Schloss was among the first performance artists to present work at the Museum of Modern Art. Her interdisciplinary approach blended spoken word, sound art, and multimedia.
A new documentary chronicling the life and work of experimental artist Arleen Schloss will have its West Coast premiere at the Fine Arts Film Festival on April 26 at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice. The film, It’s A to Z: The Art of Arleen Schloss, will also be available to stream online via Vimeo.
Directed by Stuart Ginsberg, the documentary explores Schloss’s impact on the Downtown New York art scene, where her interdisciplinary work in performance, sound, and video helped shape the avant-garde movement from the 1970s onward.
Schloss is known for embracing emerging art forms—ranging from video art and mail art to cyber art and lasers—well before they entered the mainstream. Her Manhattan loft, famously known as “A’s,” served as a creative hub for experimental artists, musicians, and performers, including Alan Vega of Suicide, Eric Bogosian, and Gracie Mansion. Archival interviews with figures such as John Cage and Glenn Branca are also featured in the film.
“She embraced new technologies and genres before most people even knew they existed,” Ginsberg said in a statement. “And she helped open doors for hundreds of artists.”
Schloss was among the first performance artists to present work at the Museum of Modern Art. Her interdisciplinary approach blended spoken word, sound art, and multimedia installations at a time when few artists were doing the same.
The Fine Arts Film Festival, now in its 12th year, showcases films that focus on art and artists. This year’s screenings will take place both in person and online.
More information about the film and the festival is available at artofarleenschloss.com.
