Inside/Outside

INSIDE/OUTSIDE highlights short films from three filmmakers, Ashlyn Diaz, Alyssa Freitas, and Jes Reyes, each exploring the visceral intersections between internal and external experiences. Through these films, the artists grapple with themes of bodily transformation, historical trauma, and our current digital landscape, capturing moments that are both deeply personal and profoundly collective.

These filmmakers, who served as jurors for the 2023 Franconia 5 Minute Film Festival, bring their own unique perspectives to this exhibition, exemplifying the powerful impact of brief storytelling. Each film demonstrates how even a few minutes on screen can reveal complex layers of identity, resilience, and social commentary.

About the Artists:

ASHLYN DIAZ is a visual artist who lives and works in New York, New York. Diaz earned her BFA in Drawing from the University of Florida in 2016 and was the University of Florida nominee for the 2016 Windgate Fellowship. She was awarded a 2020 summer residency at the Chautauqua School of Art. Diaz completed her MFA in Studio Art at Hunter College in 2023 and is the 2023 Hunter College recipient of The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts Robert Blackburn Printmaking Award.

A Florida native born of African descent, Diaz’s practice prioritizes lived experiences for people of the African diaspora and other marginalized communities. She uses archived, found, and recycled materials to repair generational trauma and counter erasure. Through multiple disciplines, her work invites new ways of being to challenge negative and limiting belief systems.

ALYSSA FREITAS is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist whose work intricately weaves video and sonic elements to explore the influx of digital culture into contemporary life. Freitas’ practice breaks conventional boundaries by presenting art in varied formats such as outdoor projections, web installations, Minecraft renderings, and livestreams in miniature galleries. Their work has been exhibited internationally, both online and offline, showcasing their ability to adapt to diverse environments.

Freitas holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Maine College of Art and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts. Their solo and group exhibitions include “Here/Now” at Space Gallery, Portland (2017), “Plus One” at Treat Gallery, NYC (2023), and “Message Keeper” at Ki Smith Gallery, NYC (2021).

In addition to their artistic practice, Freitas has served as Manager of Chautauqua Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution, the Event Coordinator at Smack Mellon, and currently, as Internal Operations Manager at Derek Fordjour Studio. They have been an honorary juror for Franconia Sculpture Park and ApexArt. Freitas’ work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Visual Opinion, Boston Voyager, and Creative Portland.

JES REYES works out of Little House Studio, an attic space in St. Paul that she has created to concentrate, explore, and make. She is an interdisciplinary artist, artist organizer, and teaching artist practicing in mixed media art, textiles, video, and more. Her artwork is rooted in play, vulnerability, experimentation, collaboration, and the blending of disciplines. She has exhibited and screened her artwork throughout Minnesota.

She founded Moonplay Cinema in 2019, an artist-run project supporting and advocating for gender-marginalized filmmakers. She has a BA in Women’s Studies and Film and Electronic Arts (double major) from California State University, Long Beach, and a Master of Liberal Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Jes recently released You’re a Filmmaker, You’re an Artist, a professional practice publication for moving image creators. To get your copy, visit www.moonplaycinema.org.

Image: Perimenopause (film still) by Jes Reyes