Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Smith, Mary Perry, 1926-2015 and Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc.
- Abstract:
- This series contains documents stemming from Mary Perry Smith's activities outside of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and a few of her personal papers.
- Extent:
- 4 Boxes
- Language:
- Materials are in English
- Preferred citation:
[item], Mary Perry Smith Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Archives Collection, Special Collection COL 5, Black Film Center & Archive, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Background
- Biographical / Historical:
The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI) was founded in Oakland, California in 1974. The BFHFI began as a collaboration among Roy Thomas from the Afro-American Studies Department at UC-Berkeley, Mary Perry Smith, who was the co-chairperson of the Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild and at the Oakland Museum, and Sonny Buxton of the San Francisco Bay Area station KGO-TV.
The BFHFI identified itself as an organization "dedicated to influencing Black images portrayed in film and television through education, the nurturing of current independent filmmakers and the preservation of contributions by Black artists" (BFHFI 20th Anniversary Celebration Program). Throughout its existence the BFHFI presented award ceremonies honoring contemporary and historic figures in black filmmaking. Notable programs established by the BFHFI include the Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony, the International Black Film, Video & Screenplay Competition, the Black Filmworks International Film Festival, and the Sidney Poitier Fellowship. Additionally, educational programs, various symposia, and lecture series on black film were conducted throughout the life of the organization.
The BFHFI initially operated in partnership with the Oakland Museum, later incorporating itself as an independent, non-profit organization in 1978. Attempts to establish a dedicated museum and permanent home for the BFHFI were ultimately unsuccessful, although the BFHFI did begin acquisition of collections for this proposed museum.
The final Oscar Micheaux Awards ceremony was held in 1993, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the event. The BFHFI continued to present the Black Filmworks International Film Festival and Black Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition through 2003.
For a more detailed administrative history, a biography for Mary Perry Smith, and a listing of other series, please see collection overview (http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/findingaids/bfca/VAD4347).
- Scope and Content:
This series contains documents stemming from Mary Perry Smith's activities outside of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and a few of her personal papers.
Subseries 15.1. consists of documents generated by the activities of the Oakland Museum of California (OMC) between 1966 and 2008, but that have no clear relation to the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. Units within the OMC that are represented are the Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild, the Oakland Museum Association, and the Women's Board, including documents regarding the latter's White Elephant Sale.
The Oakland Potluck is a Non-Profit organization dedicated to redistributing food from restaurants to approved hunger-relief agencies in Alameda County. The files in subseries 15.2 represent the activities of the Oakland Potluck from approximately the 1980s-1993.
Subseries 15.3 contains documents related to Smith's teaching activities in math and science while 15.4. contains a few documents related specifically to her work with the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program from 1975-2008.
Documents related to Smith's civic engagements and talks outside of those performed for the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame may be found in subseries 15.5 and include things such as arrangements for lectures, workshops, and speeches.
Subseries 15.6. consists of Smith's personal correspondence, awards, final will and testament, and a handful of restricted financial documents.
Subseries 15.7 and 15.8 include research files from Smith's personal file cabinet and include both clippings and full newspaper issues.
- Acquisition information:
- The material in this series is part of a collection donated by Mary Perry Smith to the Indiana University Black Film Center Archive in January 2014.
- Processing information:
Processed by Ronda L. Sewald.
Completed in 2016.
- Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into the following series with this series containing eight subseries:
- Collection overview
- Series 1. Publicity Materials
- Series 2. Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony and Gala
- Series 3. Film Lecture Series and Symposiums
- Series 4. Black Filmworks and Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition
- Series 5. Sidney Poitier Fellowship Competition
- Series 6. Miscellaneous BFHFI events files
- Series 7. BFHFI event recordings
- Series 8. Board and committee documents
- Series 9. General correspondence
- Series 10. HRMS, volunteer, and staff documents
- Series 11. General financial, fundraising, and legal documents
- Series 12. Memorabilia and artifacts
- Series 13. Third party publications
- Series 14. Research files
- Series 15. Mary P. Smith's files
- -- Subseries 15.1. Oakland Museum of California, approximately 1966-2008
- -- Subseries 15.2. Oakland Potluck, approximately 1980s-1993
- -- Subseries 15.3. Teaching, approximately 1963-2005
- -- Subseries 15.4. Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program, approximately 1975-2008
- -- Subseries 15.5. Civic engagements and talks, 1980-2009
- -- Subseries 15.6. Correspondence and miscellaneous personal documents, approximately 1962-2011
- -- Subseries 15.7. Research clippings, 1982-2008
- -- Subseries 15.8. Full newspaper issues, 1982-2004
- Series 16. Miscellaneous
- Series 17. Phil Moore Collection (Inventoried as if separate collection due to size)
- Series 18. Photographs (undergoing processing)
- Series 19. Born-digital materials (undergoing processing)
- Accruals:
2016 accruals stored in boxes AC 6 and AC 7.
- General note:
In 2022, the Black Film Center/Archive (BFC/A) transitioned to its current name, the Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA). This finding aid was created under the organizational name Black Film Center/Archive. Upon this organizational name change, all previous references to the BFC/A were updated in this finding aid to match the current name, Black Film Center & Archive.
Indexed Terms
Access
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
The materials in this series are open to the public.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
Materials may be used in-house at the BFCA; duplication permitted only with permission of the Archivist.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
[item], Mary Perry Smith Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Archives Collection, Special Collection COL 5, Black Film Center & Archive, Indiana University, Bloomington.
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
-
1320 East Tenth StreetHerman B Wells Library, Room 044Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
- CAMPUS:
- Indiana University Bloomington
- CONTACT:
-
812-855-6041bfca@indiana.edu