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Precious Places
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- Precious Places
Precious Places Community History Project is a community oral history project inviting members of Philadelphia's many neighborhoods to document the buildings, public spaces, parks, landmarks and other sites that hold the memories of our communities and define where we live. Unlike oral history projects in other cities, Precious Places teaches the video production process to participating groups, fostering projects authored by those who intimately know the featured neighborhoods.
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Announcing the 2010-2011 Precious Places Neighborhoods
Scribe Video Center is pleased to announce the participating community groups in the 2010-2011 Precious Places Community History Project.
High School Park -- Elkins Park, PA
Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore -- Swarthmore, PA
Former Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity House -- West Philadelphia
King's Highway Bridge -- Holmesburg
La Mott Community Garden -- La Mott, PA
The Lazaretto -- Essington, PA
Nile Swim Club -- Yeadon, PA
United Negro Improvement Association Hall -- North Philadelphia
Precious Places joins the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts
In collaboration with the Kimmel Center, Scribe Video Center will premiere the 2010-2011 Precious Places series as part of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in April, 2011. Throughout the production cycle, PIFA will be documenting the Precious Places process, featuring Scribe and the neighborhoods above in The Journey portion of their website.
You can visit Scribe's Collaborator Profile and the PIFA website here.
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About Precious Places
The Roots of the Project
Conceived as a way to mark the 20th anniversary of Scribe Video Center, the Precious Places video documentaries celebrate Philadelphia's richness of neighborhoods, buildings, public spaces and landmarks. They record community memories and help define where we live at a time when so many of the city's memories are undergoing so much change.
Scribe had long felt that Philadelphia lacked but deserved a compiled oral history of its streets, squares, monuments, and buildings, where social and cultural richness have led to the development of complex, diverse and vibrant communities. Through more than two decades of work with individuals and groups, of teaching and guiding people as they made documentaries that brought their dreams and visions to life, we knew that many more stories were out there just waiting to be told. And we shared with others concerns about the disinterest, deterioration, gentrification, unfamiliarity and even misinformation that endanger so much of the region. Community oral history, we thought, was an ideal way to spread the words and the sights of these precious places and to celebrate them and the people who cherish them.
The Process
This year, up to ten neighborhood groups will collaborate with research consultants and experienced filmmakers to document their neighborhoods. These facilitators provide training on oral history and documentary production, but the community group members are planning, researching, and writing their films. On October 2nd, 2010, each group will spend an entire day shooting footage in the neighborhood, including interviews and documenting selected sites or events. Finally, after editing their videos, groups will be invited to show their work at the Kimmel Center as part of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts.
Producing a documentary video is a chance to honor the local experience, and to become the author, not just the subject of your neighborhood’s history. In addition, community groups can learn the skill of producing oral history to uncover the rich stories that make up our past. Finally, the project is a valuable opportunity to make us aware of our diverse neighborhoods and the development policies that often render certain ‘precious places’ out of existence.
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The Complete Series
In the past six years Scribe Video Center has collaborated with dozens of community groups in Philadelphia, Camden, Chester, Coatesville, and Ardmore to produce 61 neighborhood histories, with up to ten more beginning production this summer. Through Precious Places, Philadelphia now joins the ranks of other cities such as New York and Los Angeles in having a citywide oral history project. With Precious Places, however, the community members themselves create their own videos about the people and places that make our city unique. Follow the links below for more information about specific projects.
Order the Precious Places Community History Project now on DVD!
The complete 3 DVD series seen on WHYY TV 12 is available for purchase.
Precious Places Community History Project Vol. 1 Produced in 2004-2007
Precious Places Community History Project Vol. 2 Produced in 2004-2007
Precious Places Community History Project Vol. 3 Produced in 2004-2007
VOLUMES 4 & 5 NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Precious Places Community History Project Vol. 4 Produced in 2008-2009
Precious Places Community History Project Vol. 5 Produced in 2009-2010
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The Precious Places Community History Project is made possible with support from Nathan Cummings Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The Lincoln Financial Foundation, and the Barra Foundation. Initial funding for the Precious Places Community History Project was provided by the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation and the Samuel S. Fels Fund.
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| Attachment | Size |
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| Application_Packet.pdf | 743.04 KB |
| PPfaq.page1_.jpg | 255.92 KB |
| PPfaq.page2_.jpg | 407.88 KB |