Two decades after its founding, the South Side Home Movie Project (SSHMP) is marking its 20th anniversary with a new exhibition and a series of events at the University of Chicago’s Logan Center for the Arts. The SSHMP archive now contains over 1,200 reels of home movies filmed by residents of Chicago’s South Side from the 1930s through the 1980s.
The project began when University of Chicago Professor Jacqueline Stewart and her team called on local families to share their personal film collections. “We want your home movies!” read advertisements in local newspapers and storefronts. Since then, SSHMP has digitized and preserved these films, making them accessible online for public viewing and creative reuse.
Stewart, a professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies and former director of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, explained her motivation: “I thought it was a phenomenal way to bring that kind of local moviemaking to light,” said Stewart. “To honor the people who made it and to immediately show them why it was important to share it with others.”
Over the years, SSHMP has become part of UChicago’s Arts + Public Life initiative. In addition to preservation work, Stewart emphasized the importance of community programs: “Step by step, we've been working to discover new ways to share these films within and beyond the South Side communities in which they were made,” she said. “I'm hoping that our 20th anniversary can be a way for us to connect with more partners to help us make sure that this archive continues to build and thrive for generations to come.”
The anniversary exhibition is titled “The Act of Recording is an Act of Love,” inspired by poet Jamila Woods’ reflection after viewing materials from the archive: “The act of recording is an act of love,” said Woods. “To press record is to say, ‘I want to remember you, I wish you to be remembered.’”
Among highlights from SSHMP’s collection are films featuring notable figures such as boxer Joe Louis, tennis player Althea Gibson, and Queen Elizabeth II. These moments were captured by Ramon Williams, an electrician who documented Bronzeville life between the 1940s and 1960s. Williams’ donation in 2020 added over 300 reels—the largest single contribution—to SSHMP.
Other footage includes scenes from East Garfield Park following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968; rare images show military vehicles on city streets and firefighters responding amid unrest. The same reel also documents Chicago’s original Wall of Respect mural before its demolition.
Fashion history appears throughout SSHMP’s holdings as well. Films showcase Black fashion trends at events like Parkway Ballroom’s Hope Fashion Show or Defender Banquet Hair Show during the mid-20th century. In 2024, SSHMP organized a film screening paired with a fashion show highlighting styles seen in its archives.
Family life features prominently too—such as scenes from Auburn Gresham homes shot by the Ellis family or nightlife at West Woodlawn's Roberts Show Lounge captured by club owner Herman Roberts’ staff.
Since March 2020, SSHMP has produced Spinning Home Movies episodes where artists create soundtracks inspired by archived films—a program developed during pandemic restrictions as another means for community engagement.
University connections run deep within SSHMP materials as well; viewers can see historic footage from UChicago’s campus or hear about scientific achievements from George Reed Jr., a Black physicist involved with Argonne National Laboratory during major projects like the Manhattan Project.
“The families are the heart and soul of the project,” Stewart said.
“The Act of Recording is an Act of Love” exhibition remains free and open through August 24 at Logan Center for the Arts. A closing reception will take place on August 15.