A new volunteer at the Guilford Art Center is giving greater visibility to its programs through her own visual medium, documentary film. Fran Rzeznik, of Guilford, has been producing short films of events and programs at the Center, designed to introduce audiences to the array of activities offered.

Rzeznik moved to Guilford in the summer of 2006, from Los Angeles, where she lived for 13 years. Originally from New York City, she moved back east to be closer to family. Through the Center, she found a great way to become involved in the community and express herself creatively.

The first film she created was an overview of last Spring's exhibition, "Documenting "The Other": Photographs of China, Myanmar and India by Larry Snider." She has also shot footage of students working in the blacksmith forge, to shed light on this fascinating craft, and will continue to document classes and events. The Snider tape was shown in the gallery on Guilford Community Television and Madison Cable Access Television. Future productions will also be broadcast on local cable, as a way to familiarize a larger audience with the Center.

Rzeznik was initially drawn to the Center by the annual Craft Expo on the Green. "That is a great way to see art and meet the artist," she says. "I wanted to connect with other artists and figured the Center was the place to do this. I was also extremely impressed and excited by Jean Perkins' vision for the center and I wanted to help and be a part of it."

"I have really enjoyed the exhibits at the gallery," Rzeznik continues. "It is phenomenal to experience shows of this caliber at such an intimate and local space." Her "mini documentaries" offer visitors "a historical touchstone that better contextualizes the art and the artist's intentions" she explains.

Rzeznik's background is extensive and impressive. She has an MFA from New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. She has written, directed and produced documentaries, reality television series and feature films. Her awards include three Cable Ace Awards and two National Emmy Awards. She is particularly passionate about her social justice documentary work, which includes One Nation Under God, challenging the reparative therapy movement's claims on homosexuality; HIV, Positive: Life with AIDS, about a 19-year-old Latina mother and her daughter; and, Marriage Makes a World of Difference, portraying same-sex couples in Connecticut working for the civil right to marry. She also shares her expertise through teaching, particularly inner-city kids in Los Angeles and New Haven, helping them find a filmic voice to tell their stories. Beginning this Fall she will also teach media studies and video production at Quinnipiac University.

"We all have an artist inside of us and it's wonderful to be able to see people exploring those possibilities."