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Woman in the Sky

Magda Salvesen was 26 and working at the Scottish Arts Council when she met 54-year-old American abstract expressionist Jon Schueler in 1970. A few months later he wrote a will leaving her the ENTIRE body of his work.

Since his death in 1992, Magda has single handedly kept his legacy alive, with Schueler's works now hanging in over 70 collections including The Whitney, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

An epic love story writ small across hundreds of canvases and thousands of pieces of archival grade paper, and a fascinating glimpse at the oft overlooked and invisible labor, often carried about by widows and children, that goes into preserving an artist's legacy.

Christine J. Vincent, Managing Director of The Aspen Institute Artist-Endowed Foundations Initiative says, "Magda is a remarkable person, so self-aware in making the affirmative choice to accept her designated role as steward of this artist's legacy and in so doing, claiming it as a springboard for self-reflection and investigation... Woman in the Sky is a moving synthesis of Magda's significant contributions to our shared body of knowledge."

  • Max Woertendyke
    Director
    Brightwood, Real Live Girl, Milquetoast (Producer), Moe & Jerryweather (Director, Producer)
  • David Corenswet
    Executive Producer
    Superman, Twisters, Pearl, etc. (Actor), Real Live Girl (Director, Producer)
  • Max Woertendyke
    Producer
    See above
  • Julia Best Warner
    Producer
    Real Live Girl (Producer)
  • Magda Salvesen
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • David Corenswet
    Cinematographer
    Superman, Twisters, Pearl, etc. (Actor), Real Live Girl, Moe & Jerryweather (Writer, Producer)
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Art
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 21, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    FX3 & BMPC 6k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    various
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival

    United States
    World Premiere
    Official Selection in competition
  • Austin Film Festival
    Austin, TX
    United States
    October 24, 2025
    Texas Premiere
    Nominated, Best Short Documentary
Director Biography - Max Woertendyke

Max Woertendyke is an award winning producer director and performer, and the founder of Noble Gas Media. Beginning his career as a Juilliard trained actor, Max has produced over a dozen films and is currently acting as the Head of Development at David Corenswet's production company.

WOMAN IN THE SKY is his first documentary film.

As a narrative producer, Max boarded Dane Elcar's debut feature, sci-fi horror film BRIGHTWOOD (94% fresh and described as "a masterclass" in The Guardian). In 2024/2025 he also produced debut short films from first time writer/directors: Eliza Huberth's MILQUETOAST (CIFF, La Shorts, Catalina), Claire Sieber's upcoming DAD'S RUNNING CLUB and Mav Block's debut feature DIFFERENCE & REPETITION 2020 (BROOKLYN FF, TALLGRASS).

As an actor, Max has been seen in Tony Award winning revivals and celebrated world premieres. Television credits include "Succession", "Daredevil: Born Again."

Recipient of the prestigious Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship and Jonathan Madrigano Entrepreneurship Grant, Max has also been a featured speaker at Juilliard's Arts & Entrepreneurship Symposium out of Lincoln Center, the American Film Market, and numerous podcasts.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I met Magda a decade ago working for The Jon Schueler Estate. I had never met someone so committed to someone else’s work and I found it moving and fascinating.

Back then she was resolutely “the woman behind the canvases,” committed to being the invisible force behind Jon’s continued legacy. And yet, she had functionally spent more time with Jon's paintings than he ever did (he only started painting 42 years before his own death).

As Magda has become aware of her own horizon line however, she's determined it's time to step into the story to ensure its continuation.

Woman in the Sky is a small part of that story. It is focused on Magda, a respected garden historian and author in her own right, but also a widow whose fierce and elemental force is constrained only by the seemingly mundane responsibilities that come with caring for thousands of temperature and humidity sensitive works of art.

For me, Woman in the Sky is an epic love story writ small across hundreds of canvases and thousands of pieces of archive grade scraps of paper. It is a film that is fundamentally about life, art, and love and stands as a testament to the valiant mission of preserving the memory of a life against the one way march of time.