Museums have a knack for turning cultural remnants into stories and bringing the past to life again.
Production of the exhibit was a collaborative effort that involved many graduate students and staff, who sifted through more than 1,400 artifacts in the University's African American cinema collection and assembled them into a creative, illuminating and memorable display. A response to segregation in mainstream Hollywood production, this industry was particularly important for American blacks because it countered the negative stereotypes in mainstream cinema with more positive images of black life and also demonstrated African Americans' artistic imagination. The exhibition's focus on this industry debunked assumptions that black filmmaking is a recent practice of the late 20th century and artists like Melvin Van Peebles and Spike Lee. The more positive representations of blacks and race relations in these films reflected Hollywood's attempt to capitalize on the civil rights struggles and its effect on popular sentiment about race. The Human Tornado, The Revenge of J.D. Walker, Blacula and others.