The mind is a complicated map full of interconnected realms that somehow operate as a whole. It is the birthplace of intelligence, emotion, function, and creativity. Each influences the other. Each is, in itself, a complex feature. In Make, a documentary by directors Scott Ogden and Malcolm Hearn, we delve into the realm of creativity. It is a world that seems to be a gift reserved only for a select few. But according to Ogden and Hearn, it is actually present in all, functioning on different levels, and conjured up in the most mysterious ways.

The four artists we meet in Make must overcome seemingly impossible odds and personal demons. Each person creates as an act of emotional release. Their work reflects a deep personal message, one that is only truly understood by its original creator, but can be admired for its audacity and depth of meaning by a random observer.

The movie, a project that took 10 years to develop, shifts and moves from one artist to the next, interspersed with dialogue from relatives and friends. It begins with brief introductions of the artists themselves; Hawkins Bolden (above), Judith Scott, Ike Morgan, and Prophet Royal Robertson. From there, we are presented with bits of information, mostly profound and heartbreaking, that reveal each artist’s need to create.

Hawkins Bolden must rely on his sense of touch to build his scarecrows. Blind due to a childhood accident, Bolden’s abstract creatures feature twenty or more sets of eyes to ‘see’ what he cannot and protect his small patch of land in Memphis, TN. It can be said his figures represent the struggle of social classes or the Christian battle between good and evil. Whatever the case may be, his all-seeing scarecrows do not hesitate to stir unsettling and uncomfortable feelings.

Judith Scott’s multi-colored, wrapped sculptures (above) are symbolic of her extremely isolating, 35-year stay at a Columbus state institution during a time when the medical community had no effective means to handle Downs Syndrome. Scott, who is also unable to speak or hear, swaddles each found and abandoned object in a mirage of yarn and string, resulting in complex, mysterious forms. Some pieces showcase two intertwining figures, a representation of her deep and almost otherworldly connection to her twin sister, Joyce.

Ike Morgan (above), the sole survivor of Make, imbues his portraits of U.S. Presidents with vibrant swatches of color and bold strokes of black. It is a never ending cycling of creation for Morgan, who suffers from schizophrenia. He must paint everyday to a point of compulsion, storing his work in all available corners of his room at the state mental institution in Austin, TX. Morgan’s childlike paintings have the ability to transfix, haunting its viewer with a hypnotic, open gaze.

After an intense, emotional collapse while supporting his wife, Adell, and their twelve children, Royal Robertson (above) began envisioning the Apocalypse and his divine position as the leader of the new world. Robertson’s work, mainly consisting of misogynistic signs and drawings of aliens and spaceships, is graphic in color and form as well as in tone of voice, equating all women, the race that will supposedly ruin mankind, to whores. A severe paranoid schizophrenic, Robertson dwells in a place where dreams are his only reality.

Over the span of the film, the audience discovers a wealth of creativity dwelling in the depths of complex beings. Each artist lives in a personal world not completely understood by those on the outside, providing a catalyst to produce works of art that is truly reflective of that inner world. Although Ogden and Hearn have spent 10 years of their time creating this documentary, the featured artists who make up the film are still only superficially developed. What could have been a miniseries on public television worthy of 10 years of research and development has now been whittled down to just 68 minutes. Their subjects each possess qualities unlike any other artist and while an hour of time is sufficient to delve into the history of one person, it only skims the layers of life that make up these four fascinating people.

Make Documentary
Scott Ogden and Malcolm Hearn