The Great Migration: A City Transformed (1916-1930)

Scribe Video Center

Ancestral Correspondence, Lonnie Graham, film still. — *Ancestral Correspondence,* Lonnie Graham, film still.

Standing at the Scratch Line, Julie Dash, film still. — *Standing at the Scratch Line,* Julie Dash, film still.

Sonic Migration by Mendi and Keith Obadike. Photo by Carlton Jones. — *Sonic Migration* by Mendi and Keith Obadike. Photo by Carlton Jones.

Recipient

Grant Year 2014

Grant Amount $200,000

Status Completed

Updated May 30, 2023

Scribe Video Center will explore the history and impact of the Great Migration (1916–30) on Philadelphia, when blacks fled the South for economic opportunities in the Northern states, giving rise to new African-American neighborhoods. A body of oral histories will serve as the core inspiration for this multimedia project, told by Philadelphia residents who experienced the Great Migration firsthand. Selected media artists will create site-specific installations, interactive games, and audio tours on the subject, using material from these archival interviews and input from local community groups, for public debut in 2016, the Great Migration's centennial. The project will challenge participants and audiences to consider the compelling and transformative history that led to huge shifts in the culture and makeup of Philadelphia.

*Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.*

Primary EventsEvents & Exhibitions

The Great Migration: A City Transformed (1916-30)

Apr 15–Jun 15, 2016
Scribe Video Center, 4212 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia

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Supporting Events

Opening Reception for The Great Migration: A City Transformed

Apr 15, 2016
Scribe Video Center, 4212 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia

Traces of South: An Afternoon with Filmmaker Kevin Jerome Everson

Apr 16, 2016
Scribe Video Center, 4212 Chestnut Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia

The Great Migration: Precious Places Community History Project

May 17, 2016
International House, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

The Great Migration: A City Transformed at the BlackStar Film Festival

Aug 6, 2016
International House Philadelphia, 3701 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia

The Great Migration: A City Transformed at Slought Foundation

Aug 3–12, 2016
Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut Street, Philadelphia

The Great Migration Community Screenings

Oct 4–Nov 16, 2016
Various locations

Sonic Migration: Morning Comes

Oct 23–Nov 6, 2016
Tindley Temple United Methodist Church, 750 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia

Tone Poems & Light Stories: The Great Migration

Apr 23–Jun 4, 2017
African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia

uestions of ractice

Interview

Questions of Practice: Louis Massiah on Technology and Storytelling

Recipient

Scribe Video Center

Scribe Video Center was founded in 1982 by Pew and MacArthur Fellow Louis Massiah as a place where individuals and communities learn media-making and explore the use of video as both an artistic medium and a tool for progressive social change. A nationally known and community-based media arts center, Scribe has compiled more than 350 documentary works that represent a history of Philadelphia told by its citizens.

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