Skip to main content
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Smithsonian
  • Visit

    Visit

    Get the latest information about timed passes and tips for planning your visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Accessibility Options
    • Sweet Home Café
    • Museum Store
    • Museum Maps
    • Download Our Mobile App
  • Explore

    Explore

    Search the collection and explore our exhibitions, centers, and digital initiatives
    • Search the Collection
    • Exhibitions
    • The Curator Chats Series
    • Collection Stories
    • NMAAHC Digital Resources Guide
    • Blog
    • Many Lenses
    • Building
    • Museum Centers
    • Initiatives
    • Open Access
    • Publications
  • Learn

    Learn

    Online resources for educators, students, and families
    • Educators
    • Students
    • Adults
    • Early Childhood
    • Library
    • Talking About Race
  • Connect

    Connect

    Engage with us and support the Museum from wherever you are
    • Strategic Partnerships
    • Ways to Give
    • Volunteer
    • Internships & Fellowships
    • Contact
  • Events

    Events

    View a calendar of our public programs
    • Today at the Museum
    • Host an Event at NMAAHC
    • Upcoming Events
    • Ongoing Tours and Activities
    • Recent Events
  • About

    About

    Learn more about the Museum and view recent news
    • About the Museum
    • Leadership
    • Meet Our Curators
    • Founding Donors
    • Corporate Leadership Council
    • News
    • Image Files for Media Use
    • NMAAHC Annual Reports
  • Donate
  • Search

Search form

Collection Home

Collection Search Results

Search:
Filter:
Close Facet Modal
Basic Advanced
  • Topic
    • Art 1 [-]
    • Children 1 [-]
    • Communities 1 [-]
    • Dance 1 [-]
    • Education 1 [-]
    • Instrumentalists (Musicians) 1 [-]
    • Museums 1 [-]
    • Singers (Musicians) 1 [-]
    • Theatre 1 [-]
    • Urban life 1 [-]
    Search More Topics
    Show More Topics Show Fewer Topics
  • Name
    • Bowser, Pearl 1 [-]
    • Chamba Productions 1 [-]
    • Collins, Kathleen 1 [-]
    • Garrett, Kent 1 [-]
    • Lathan, Stan 1 [-]
    Search More Names
    Show More Names Show Fewer Names
  • Object Type
    • 16mm (photographic film size) 1 [-]
    • color films (visual works) 1 [-]
    • short subjects 1 [-]
    • sound films 1 [-]
    Search More Object Types
    Show More Object Types Show Fewer Object Types
  • Date
    • 1970s 1 [-]
    Search More Dates
    Show More Dates Show Fewer Dates
  • Place
    • Brooklyn 1 [-]
    • New York City 1 [-]
    • North and Central America 1 [-]
    • United States 1 [-]
    Search More Places
    Show More Places Show Fewer Places
  • Media Type
    • Images 1 [-]
    • Video recordings 1 [-]
    Search More Media Types
    Show More Media Types Show Fewer Media Types
Filter Results
Applied Filters: clear all filters
    Included:
  • name:"Brooklyn Museum"
Your search found 1 result(s).
Print
  • Statues Hardly Ever Smile

    Directed by
    Lathan, Stan, American, born 1945
    Produced by
    Chamba Productions, founded 1971
    Created by
    Collins, Kathleen, American, 1942 - 1988
    Produced by
    Garrett, Kent, American, born 1941
    Subject of
    Brooklyn Museum, American, founded 1895
    Owned by
    Bowser, Pearl, American, born 1931
    Date
    1971
    Medium
    acetate film
    Dimensions
    Duration: 19 Minutes
    Length (Film): 750 Feet
    Title
    16mm motion picture film of Statues Hardly Ever Smile
    Caption
    16mm color film directed by Stan Lathan and produced by Chamba Productions for the Brooklyn Museum about a program to bring children from the local community into the museum to create performance art. Includes footage of children interacting with objects in the museum and creating performances based upon their reaction.
    Description
    A 16mm color film directed by Stan Lathan and produced by Chamba Productions about a program to bring children from the local community into the Brooklyn Museum to create performance art.
    The film begins with the camera panning around a room with many cases in the Brooklyn Museum. Children are heard in the voiceover narration describing the statues. The footage also includes close-ups of some of the statues. The next scene shows children and young adults following spoken directions to pretend they are holding various objects in their hands. The narrator describes how the children spent time in the rotunda of the museum for six weeks, and there is footage of the children participating in dance exercises in the rotunda. The narrator describes the idea for the project to bring children together with an object and create a performance around that. The next scene shows an object and children touching the face of another object. Some other children are shown in front of a different museum object and holding the same pose as that object. Children in the voiceover narration describe thinking about the objects and questioning what the people depicted in the objects are doing. As the narrator describes, the children participated in improvisation based on the space and the objects around them. The footage includes a group of students discussing how to put on an improvisation based on an object. The next scene shows the students performing the improvisation in the rotunda that they created. One of the boys reflects on how he did the improvisation. In the next scene, the students perform a dance while a man plays a drum. The next scene shows a man playing the piano and singing and the children sing along with him. The music accompanies a montage of the students doing various activities shown in the film. The final scene shows the students leaving the museum, a bus traveling a city street, one of the students exiting the bus and greeting some friends as the credits appear. The film ends with children playing in a circle on a playground.
    Place filmed
    Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
    Collection title
    Pearl Bowser Collection
    Classification
    Media Arts-Film and Video
    Type
    sound films
    color films (visual works)
    short subjects
    16mm (photographic film size)
    Topic
    Art
    Children
    Communities
    Dance
    Education
    Instrumentalists (Musicians)
    Museums
    Singers (Musicians)
    Theatre
    Urban life
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Pearl Bowser
    Object number
    2012.79.1.63.1a
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Usage
    Not determined
    GUID
    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd52c5ea12e-35e4-4b99-8497-29c7800bf706
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Museum Address

1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560

  • Become a Member
  • Make a Donation

Get Updates

 
    Please leave this field empty
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat
  • YouTube

Privacy | Terms of Use

Back to Top