Series/Themes: Art, Historical Themes

Genre: Documentaries

Film Year: 2016

Locations: USA

Film Length: 66 min.

Director: Marjorie Hunt, Paul Wagner

Featuring: John Canning, Jacqueline Canning-Riccio, Nick Benson, Joseph Alonso, Earle Barthé.

Directors Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner reunite for the first time since winning the Academy Award for their documentary short The Stone Carvers. Exhibited in eight segments, Good Work: Masters of the Building Arts is a group portrait of American artisans in the building trades. The documentary illustrates the diversity of customs present in the United States that lead to beautiful and functional works of art, from Scottish-American decorative painters restoring the ceiling of Trinity Church in Boston to Mexican-American terra cotta workers restoring a Chicago skyscraper. Across these unique skills and landscapes, the film celebrates American craftsmanship, occupational traditions, the beauty of our built environment, and the importance of “good work.” Discussion with directors Paul Wagner, Marjorie Hunt, and artisan John Canning,  moderated by Sarita Herman (UVA)