COMMUNITY-BASED FILMMAKING: THE BALTIMORE ARABBERS
Ages 16-29
Spring 2018, JHU-MICA Film Center and on location
This videography workshop will explore the world of the Baltimore Arabbers from the inside out. The last horse-powered produce peddlers in the country, the Arabbers have been the subject of countless articles, television segments, photographs, paintings, and documentaries. In this workshop, the documenting cameras will be in the hands of the Arabbers themselves, allowing them to tell their own stories, reveal and contextualize their own history and traditions. Community-based filmmaking emphasizes self-representation, giving "subjects" authority and voice while fulfilling a universal need to tell a story to a wide audience. Fellows will learn effective storytelling, video and audio recording, and editing on Adobe Premiere. They'll support each other in the creation of individual short films reflecting multiple, unique points of view. This project will be of and for the Arabbers, but a few spaces are available to additional student fellows with a particular interest in Baltimore history, the culture of Arabbing, and the production mode of community-based filmmaking. Interested participants must apply for enrollment and should contact the program office directly: 410-244-8243 or youthfilmarts@jhu.edu. Special enrollment limited to 5 student fellows.
Charles Cohen's most recent documentary film is The Crooked Tune, an Old Time Fiddler in a Modern World. He has written for The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post, and Baltimore City Paper.
Dorothy Johns is a proud Baltimore City native. She is the granddaughter of Mildred Allen, the first black female Arabber in Baltimore, and herself worked as an Arabber, maintaining her own stable and advocating for young people to engage in the care of horses. A community leader and activist, she continues to search for new ways to reach Baltimore's youth.
Ayomide Olusina is a Georgia native and an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins University. She is studying natural science and Spanish and does amateur filmmaking on the side.
Les Gray studies Cinematic Arts at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and hopes to inspire the community that inspired her.
