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Ed Carapezza can often be found in the editing bays at the Teledramatic
Arts & Technology Building , immersed in one of his many projects .
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By Kate Moser
Ed Carapezza lingers over the description of places he ’ s seen as if he wished he had a camera instead of words . He has always loved the de Young fine art museum in San Francisco . Since he was a young man , he said , he ’ s made pilgrimages there – from its pre-earthquake incarnation to its current “ coppersheathed modern spectacle .” So when he had a chance to work on a film for the venerable museum ’ s artist-in-residence program last fall , he was thrilled .
“ To have an original work in the de Young is a dream come true ,” Carapezza said .
The filmmaker , poised to complete his degree at CSUMB ’ s Teledramatic Arts & Technology Department ( soon to be Cinematic Arts & Technology ), is set to launch a fundraising campaign for Shared Vision , the continuation of a journey he began with his capstone project .
Carapezza ’ s taken a circuitous route to where he is now – he worked in Hollywood as a grip and electrician and on the East Coast in construction ; he studied at CSUMB , left and came back . Along the way , he watched communities finding vibrant new
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uses for old places . He saw artists take hold “ of these old scrap places ” and turn them into studios where they could work on their art . He was captivated .
Now , his filmmaking is gaining traction as it returns to that theme . Last fall Carapezza , 43 , made the short film Prepping for Frescomania as a companion film for artist Javier Manrique ’ s tour as artist-in-residence at the de Young . The film follows Manrique in his studio working on a fresco painting , talking about the ancient art of fresco – from 1,200 year-old wall paintings at Teotihuacan to contemporary frescoes dotting the Bay Area .
Prepping for Frescomania grew out of Shared Vision , Carapezza ’ s capstone project in 2011 . It was a short film he made with a crew of students and alumni that tells the story of life at Project Artaud , a San Francisco artist community of which Manrique is a member .
Now , Carapezza is launching a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to take Shared Vision to the next level . He wants to document artist communities around the world , beginning in California .
Steven Levinson , a media professor who ’ s known Carapezza for over 10 years , said he ’ s been effective at collecting a strong crew of students and alumni around him . And Carapezza ’ s commitment to community art is unique , Levinson said , and fundamental to the university ’ s mission .
“ It ’ s unusual for someone to have such a real community interest ,” Levinson said “ to already be creating projects that are getting real distribution .”
Carapezza , who works in a pharmacy mailroom to cover the bills , has a seemingly endless supply of ideas and plans already in action , from a skateboard company to a project that documents touring bands playing short sets on their way through the Central Coast .
Wherever Carapezza and his production company , Dangerbag Productions , end up , he said , “ you can be sure it will be in the border towns , on the front lines , in the cracks of the walls , in the pushedup crevices of sidewalks , and on the edge .”
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Joshua Fryou |