Password

Tracing Our Path Through Bronzeville

The Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago has been a creative hub that cultivated the artistry of some of the most influential artists and authors of the twentieth century. To name a few, Margaret Burroughs, Richard Wright, William Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, and members from AfriCOBRA have all established a creative foundation in Bronzeville. Nevertheless, the significance of their contribution is not only the artwork they produced, but also the aesthetic tradition that they established. This aesthetic tradition was founded to reframe the fraudulent historical narrative of African Americans. Today, there are a number of artists who are following this aesthetic tradition. This documentary will introduce its audience to the cultural traditions that emerged from the Bronzeville community. This tradition challenged the status quo through activism, visual arts, literature, and academic research.Tracing Our Path Through Bronzeville will highlight the contributions of various cultural institutions in Bronzeville, and contemporary African American artists that attempted to redefine the image and voice of black culture. This documentary will generate a new perspective on the significance of the cultural legacy of African American art from the perspective of artists who have exhibited their paintings in the Bronzeville art galleries.

  • Reginald Rice
    Director
  • Reginald Rice
    Writer
  • Reginald Rice
    Producer
  • Queen Mother Adilisha
    Key Cast
  • Rahmaan Statik
    Key Cast
  • Triple Blak
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Josef Ben-Levi
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Yemonja Smalls
    Key Cast
  • Dana Todd-Pope
    Key Cast
  • Roger Carter
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Bob Starks
    Key Cast
  • Maséqua Myers
    Key Cast
  • Lindsey E. Bates
    Key Cast
  • Khari B
    Key Cast
  • Dr. Christopher Reed
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Runtime:
    51 minutes 1 second
  • Completion Date:
    February 12, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 35mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Northern Illinois University
  • Bronzeville Historical Society / Reel Black Filmmakers
    Chicago
    United States
    February 17, 2023
Director Biography - Reginald Rice

Reginald J. Rice is an emerging writer, historian, branding analysis, and filmmaker from the South Side of Chicago. Also, he is the president and creative director of FeelSoReel Productions L.L.C. (Functional Engaging Enchanting Legitimate Spontaneous Original Reel). His short films/ documentaries are heavily influenced by life in the city, moral dilemmas, and dismantling invisible walls that divide class and cultures. While growing up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, Reginald began to see what was aesthetically pleasing about what most people consider undesirable and gritty. This change in perspective laid the foundation for Reginald’s journey into learning about the storytelling art form. Today, Reginald is graduate student of Intellectual History. He is currently working on his first feature documentary:” Tracing Our Path Through Bronzeville.” documenting a community of artisans, musicians, and independent artist to demystify the creative process.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“I believe that composition & light are the key elements that have the potential to enchant and capture the emotional core of an audience. In a big city like Chicago we constantly have various devices & noise pollution competing for our attention. It wasn't until I picked up a camera that I began to learn how to isolate objects and understand the impact that an image can have. Visual literacy has become one of the most important goals for me to enhance. In this fast-pace society, we have a tendency to overlook the profound details within an object. Therefore, through cinema my objective is to slowing down time to engage the attention of
the audience in the small details that is crucial to telling stories visually. “