it tackles a topic that has been much in the news.

Local filmmaker mentioned in upbeat ‘NY Times’ review

Local filmmaker Nat Bouman was the lensman for a new indie film that received a great review in today’s (Jan. 6, 2012) New York Times. Nat is mentioned in this Times article about the film “Co-dependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same”. Nat is a member of the ART Mission & Theater and was born and raised in  nearby Brackney, Pa., where he lives with his wife, Katherine Bouman, and their daughter, Harper. Nat entered the film and television industry as a lowly production assistant after college. Since then, he has earned his M.F.A. in Film from Columbia University and worked on a wide variety of projects as both a director and cinematographer. Nat is currently an assistant professor at SUNY College at Oneonta, where he teaches courses in film studies and film production. Katherine Bouman, Nat’s wife, is on the board of directors for the ART Mission & Theater and formerly served as director of education at Roberson Museum & Science Center.