George Manupelli
(1931–)
(–2014)
George Manupelli
1931–2014
George Manupelli (1931–2014) was a painter, filmmaker, collagist, art educator, and activist from the United States. A prominent figure in the world of avant-garde film in the Midwest since 1955, Manupelli approached his filmmaking from the perspective of an artist. He often used existing objects and video to produce something new in his collages and assembly work.
Born in the north end of Boston, Manupelli obtained an MA and a PhD in fine art and fine art education at Columbia University. During his studies, he discovered his love of film and filmmaking. Following his graduation, he began his thirty-six-year career as an art educator, working at the University of Michigan in the Department of Fine Art. In 1963, he founded the Ann Arbor Film Festival to expose the public to experimental filmmaking and to establish a film festival culture in Ann Arbour. He served as the festival director for seventeen years. Today, the Ann Arbour Film Festival is the longest-running independent and experimental Film Festival in North America. Manupelli went on to hold teaching positions at York University and the San Francisco Art Institute.
Over the course of his lifetime, Manupelli’s artwork, films, music, and performance pieces were included in over 400 exhibitions around the world. From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, he was a member of Ann Arbor’s Once Group, a group that contained artists, architects, musicians, and dancers working on collaborative projects. After serving as the Cultural Representative of the U.S. to Nicaragua, he founded Aid to Arts of Nicaragua. He also won a number of awards for his work, including the Avant-Garde Masters Award in 2007 for his film trilogy, Dr. Chicago, and a Clio award for his video titled Father Guido Sarducci on Art School. Manupelli continued producing work until the end of his life despite failing eyesight and other ailments.