Precious Places Projects 2008-2009
“Awbury”
RT: 8:42
Videomaking Consultant: Bianca White
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Dr. Thomas Carroll
Post-Production: Devin Tubbs
Site: Awbury Arboretum, 1 Awbury Road, 19138 ― East Germantown
The Awbury Arboretum has existed for over 150 years, and over that time it has been a celebrated green space in northwest Philadelphia. “Awbury,” by the Awbury Arboretum Association and residents living on the arboretum grounds, digs into Awbury’s history, from the purchase of the land by the Coate family in the 1850’s to the arboretum’s current youth programs and community gardening workshops. By revealing the similarities between past and present uses of the arboretum, the video underscores the timeless importance of green spaces in urban areas.
Copyright 2009 by Awbury Arboretum Association and Scribe Video Center
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“Standing on the Promises of God”
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Videomaking Consultant: Andre Hester
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Dr. Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon
Site: Bethany African Methodist Episcopal Church, 8898 Ashton Road, 19136 ― Northeast Philadelphia
150 years ago, Elias Chase, the son of two indentured servants, built in Philadelphia one of the first African Methodist Episcopal Churches in the country. Descendants of Chase and other original Bethany congregants recall scenes from the church’s past, including the disappearance of the tomb of Chase’s wife, which was excavated when the road to the Northeast Airport was widened. Through the stories of Bethany’s past, “Standing on the Promises of God” describes a lasting African American community in the city’s Northeast.
Copyright 2009 by Bethany AME Church and Scribe Video Center
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“Bra Buddha Ransi Temple”
RT: 9:04
Videomaking Consultants: Phally Chroy & Peter Crimmins
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Kevin Jones
Site: Bra Buddha Ransi Temple, 2400 South 6th Street, 19148 ― South Philadelphia
The Bra Buddha Ransi Temple, through a mission of cultural preservation, provides a gathering place for a large community of Cambodian-Buddhist immigrants and first-generation Cambodian-American youth in South Philadelphia. “Bra Buddha Ransi Temple” describes the ways the building supports cultural and religious education, eases feelings of isolation, and stimulates the practice of Cambodian traditions and celebrations.
Copyright 2009 by Bra Buddha Ransi Temple, the Khmer Buddhist Humanitarian Association, and Scribe Video Center
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“From Camden to You: The Rebirth of Johnson Park”
RT: 9:45
Videomaking Consultant: Ellen Knechel
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Rocìo Nuñez
Post-Production: Greg Heller
Site: Johnson Park, 2nd and Cooper Streets ― Camden, New Jersey
Founded by Eldridge Johnson during Camden’s industrial heyday, Johnson Park fell into disrepair in when the city saw its factories closing and investment moving elsewhere. “From Camden to You” pays tribute to the city’s history as a center of innovation and industry through the invention that brought Johnson his wealth and the city its park: the Victrola. In the 1990’s, the city uncovered a fund Johnson had set aside for the park’s renovation—money that lain forgotten for nearly half a century to swell to nearly $180,000. From among the park’s newly-restored statues and fountains, visitors to Johnson Park maintain that a great spirit of hope still resides in this downtown refuge.
Copyright 2009 by Camden United and Scribe Video Center
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“A Gem in Germantown”
RT: 10:48
Videomaking Consultant: Francesco Muto
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Dr. Jennifer Beaumont
Site: Carnegie Library, Vernon Park, 5818 Germantown Avenue, 19144 ― Germantown
In 1986, a newly-formed senior center moved into the former Carnegie Public Library in Germantown. Ever since, Center in the Park has been growing and expanding, and the collective knowledge of its seasoned members has become a living library of its own. Scripted, filmed, and directed by seniors in the Center's photo/video club, “A Gem in Germantown” is built upon the memories of residents who have used the Carnegie building throughout their entire lives. The video describes Center in the Park’s efforts to provide a center for elder education, as it continues a legacy left by the library.
Copyright 2009 by Center in the Park and Scribe Video Center
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“Neighbors and Nature in Harmony”
RT: 10:01
Videomaking Consultant: Tina Morton
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Dr. Maris Gillette
Site: Greenbelt Knoll, Longford Street, 19146 ― Northeast Philadelphia
Tucked away in the so-called Great Northeast of Philadelphia, Longford Street is the site of the city’s first planned integrated suburban development. Greenbelt Knoll, as the neighborhood became known, was the project of developer and civil rights proponent Morris Milgrim in the 1950’s. “Neighbors and Nature in Harmony” uncovers a neighborhood’s unique resistance to a segregated society. Through the recollections of lifelong residents, the video captures the past and present character of Greenbelt Knoll and those who live there, revealing how Milgrim’s vision continues to unfold from the neighborhood's nineteen houses.
Copyright 2009 by Longford Street Residents and Scribe Video Center
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“Manayunk Canal: Past, Present, and Future”
RT: 10:35
Videomaking Consultant: Rob Kates
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Rebekah Buchanan
Site: Manayunk Canal, 19127 ― Manayunk
The now stagnant water that borders Manayunk's Main Street has shaped many neighborhood histories―the industrial development of the waterfront, the eventual flight of its factories, and the shifting character of a residential community. “The Manayunk Canal: Past, Present, and Future” describes the ways Manayunk grew up around its canal, from the textile mills it supported at the turn of the 1900’s to the many forms of recreation it provides today. The canal has entered a new chapter of that story, initiated by a city promise to restore the canal's broken locks and controversial plans to continue a condo development on Venice Island. In a critique of the new waterfront construction, the video asks that Manayunk’s continued growth be respectful of the work that has been done to make the waterfront a beloved public space.
Copyright 2009 by Manayunk Neighborhood Council and Scribe Video Center
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“Worth Fighting For: A Community Unites to Save Their Library”
RT: 9:49
Videomaking Consultant: Bryan Green & Sean Cox
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Robert Emmons
Site: Oaklyn Memorial Library, 206 Newton Avenue, 08107 ― Oaklyn, New Jersey
When it was founded half a century ago, Oaklyn Memorial Library was built and dedicated by city residents in honor of the thousands of soldiers who died in World War II. Through the knowledge and understanding provided through the library, its founders hoped that wars would no longer be tolerated and the cause for creating such memorials would vanish. Fifty years later, Oaklyn residents are protesting a town council's decision to cut all funding to the library. “Worth Fighting For” describes the library’s role as both a center for learning and a center for community, as it documents the Oaklyn community’s effort to keep open their library doors.
Copyright 2009 by Friends of Oaklyn Library and Scribe Video Center
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“The Garden of Unity: A Refuge of Peace on Chester Avenue”
RT: 9:31
Videomaking Consultant: Louise Akanlu
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Laura Orrico
Post-Production: Tristan Brown
Site: Unity Garden, 56th and Chester Avenue, 19142 ― Southwest Philadelphia
As a rare green space in southwest Philadelphia, Unity Garden engages community members of all ages to participate in maintaining its beauty. While older Garden Club members praise the opportunity to work alongside younger generations of residents, the youth gardeners emphasize a sense of safety and the warm respect given by their elders. “The Garden of Unity” weaves those testimonies in with the reflections of the garden’s founder, planner, and caretakers to illuminate a short, but compassionate history.”
Copyright 2009 by Southwest Community Development Corporation and Scribe Video Center
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“King on the Avenue”
RT: 8:54
Videomaking Consultant: Julia Fuller
Humanities/Social Science Consultant: Dr. NaOme Richardson
Site: 40th and Lancaster Intersection, 40th and Lancaster Avenue, 19104 ― West Philadelphia
On August 3, 1965, in the midst of wide-spread freedom struggles in the Northern cities, a crowd of 10,000 people gathered at the intersection of 40th and Lancaster to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. hail the Civil Rights movements across the country. Forty years since that speech, residents tell tales of “The Strip” and how King’s visit eased racial tensions along the Avenue.
Copyright 2009 by People’s Emergency Center Community Development Corporation and Scribe Video Center