Packed in a Trunk: the Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson (DVD)

Packed in a trunk celebrates the long-buried talent of lesbian artist edith lake wilkinson who was part of the early provincetown art scene and produced an astounding body of work. in 1924 she was committed to an asylum, encouraged by the family lawyer who subsequently siphoned off her funds. objections had also been raised to edith's "close and constant contact" with her longtime companion fannie. once she was put away, edith's work and all her worldly possessions were packed into trunks and shipped off to a relative in west virginia, where they sat in an attic for the next 40 years. edith was never heard from again.edith's great-niece, jane anderson (emmy award-winning writer & director) grew up surrounded by edith's paintings, thanks to her mother who had gone poking through that dusty attic and rescued edith's work. anderson learned to paint and draw under the influence of her great-aunt's brilliant, light-drenched canvasses. when she started pursuing her own life as an artist, jane began a decades-long journey to get edith's work back out into the world. the film follows jane's and her spouse tess in their efforts to find answers to the mystery of edith's buried life, return the work to provincetown, and have edith's contributions recognized by the art world. packed in a trunk is about rescuing the work of lost and gifted souls out of attics and closets and forgotten rooms.

• documentary