Private Project

Out of the Picture

"Out of the Picture" takes us inside the lives of some of the most relevant writers on art today, thinkers who are making sense of a period of unprecedented change to art, media and society. "Out of the Picture" is the first feature-length documentary to be made in the U.S. about one of the art world’s most mysterious figures – the art critic.

For more than a decade, we have turned our cameras on critics navigating rapidly changing art and media landscapes, writers such as Carolina Miranda, of the Los Angeles Times; Hrag Vartanian, of Hyperallergic; Jen Graves of The Stranger; Jeneé Osterheldt of The Boston Globe; and Seph Rodney, independent critic. We have conducted interviews with powerful art world personalities, such as artist Catherine Opie; author Sarah Thornton; and critics Roberta Smith, Jerry Saltz, and Peter Schjeldahl.

We’ve also rooted our work in deep reporting. While a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, director Mary Louise Schumacher led a national survey of more than 300 arts writers across the U.S., revealing new facts about the art world’s power structures. "Out of the Picture" is poised to prompt a national conversation about the nature of art, modern life, and how meaning gets made in the 21st century.

  • Mary Louise Schumacher
    Director
  • Andras Szanto
    Producer
    The Price of Everything
  • Carolina Miranda
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Jerry Saltz
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Roberta Smith
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Hrag Vartanian
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Jenee Osterheldt
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Catherine Opie
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Jen Graves
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Peter Schjeldahl
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Sarah Thornton
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 38 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 15, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    350,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Special Preview Screening
    Washington, DC
    United States
    November 8, 2023
    Preview screening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Director Biography - Mary Louise Schumacher

Mary Louise Schumacher is a journalist, critic and filmmaker. Her first film, a documentary about art critics called "Out of the Picture," received a standing ovation during a special preview screening at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in November.

Schumacher is also the Executive Director of the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation, which celebrates the intellectual contributions of arts journalists; was the Clarice Smith Distinguished Critic at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; and was a fellow with the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.

After leaving daily journalism in 2019, Schumacher co-led an art-journalism project about citizenship and the state of our democracy called "This is Milwaukee." She’s had bylines in ARTnews, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Hyperallergic, the Boston Globe, Nieman Reports, Milwaukee Magazine and Wisconsin People & Ideas.

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