Melinda Stone brings her eclectic show that highlights land use, amateur filmmaking and outdoor film extravaganzas to Houston. A kind of present day film impresario, Stone borrows from the past and infuses each of her unique shows with sing-alongs, selections from her most recent site-specific film events, and a couple of audience analysis pieces. The audience for this program will receive an invitation to show Stone their artwork or favorite land site. Stone is also looking for adventurous folk to participate in her pioneer woman film screen tests. The screentests will be shot and processed the day of the show and screened that evening.
A filmmaker, curator, and teacher, Stone has produced over twenty films and videos, as well as numerous outdoor cinematic productions. Stone has a deep affinity for the American West and road travel; the subjectivity of her work often extends from historic research and the mining of cultural conditions found immediately in the land. For the past six years she has been creating outdoor site-specific screenings. These events include Fleur Power (1998), Sink or Swim (2001), The California Tour (2003), and Market Street 1905/2005 (2005). Stone is currently director of film studies at the University of San Francisco. She is also one of the founders and current director of film projects for the Center for Land Use Interpretation in Culver City, California. In the past year she has been awarded a Bay Area Goldie and the Phelan Award for Filmmaking.