Elegy to Connie

Elegy to Connie is a feature-length animated documentary that examines the events prior to and after the 2008 shootings at Kirkwood City Hall. As retold by a group of grassroots community builders who were close with the late councilwoman Connie Karr, the film was made partially in collaboration with these women and is based on their stories.  Addressing issues of citizen representation, white privilege, disenfranchised neighborhoods, alienation, and healing after tragedy, this film illustrates the complicated nature of the events before and after the shooting. Finally the story celebrates Connie's legacy as a leader.

-Sarah Paulsen

My sibling and frequent art collaborator, Sarah Paulsen, enlisted me to work as her assistant on the animated documentary Elegy to Connie. I assisted her with the making of the film, which was almost entirely created as stop-motion animation of collages, drawings, paintings, and paper puppets. The final product was the finished documentary and a collection of handmade objects that were produced for the making of the film. Both were exhibited at Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts in February 2014, and the film went on to be shown in festivals and shared at local gatherings. A selection of drawings and collages I made for the project are displayed below.

More information about Elegy to Connie can be found at its official website, here.

More work by Sarah Paulsen can be found at her website, here.