ARTISTS ENGAGED is a long-term project chronicling the work artists throughout the U.S. are doing in response to the needs of their communities and the dynamics of the world. ACVilla and Thollem McDonas have gathered their documentation and experiences and are finishing the film in a series format, publishing interviews as well as video montages of murals around the country. Artists Engaged is freely streamable on Vimeo in four parts between September 30th and the end of February, 2025.
This body of work has developed out of years of perpetual touring by peripatetic artists ACVilla and Thollem McDonas, who have lived on the road with their work continuously since 2008. Zigzagging the U.S. (except during the height of the pandemic), they have been performing and participating in a wide variety of venues from libraries, concert halls, independent radio stations, film houses to major museums, DIY spots, universities, jazz clubs, rock clubs, squats, art galleries and more.
Without a home to return to, this lifestyle and creative practice naturally creates opportunities to spend significant time within a spectrum of artistic communities. They have utilized these occasions to document and collaborate with artists across disciplines as well as with many of the people behind the scenes, developing a unique insight into the inner workings, intentions, and philosophies of the creators engaged in myriad ways.
“The kind of fiercely independent artists the world needs more of.” Live Eye TV
BIOS
ACVilla is a visual artist who focuses her camera on the subtleties of interpersonal dynamics and the power that context plays in constantly redefining what people believe they already know. ACVilla highlights those aspects of Life with an analog sensibility using digital equipment that fits into her nomadic lifestyle. She is known for contextualizations, her unique approach of projecting the outside world in. Her works have been presented in venues across two continents in myriad contexts, including DIYs, museums, schools, universities, film societies, and theaters. With her long-time partner, Thollem, she creates large projects from documentaries to touring multimedia experiences that take audiences on journeys navigated by the perpetually travelling duo.
As a perpetually traveling pianist, keyboardist, composer, improviser, singer-songwriter, activist, author and teacher, Thollem‘s approach is founded on the two questions, What if? and Why not?. As a result, his projects are ever-changing, evolving and responding to the times and his experiences. He is known in concentric circles as an acoustic piano player in the free jazz and post-classical worlds, as the keyboardist and vocalist for several bands, and as an electronic musician. Both as a soloist and in collaboration with hundreds of artists across idioms and disciplines, his lifelong interest has been to work with people from all walks of life, bringing artists and communities together in ways that create experiences uniquely valuable to everyone involved.