Following its acclaimed presentations on New York's CUNY TV, the largest public educational station in the city, JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT will enjoy a special screening at the Yarmouth Port Library, Yarmouth Port, MA, on February 7. Robin Joyce Miller, resident artist at Zion Union Heritage Museum, will be on the scene and will host a Q & A. 

Friday, February 7th at 1 PM

Produced in 2023 and directed by Janet Murphy Robertson, JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower, a 1-hour film, provides extensive information and fascinating insights into the history of race in America through the artwork and life stories of members of the vibrant community surrounding Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis.

Premiered in New York’s prestigious Chelsea Film Festival 2023, featuring 120+ films from 21
countries. JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT was selected as a top “Programmers’ Pick” at the festival.

Janet Murphy Robertson is a filmmaker, producer, and marketer formerly of Cape Cod, now based in New York. Janet also produces musicals, plays, concerts, and other cultural events.

Journeys in the Light will be also be presented by Robin Joyce Miller, resident artist at Zion Union Heritage Museum and board of director member at Cotuit Center of the Arts. Robin is a retired award-winning NYC teacher, artist, author, poet, public speaker, and activist.

 

Journeys in the Light flyer Sturgis Library
Back from this film's New York premiere at the prestigious Chelsea Film Festival, we are planning a series of screenings in 2024 to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. near the time of his birthday and, shortly thereafter, Black History Month. Here is what's in the queue as of today!

Sturgis Library, Barnstable, MA, Wednesday, January 17, 12 Noon. Screening of Journeys in the Light —Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower in this beautiful, history library.

Cotuit Center for the Arts, Sunday, February 4. A benefit for Zion Union Heritage Museum! Zion Union Heritage Museum with Cotuit Center for the Arts present  Journeys in the Light —Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower, which was featured in the 2023 Chelsea Film Festival. Join us for this fundraising event. View the film followed by an audience participation discussion with filmmaker, Janet Murphy Robertson, along with Zion representatives. Light Refreshments. Tickets $20.

JFK Museum, Hyannis. Screening of Journeys in the Light —Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower. Friday February 16th or 23rd TBD.


JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT  DEMOCRACY  DIVERSITY  AND MYTH IN THE WAKE OF THE MAYFLOWERJOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, Democracy, Diversity, and Myth in the Wake of the Mayflower was premiered at New York's Chelsea Film Festival, October 12-15, Regal Theatres, Union Square, in the heart of New York City. The CFF is one of the top ten film festivals in North America according to USA Today's 2019 survey.

This one-hour documentary presents a unique perspective on four centuries of history since the arrival of European settlers at Plymouth. The film’s creators look beyond the Euro-centric Mayflower story to present highlights in the history of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, the Wampanoag people, and other people of color in the historic region of Cape Cod. At the same time, they find in the outright conflict aboard the Mayflower, its ultimate resolution, and powerful precedents among indigenous tribes powerful relevance for the divided America of today. JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT tells its tale through the eyes, historical research, and works of art of the vibrant community surrounding Zion Union Heritage Museum in Hyannis. Notable among the historical resources are the writings of long-time civil rights activist Dolores Daluz.

Leading up to the New York premiere, the documentary has had Cape Cod Chapter/NAACP-sponsored screenings at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Dennis, MA, as well as in Falmouth and Provincetown, MA. In an August 2023 event in Staunton, VA, the NAACP (Staunton Branch #7119) was joined in its sponsorship by additional local organizations, including the Augusta County Historical Society, the Shenandoah Juneteenth Committee, and the Staunton Education Foundation.

JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT is produced by Janet Murphy Robertson in collaboration with Zion Union Heritage Museum. The featured artists include Robin Joyce Miller, Carl Lopes, Pamela Chatterton Purdy, Joe Diggs, Michael Alfano, Sean Cassidy, Vasco Pires, and many others.

PURCHASE TICKETS TO COTUIT CENTER FOR THE ARTS' SCREENING ON FEBRUARY 4, 2024, benefitting Zion Union Heritage Museum!

Robin Joyce Miller

IMG_2090
Robin Joyce Miller, Artist

Robin Joyce Miller, whose artwork is prominently featured in JOURNEYS IN THE LIGHT, frequently assists in presenting the film and joins in discussion with audiences. Robin is a retired educator, artist, author, poet and public speaker, who taught for 30+ years in the NYC school system. She spent the first half of her career teaching learning-disabled students and the next half as an art teacher. Robin was also a NYC Blueprint for the Arts Facilitator, leading workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum. She is a recipient of the NYC and NY State Region 8 Art Educator of the Year Award.

After retirement she and her husband have maintained two residences in NYC and Cape Cod. After George Floyd’s murder, Robin and her husband, James, began presenting a BLM series with the Cotuit Center for the Arts.  These programs are available to the public on Cotuit on Demand - YouTube. She is also on the Board of Directors at the Cotuit Center. Robin has served as a volunteer and resident artist at the Zion Union Heritage Museum, Hyannis since 2013. You can view more of Robin’s work on www.robinjoycemillerart.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Janet Murphy Robertson

Janet Murphy Robertson is the documentarian for Zion Union Heritage Museum where, in addition to Journeys in the Light, she produced the 2018 film documenting Pamela Chatterton-Purdy and Rev. Dr. David A. Purdy’s magnificent art and historical exhibition Icons of the Civil Rights Movement. Janet is also Executive Director of ArtistsAndMusicians.org, the producer of Shoestring Virtual Theater, as well as stage plays, concerts, and other cultural events. Shoestring’s 2022 film shorts titled Four Plays for a Planet in Peril (Filmmaker: Janet Murphy Robertson; Writer/Director: Lee

Lee and Janet on day of premiere
Lee Roscoe and Janet Murphy Robertson on the red carpet at the Chelsea Film Festival, October 2022

Roscoe) have been recognized by the LA Independent Shorts Awards (finalist for Best Experimental Short, Best Original Story, and Best Ensemble Cast) and the Chelsea Film Festival where Part IV: The Warning had its New York premiere in October 2022. Janet works collaboratively with clients on the whole range of activities vital to successful productions— from photography, videography, sound effects, set design, editing, and scoring to marketing, PR, and business planning.

Janet's additional production credits include several highly successful runs of A Woman's Heart by Judith Partelow and the musical version by Judith Partelow and Dana McCoy; Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher; Sorry Wrong Number by Lucille Fletcher; The House of Atreus: From Tantalus through the Trial of Orestes by Elsa Bastone; Mick Ryan's Lament by Robert Emmet Dunlap and Kathi Taylor, and many other plays and concerts.

Before coming to the Cape in 2007, Janet was a senior consultant with Coopers & Lybrand (later PriceWaterhouseCoopers), Vice President of two major international retail companies, and President of the consulting firm Ogden Associates. She earned her BA at Vassar College, where she majored in Philosophy, and did graduate work at Drew University and the University of Paris.