Coordinated and directed by NHF co-founder Karan Sheldon, this project is a collaboration among NHF, the Queens Museum of Art, and the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. Collections to be cataloged relate to the New York World's Fair (1939–1940) and amateur filmmaking during that era. Materials include original 16mm and 8mm film reels produced by members of the Amateur Cinema League (ACL). Architect Stephen F. Voorhees, who served as ACL president and vice president of the New York World's Fair, wrote, "The New York World's Fair depends upon your camera and your eye to tell other generations that here, in 1939, men and women of good will from all over the earth had the courage to set up a tribute to the ways of peace and the hope of perfection." (ACL Movie Makers, June 1939) The Robert Decker Collection at Northeast Historic Film is Kodachrome color footage. The Queens Museum of Art holds the 8mm and 16mm film of Ritabelle Shore and others. The George Eastman House holds both black and white and Kodachrome film from personal collections shot in New York City including Times Square, Jones Beach, as well as the World's Fair.
Funding for this project is provided through the Council on Library and Information Resources program, Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives.
