The Team
We came together as a class in Winter Quarter 2017 in the Department of Digital Humanities at UCLA; and a smaller group of us have continued the work through Spring Quarter 2017, determined to give the material and subject matter the respect and diligence that we believed it was due. This exhibit and the items in the collection are integral to a better understanding of black life in the motion picture business from the very beginning and as such, to an understanding of African-American culture.
Aitana Balam is currently a junior in the Department of Anthropology and the Center for Digital Humanities. Serving as a curator for both Winter and Spring Quarter 2017, Balam was one of the first people to explore the George P. Johnson Negro Film Collection. Becoming knowledgeable about the collection, she further assisted in contextual research throughout the project. During Undergraduate Research Week 2017, Balam presented her research beside classmate, Anastasia Gershman. For the Digital Exhibition, Balam curated the materials on Noble Johnson.
Anastasia Gershman is a non-traditional student and graduating senior in the Department of Communication Studies with a dual minor in Film and Digital Humanities. She worked as part of the Interpretive Design Team and to establish coherent narratives around the body of the George P. Johnson Negro Film Collection and the history of the Lincoln Motion Picture Company. She cares deeply for the artists the collection represents, and worked to ensure that their voices continue to be heard through the authoring of textual materials in the physical and digital exhibit. Through this work she developed a deeper understanding of the role of interpersonal processes in the field of cultural production, and how these processes affect exhibition and relationships between art and the publics that consume it.
Brian Tran is a current graduate student in computer science. He is always looking to expand his global perspective, has visited 14 countries, and has recently returned from a year-long exchange program in Seoul, South Korea. He believes that the interplay of creativity and engineering can yield exciting outcomes, and in seeking opportunities to exercise his affinity for user experience/user-centered design, he actively seeks projects and collaborative efforts outside his department, and became involved with the interpretive planning and exhibit design aspects of the physical and digital exhibitions for the George P. Johnson Collection. After graduating, he hopes to continue to engage in building unique, immersive experiences.
Francesca Albrezzi is currently a PhD student in the department of World Arts and Cultures/ Dance and enrolled in the Digital Humanities Graduate Certificate program through UCLA's Center for Digital Humanities. As part of the interpretive design team for the physical exhibition, she worked to narrate the exhibition through object placement, sequencing of key themes, and the authoring of thoughtful contextual components to increase accessibility and understanding of the materials. For the exhibition website, Francesca created a 360 photo tour of the exhibition space.
Jay Dhindsa is a senior graduating with a Philosophy major and a digital humanities minor. He was involved in the collecting of digital assets used for the digital exhibit.
Sienna Tsan is a graduating senior in the Anthropology department and the Center for Digital Humanities. Her excitement and dedication to the project stems from her interest in entertainment and film. She led the outreach initiatives for the exhibit and opening event while managing all of the social media profiles. She also worked extensively on designing and creating content for the website.
Miriam Posner is coordinator and core faculty of the Digital Humanities program. She provided the network and resources for this project as well as guidance and support through the process.