Stan Brakhage and the Institutions of the Avant-Garde

Abstract

This paper maps the social and institutional support utilized by Stan Brakhage in his avant-garde filmmaking career. In some ways typical of the avant-garde's trajectory from the underground to the university, Brakhage managed a prolific output of films despite the economic hardships he faced. Although previous studies offer substantial textual analysis of Brakhage's poetic filmmaking style, this project seeks to better account for the ways Brakhage's personality and his artistic persona informed the crucial relationships he depended on throughout his life. As such, this work identifies areas where scholars can add further historical context to existing studies from P. Adams Sitney, David E. James, and Scott MacDonald.