Recollections
Recollections offers a glimpse into the past as well as the present-day life of artist George Wingate. Educated in the Western art canon, Wingate chose a creative life that has been self-directed and free from the commodification of art world merchandising. Blending study of traditional and plein air oil painting under Frank Mason at the Art Students League and a mentorship with abstract artist Henry Pearson, Wingate’s work has an extraordinary wing span: from classical realism to the playful, “there are no rules” of minimalism and postmodern conceptual art.
Wingate’s years in New York City in the 1970s were shaped by a vibrant artistic community. He sat for a portrait by Lois Dodd and socialized with figures like Betty Parsons, Will Barnet and Lucy Lippard. He worked out of a vast, sunlit studio at The Van Dyck, one of the city’s earliest artist spaces and home to painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers and writers. Alongside the nearby Carnegie Hall studios, it fostered generations of influential artists and provided the backdrop for Wingate’s creative evolution.
Through oral history and intimate interviews, the film explores how Wingate traveled a creative life path outside the conventional art world. Choosing the freedom of unfettered self-discovery over commercial success, Wingate’s work defies categorization. He has produced representational and abstract paintings and drawings as well as sculptures, poetry and installations. Influences on his work range from Chauncey Ryder and Claude Monet to Giorgio Morandi, Sol LeWitt, Cy Twombly and Richard Tuttle.
Elegantly structured as an evocative, cinéma vérité journey, Recollections weaves together a diverse range of media and experimental storytelling techniques, offering a unique portrait of an artist who has spent a lifetime breaking creative boundaries.
George Wingate embodies resilience, creative freedom, and passionate dedication to his craft. His life is a paragon for anyone who is drawn to the road less traveled.
Director
Mary Hanlon is an award-winning director based in New York. Her work is a reflection on––or a revision of––the myths and ideologies that influence visual culture and explores themes of memory, technology, and the subtle interplay between intimacy and privacy. Though her approach varies, her works distinct style emerges through emotional resonance rather than explicit storytelling.
Mary holds a BA from The New School and an MFA from Hunter College. In 2014, she was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship. She has been a contributing writer for The Brooklyn Rail, and her films have been showcased in New York, as well as nationally and internationally. Her first feature film, The Mirrored Road, was a finalist at Doc LA in 2023.
Cinematographer
Tatiana Stolpovskaya (she/her) is a cinematographer and experimental filmmaker based in Brooklyn. Blending analog filmmaking with digital media production, Tatiana's work explores themes related to immigration and LQBTQ+ rights.
Born and raised in Moscow, Tatiana studied Cinematography and received a BA in Cultural Studies. Moving to New York she earned an MFA and an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College (CUNY).
Tatiana's cinematographic works have twice received grants from The NYC Women's Fund for Media and has been showcased at international film festivals including 53 Pesaro Film Festival, Florence Queer Festival, Some Prefer Cake Lesbian Film Festival, the Ishinomaki International Film Festival and Won Best Media Arts at the Women Media Arts and Film Festival in Australia.
Sound Recordist
Sunny Liu is an award-winning filmmaker, sound recordist, and animator based in New York known for emotionally resonant storytelling that amplifies marginalized voices. A graduate of Emerson College, The New School, and the School of Visual Arts, her work has been showcased at prestigious festivals like Tribeca, the Atlanta Film Festival, and DOC NYC, and has reached global audiences through Amazon Prime and PBS.
Looking ahead, Sunny is collaborating on two impactful PBS documentaries and a Hulu filmwith Emmy-winning filmmakers Luchina Fisher and Elan Bogarin, alongside Emmy-winning journalist Karishma Vyas. Committed to storytelling that drives change, she creates films that move audiences emotionally and empower them to take action.
Editor
Yana Biryukova is a video artist and film editor based in New York City. Her work lives at the intersection of theatre and film, using video to create immersive storytelling experiences. With a deep interest in poetic abstraction, Yana's collaborations span theater, film and live performance. Films she edited have been screened worldwide including the Venice Biennale, Yale Art Gallery, Nice International Film Festival, San Francisco Independent Film Festival, Catskill Art Society among others.
Her theatrical projection designs include collaborations with Detroit Opera, Yale Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, Barrington Stage Company, Resident Ensemble Players, Miami New Drama, Milwaukee Rep, Westport Country Playhouse, Red Bull Theater, Yale University, Yale Opera, Irish Repertory Theatre and many more. Yana lectures and teaches workshops on projection design at Harvard, Yale and Colgate universities. Member of Local USA 829, IATSE. MFA: Yale School of Drama.
