Frederick Wiseman: America at Work

Frederick Wiseman (b. 1930) has chronicled institutions at work for seven decades, directing forty-four documentary features. His direct method—no formal interviews, on-screen text, or voiceover narration—could be mistaken for objective. It is anything but; Wiseman is an active observer. He said, “My films are biased, prejudiced, condensed, compressed, subjective—but fair. I say ‘fair’ not as a substitute, but as an alternative to ‘objective.’” “Fair” and artful. Wiseman’s films are rich with the specificity of human behavior and moments that may be comic, tragic, or fascinatingly banal. “Such moments, as they each become a part of the whole expressive, formal work, produce an elation unique to documentary art” (David Denby, New York Review of Books).

Many of Wiseman’s movies are studies of the functionality, for better or worse, of the American government. These are sometimes behind-the-scenes (Missile, State Legislature), but more frequently they focus on the touchpoints between government functionaries and the public. An interaction with a public servant may be the most important moment of someone’s life (Law and Order, Juvenile Court), serve as fuel for the perception of government effectiveness (Welfare, City Hall), or go seemingly unnoticed as the work of government at all (Ex Libris, Central Park).

With the federal government slashing staff and reneging on promised funding to local governments and grant-supported institutions (BAMPFA included), this series spotlights the labor of public employees through the lens of “an artist of extraordinary vision” (Mark Binelli, New York Times).

Frederick Wiseman: America at Work continues through the winter with further examinations of the work of government, as well as looks at the American labor force at large.

—Jeff Griffith-Perham, Film Exhibition Curatorial Associate

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