The Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) cordially invites you to attend a presentation by award-winning Baltimore, MD photographer and author Amy Davis, who will talk about her upcoming book, “Flickering Treasures: Rediscovering Baltimore’s Forgotten Movie Theaters.” Sponsored by Classic Cinemas, this free event will take place at 1PM on Thursday, October 24 at the York Theatre in Elmhurst, IL.
“Flickering Treasures” celebrates the golden age of Baltimore movie-going. In this engagement, Davis will present old and new photographs from her upcoming book, as well as reminiscences from Barry Levinson, John Waters and others that tell a fresh story of one American city – Baltimore – through its movie houses.
Since joining the staff of The Baltimore Sun in 1987, Davis has garnered many national awards as a photojournalist. Her fine art training from The Cooper Union (New York, NY) informs her documentary approach. Photographic work by Davis has been exhibited at The Brooklyn Museum (New York, NY), and is in the collection of the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY.
Davis is one of the first recipients of the THS Thomas R. DuBuque Research Fellowship. Created in 2012, the Fellowship honors the memory of past THS president Thomas R. DuBuque. Intended to support scholars conducting research in the Society’s archives and collections, the Fellowship provides grants of up to $1,500 for research in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archive.
Join us in the York Theatre’s original auditorium 30 minutes before the presentation and enjoy an organ concert on the 2/7 Barton “Baby Barton” Theatre Pipe Organ.
EVENT DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2013
Time: 12:30PM, Organ Concert; 1PM Presentation
Presentation length: Approximately 1.5 hours.
Location: Classic Cinemas’ York Theatre, 150 N York St, Elmhurst, IL 60126
Admission: Free
RSVP: Online at historictheatres.org.
ATTACHED PHOTO CREDITS:
Photo 1: Amy Davis. Image © Robert Cronan.
Photo 2: Arcade – Interior lobby of the Arcade (1928), which originally had shops in an arcade that led from the street to this lobby. It is now a church, with many elements from its theater days still intact. Image © Amy Davis.
Photo 3: Parkway – The Parkway (1915), closed for three decades, will be renovated as the home of the Maryland Film Festival. Seating close to 1,000, it was a Loew’s theater from 1926 until the early 1950’s. Image © Amy Davis.
Photo 4: Fulton – The Fulton (1915) began as a silent movie house named after the actress Gertrude McCoy, and later became a supermarket and then a church before a fire gutted the interior. Image © Amy Davis.
About The theatre historical society of america:
Founded in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) documents the architectural, cultural and social history of America’s theatres. THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of these buildings through programs that include the American Theatre Architecture Archive, Marquee magazine and Conclave Theatre Tour. Visit THS online at www.historictheatres.org.
About The tHOMAS R. DUBUQUE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP:
Created in 2012, the Thomas R. DuBuque Fellowship honors the memory of past THS president Thomas R. DuBuque. Intended to support scholars conducting research in the Society’s archives and collections, the Fellowship provides grants of up to $1,500 for research in the American Theatre Architecture Archive. The Fellowship is sponsored in part bySpringHill Suites by Marriott in Elmhurst, IL. Find out more online at www.historictheatres.org.
ABOUT “FLICKERING TREASURES”:
Movie theaters, the setting where our culture’s dreams and desires have been projected for a century, provided a portal into a world where moviegoers could escape their everyday lives. Baltimore, a thriving city at the dawn of the movie-going era, had well over 200 movie theaters at different times in the 20th century. At least half of these theaters survive in some form as cinematic ghosts on gritty urban streets. About 60 theater buildings, ranging from theater “palaces” to more modest neighborhood movie houses, will be included in the photo book and display a wide range of architectural styles. Flickering Treasures illuminates these mostly forgotten cinemas through evocative color images that capture their evanescence. An artistic documentary approach uses techniques like selective focus to suggest the transitory, precarious existence of these cultural icons. Each new theater image will be paired with an historic photograph from its heyday, showing the dramatic transformation caused by deterioration, renovation or adaptive reuse. For more information on this book-in-progress, please visit www.facebook.com/flickeringtreasures
SPONSORS:
This presentation is sponsored by Classic Cinemas, www.classiccinemas.com
