Tilted Arc
dir. Baxter Stein
2023
Running time: 13 min.
Trailer
In 1981, minimalist sculptor Richard Serra installed a 120-foot-long wall of unfinished steel that cut New York's Federal Plaza in half. The artwork became a lightning rod for controversy, leading to heated debates and a public trial to determine the fate of the sculpture. Tilted Arc, named after the installation, uses archival footage to explore both Serra's eccentric but zealous defense of his art and his opposition's comic ignorance and absurd vendetta against minimalism. Tilted Arc asks the question: What is the function of public art in our society?
Baxter Stein
Baxter Stein is a documentary filmmaker and child educator from Denver, Colorado. At Mizzou, he was the President of the Dungeons and Dragons Association. His love of storytelling developed through playing D&D and other story-based tabletop games. Baxter has a passion for visual history and archival material, which influenced the making of his first film Tilted Arc.