Complements Current Exhibit, Blue Sky Flooding
 
On Thursday, July 14, at 7 p.m., the Bristol Art Museum will host Film Forward (pronounced FLM FWD), an evening featuring a series of shorts focused on the themes of environment and/or empathy. The Museum is the first locale outside of Barrington and Providence that has hosted a FLM FWD screening. Free tickets can be reserved here.
 
FLM FWD seeks to leverage the film festivals as opportunities to build community through the arts with free events. The festival takes place amid the Museum’s current exhibit, Blue Sky Flooding, an exhibition displaying work by artists who are expressing their concerns about the relationship humans have with the natural world, environmental justice, climate grief and the future of the planet.
 
According to Lisa Lowenstein, founder of the festival, FLM FWD hopes “take advantage of the fact that we have worked hard to find quality independent films with interesting messaging on important topics and bring the selection to other communities.”
 
FLM FWD receives approximately 1,000 submissions per festival. Calls for submissions are written by experts in the specific field who are familiar with the community. Reviewers read the synopses provided by the filmmakers. Selected films are then shared with community reviewers with a broad background who cross check each other's favorite films. A short list of several dozen is provided to professional jury members who choose the finalists. 
 
“Film is a form of art adding to the contemporary vernacular,” added Lowenstein. “It can be a very accessible and deliberate medium for the artist to tell a story, holding the viewer's attention in a unique way, recounting a story over an arc while maintaining their individual voice.
 
And the future of FLM FWD? 
 
“In 2023, in addition to festivals on environment and empathy, we will introduce our first festival on the subject of youth with a focus on questions surrounding how to prepare youth for the quickly changing future and mental health,” shared Lowenstein.
 
The Bristol Art Museum welcomes guests to enjoy fascinating exhibits in our gallery space and engaging in-person classes. To promote the health and safety of guests, members, volunteers and staff, the Board of Directors of the Museum voted to require proof of full vaccination for all individuals using our classroom space or attending group events effective September 1, 2021. (Full vaccination is defined as an individual has received all recommended doses of an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine and two weeks has elapsed since the date of the final dose.) All teachers, students, volunteers, staff, visitors and renters - vaccinated and unvaccinated - must wear a mask while in Museum galleries. Visitors to the galleries must provide proof of vaccination.
 
The Museum will continue its efforts to provide a safe and comfortable visit experience by providing masks for teachers, students, volunteers, staff, and renters; wiping down frequently touched surfaces with a disinfectant; and providing hand sanitizer.