stories
In The open
Sketch and Release: Stories in the Open is a mobile short-form documentary series where Oregon’s rural landscapes replace the traditional studio. Traveling from forests to farms, small towns to forgotten crossroads, Sketch and Release captures intimate, on-location vignettes with Black creatives living and working outside of metro centers. Through storytelling, music, and visual art, each episode connects the audience not only to the artist—but to the land and layered histories they inhabit.
On-Site Storytelling
To meet the challenges of filming in open and often remote environments, Sketch and Release uses high-quality mobile equipment to capture crisp audio and cinematic visuals. Viewers are invited to move through the landscape—across backroads, among tall pines, beside mural-covered barns—with each artist’s story serving as a living soundtrack to place. Whether you’re watching on a screen or attending a live pop-up screening, the experience is immersive, personal, and rooted in the land where the story was born.
Since 2023
Launched in 2023, Sketch and Release is a short-form documentary series that uplifts the voices of Black creatives living and working in rural Oregon. In its first season, the project spotlighted six artists across four towns—sharing personal stories through music, visual art, and conversation, all captured on location. With each vignette, Sketch and Release aims to deepen connection to place, challenge dominant narratives, and honor the creative brilliance thriving beyond urban centers.
