New Videos

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  Guerrilla Television: Rugby Women, by Eleanor Boyer, Terra Levin, and Jeanne Meyers

  Blog

  In 2021, Media Burn, along with the University of Chicago and other partners, began the “Resurrecting the 1970s Guerrilla Television Movement” project, which is funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources. That grant has funded the digitization, cataloging, and sharing of hundreds of essential tapes from the early history of video, with hundreds more to come. These tapes range from abstract visual studies to documentaries to home movies. They include the work of major artists like Julie Gustafson, […]

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  Having a Ball with the House of Avant Garde

  Blog

  Ballroom culture, popularized both by the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning and the 2018 drama series POSE, is closely associated with New York City. However, Chicago is home to its own rich ballroom history and is often credited as the “birthplace of the ball.” The House of Avant Garde is a cornerstone of this history and the genesis site of a number of prominent figures in Chicago’s ballroom scene, such as Mauren Avant Garde, Tommy Avant Garde, Tracy Avant Garde, Cordell Avant Garde, […]

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  [Club LaRay Talent Show (December 9, 1986)]

  Arts & Culture, LGBTQIA, Performance

  A drag competition at Chicago music and performance venue Club LaRay, followed by a DJ set featuring early House music with footage of club patrons dancing.

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  [Club LaRay Talent Show (February 24, 1987)]

  Arts & Culture, LGBTQIA, Performance

  A talent show and drag competition at Chicago music and performance venue Club LaRay, followed by a DJ set featuring early House music with footage of club patrons dancing. Significant distortion throughout the tape.

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  8/17/23: Virtual Talks with Video Activists: Judy Hoffman

  Events, Virtual Talks with Video Activists

  Hour-long screening and discussion with activist filmmaker Judy Hoffman.

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  Ruth Handler, Beyond Barbie

  Blog

  You’ve almost certainly heard of Barbie, and you’ve maybe heard about Ruth Handler, co-creator of the doll. But did you know that Ruth Handler also founded a realistic prosthesis brand to help survivors of breast cancer? Born in Denver in 1916, Ruth Handler is most well-known for her creation of the Barbie doll, alongside her husband, Elliot, and Harold “Matt” Matson. But many people don’t know that Handler went on to form a prosthesis company. In 1970, Handler was diagnosed […]

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  [Club LaRay Talent Show (June 30, 1987)]

  Arts & Culture, LGBTQIA, Performance

  A talent show and drag competition at Chicago music and performance venue Club LaRay, followed by a DJ set featuring early House music with footage of club patrons dancing.

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  Designing Woman: Muriel Cooper

  Pat Lehman

  An interview with Muriel Cooper, prominent designer and Media Director for M.I.T. Press, about her career and about the prospects for women seeking employment in the arts. Filmed as part of hte series “Career Counciling for Women in the Arts.”