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It was the early 1900s and Northeast Florida was experiencing its “Gilded Age” as a winter playground for the nation’s wealthiest and most famous including the biggest stars of the silver screen. The frigid temperatures of New York and Chicago, where the nation’s film business originated, damaged film stock and dismayed starlets. As luck would have it, the New York-to-Florida railroad track provided a straight shot from the Big Apple to the Sunshine State. And so was born Northeast Florida’s status as the “Winter Film Capital of the World.”

By 1916, Jacksonville telephone directories listed more than 30 motion picture companies. Among them was the Eagle Studios, a five-building complex built in 1916 in the heart of Jacksonville’s Arlington district. By 1920, the property changed hands and became Norman Laboratories, specializing in motion pictures and “talking picture equipment.” The complex became the home and creative center of Richard Norman, who between 1920 and 1928 made six feature films and scores of shorts. He also made history as one of a handful of filmmakers brave enough to break the racial barrier in the motion picture industry just a few years following the release of D.W. Griffith’s still controversial “Birth of a Nation.”

“My father was disheartened about the state of race relations at the time, both in real life and in the movies,” says Capt. Richard Norman, Jr., the filmmaker’s son. “He set out to help give the black community a stronger place on film, behind the cameras and in the theatres.”

Norman was among the first, along with filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and the Lincoln Motion Picture Co., to make “race films.” These movies defied the mainstream by starring black actors in positive roles and giving black crewmembers well-paying jobs. Thus began a movement to establish an independent black cinema at a time when blacks were stereotyped and demeaned in mainstream movies. In Norman films black characters were heroes and heroines, leaders and lovers.

In 2002 after a passionate campaign, the city of Jacksonville purchased four of the five Norman buildings, including the main production building where Norman developed and screened his films, the generator shed, the wardrobe cottage, and the prop storage garage. Our 501(c)3 organization was formed to protect and preserve the Norman property and its history. Long term plans for the complex include a silent film museum, a venue for independent filmmakers to screen their projects, industry-related workshops, and a summer camp designed to teach children about film career choices. Join us in preserving this unique snapshot of motion picture history.

Look what we found. A new gallery called Smart Gallery in San Marco located at 1990 San Marco Blvd. (2 doors down from the San Marco Theatre). The doors were locked as they prep the inside. More details coming soon.

P.S. Do you like the tree growing out of my head?

UPDATE:
Smart Gallery Hours
Wednesday-Sunday 11am-6pm

Call for appointment 904-716-2719

B-Boy Battle Breakdance Competition at RAM from RAM on Vimeo.

The Summer in the City B-Boy Battle Breakdance Competition rocked the River Stage at the Riverside Arts Market on August 14th, 2010.

EU Magazine’s Jack Diablo talks about Jacksonville Music Video Revival.

Art for HOPE
Thursday, August 26, 2010
5:00 – 8:00 PM

Palm Valley Gardens
4975 Palm Valley Road
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

Tickets are $40 each and are available at www.JudyNicholsonFoundation.org or (904) 504-8513.