WRFI talks to filmmakers Glenda Drew and Jesse Drew on their documentary 'Open Country'.
Join WRFI for a screening of 'Open Country' on Monday July 14th at 6:30pm, with a Q&A with Glenda & Jesse following the screening.
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEES
Glenda Drew is an interdisciplinary artist and filmmaker whose work lies at the intersection of visual culture and social change, with a strong emphasis on working-class narratives. Her multifaceted practice — spanning film, video, motion graphics, photography, interactivity, and audience participation — centers on subjects such as country musicians, waitresses, feminists, and precarious workers. Influenced by her formative years with Paper Tiger Television in San Francisco, drew embraces a DIY aesthetic and media-critical approach aimed at accessibility and social critique. She is an active member of the Class Conscious Photographers and Artnauts collectives. Through her work, drew continues to explore the power of media to question, connect, and catalyze change. She is currently professor of Design at UC Davis, where she teaches screen-based interactive design.
Jesse Drew's research and practice centers on alternative and community media and their strategic use in building movements for democracy and justice, particularly among the global working class. An active audio-visual artist, his interactive, cinema, photography and installation work has been featured in showcases and galleries internationally. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, journals and anthologies, including Resisting the Virtual Life (City Lights Press), At a Distance (MIT Press), Collectivism After Modernism (University of Minnesota), and West of Eden (PM Press). His book, A Social History of Contemporary Democratic Media is published by Routledge. He is currently professor of Cinema and Digital Media at UC Davis, where he teaches media archaeology, radio production, documentary studies, electronics for artists, and community media. Before coming to UC Davis he headed the Center for Digital Media and was Associate Dean at the San Francisco Art Institute.
Aired Wednesday, July 9, 2025 on WRFI.
