IPR's Charity Nebbe interviews Marlin Ingalls (architectural historian), Kelly Rundle (The Barn Raisers director/writer), Tammy Rundle (The Barn Raisers producer/writer--not pictured) of Fourth Wall Films, and Rudy Christian (traditional timber framer in Ohio--not pictured).
By CLARE ROTH & CHARITY NEBBE • JAN 25, 2017
Tammy Rundle understands that a barn is not necessarily the sexiest subject for a documentary. When her husband Kelly suggested doing an hour-long feature of the creation and history of barns, she was hesitant.
"I was like, 'Ooo-kay...we'll give this a shot,'" she laughs. "But, as is often the case with our documentary subjects, I caught the bug. And probably the most inspirational and wonderful part of the project was hearing these stories, and that really is the soul of the film. That is what brings these barns to life again."
Their documentary, The Barn Raisers, shows how barns evolved in the Midwest by looking at their architecture. Rudy Christian, founding president of Friends of Ohio Barns, says understanding barns goes hand in hand with understanding our agricultural past.
To read the rest of the Iowa Public Radio story and listen to the 30-minute radio program "Talk of Iowa", click HERE!
The Barn Raisers was funded in part by Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area, Wisconsin Humanities Council, Humanities Iowa, the Kansas Humanities Council, the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, the Ohio Humanities Council, the National Barn Alliance, the Moline Foundation, and the Community Foundation of Jackson County. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this documentary film and program do not necessarily reflect those of the organizations.
The Rundles are the producers of twelve award-winning documentaries including the Lost Nation: The Ioway 3-part series, and the Emmy® nominated Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City and Letters Home to Hero Street (co-produced with WQPT-PBS). Their new documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, co-produced with Emmy-nominated writer Garry McGee, will be released in November 2020.
To order Fourth Wall Films' award-winning The Barn Raisers on DVD, click HERE!