The Core Team
JACK DAVIDSON
Director/DP
I was first drawn to Art out of pure professional awe: this Zelig-like photographer managed to be everywhere that 20th-century history was happening. But admiration gave way to revelation. Art wasn't simply documenting events; he was naming the tensions that define America — capturing where the powerful and powerless collide, with clarity both fearless and tender. I grew up in a left-leaning Catholic family that marched for peace. When King was assassinated, my parents adopted my sister Julie, a Black child. Growing up beside her gave me a front-row seat to the fractures of racism and shaped my understanding of witnessing wrongdoing and refusing to look away. Art's unvarnished portraits embody a worldview I already knew. This film honors his legacy by bringing his fierce conscience to a new generation.
KEN HANSON
Director/Producer
I've spent my life as a designer, photographer and musician. This is my directorial debut.
Art Shay became a dear friend. His oldest son, Harmon, was murdered when he was a teenager. Harmon and I would have been the same age, and I always felt that it created a special bond between Art and me. My study and practice of photography, along with my personal relationship with Shay, has given me a unique perspective for telling his story.
I started out thinking this was simply a film about a remarkable photographer. However, as we approach completion, I see it as much more: a film about an extraordinary life in an amazing time. A story so full of coincidence and surprises, it's sometimes hard to believe. A story of romance, family, and tragedy. Of dreams fulfilled and dreams shattered. A story of the son of a Jewish immigrant who rebelled against authority but believed fiercely in the America he fought for.
DAVE MYSZEWSKI
Editor/Producer (Credits including From Russia with Lev, WWE Legends, Canceled: The Paula Deen Story)
As a documentary filmmaker, I’m deeply drawn to human stories. Shay’s story is rich with life, loss, triumph, humor, and grief over the span of 96 years which is worthy of a multi-part miniseries. As such, the great challenge of this project has been limiting his story to only 90 minutes. Artistically, this film has forced us to make critical decisions to approach his story with respect while staying true to the documentary and creative process, and I feel like we’ve developed a compelling dual narrative of his life and career.
After spending countless hours poring over our 200+ hours of interview footage, digitizing media from his archive, parsing through hundreds of thousands of photographs, traveling all around Chicago and elsewhere to meet so many interesting friends and family of Art’s who were overly enthusiastic to participate in this project, I feel a great sense of pride and honor for my involvement in preserving Art Shay’s legacy. His work is a document of his day, yet there is a timeless familiarity in his photography which resonates with me. I’m excited for the audience to feel this familiarity as well.