Ornette: Made In America (1985)

When
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026
2 p.m.
Where
1219 Southwest Park Avenue
Portland, OR, 97205

This freewheeling documentary is a portrait of Ornette Coleman’s life, legacy, and evolution over three decades. Featuring William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez, and John Rockwell,  the film features a free-jazz approach and style, using video collage and experimental segments to tell Coleman’s story.   

“I’ve always been interested in films about artists. I think because they end up being a conversation, not just between filmmaker and subject in a traditional way, but also between two uniquely creative people. This film is a really interesting study of that relationship and connection.” – Rob Lewis 

Rob Lewis is an artist and art director living and working in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Joy Alise Davis, M.A., who serves as the Executive Director of the Portland-based Black advocacy organization Imagine Black. Co-presented by KMHD. 

Ornette: Made In America (1985) Directed by Shirley Clarke. 1hr 17min. Not Rated. Guest programmed by Rob Lewis, PAM CUT @ The Whitsell presents Ornette: Made In America (1985).