Even if you don’t know the name Jay Maisel, you know his photographs. Over a lengthy career, his work has ranged from iconic images of jazz musicians, to uncredited commercial work, to unparalleled color street photography from around the world. He has long been recognized and respected by his peers both as an artist and as one who has been successful in the business of photography. But perhaps his most astonishing achievement was The Bank. In 1966 Maisel purchased a six-story building at 190 Bowery in Manhattan, and for nearly 50 years he filled all 72 rooms of it with his work and his life. He collected objects for their intrinsic values of design in much the same way he created photographs by “collecting” values of light, shade, form, and color. On the eve of the gargantuan task of packing up and moving out, Maisel reflects on his life, his career, and the nature of collecting.  TBW

Filmmaker Q&A following screening