Archives West Finding Aid
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Seattle on the Spot Oral History Project, 2015-2017
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Black Heritage Society of Washington State
- Title
- Seattle on the Spot Oral History Project
- Dates
- 2015-2017 (inclusive)20152017
- Quantity
- 12 sound recordings : digital
- Collection Number
- 2018.104
- Summary
- Interviews conducted in connection with the MOHAI exhibit "Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith"
- Repository
-
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Funding to inventory, assess preservation concerns, and rehouse the collection was provided through a 2018 grant awarded by 4Culture.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Albert "Al" Smith grew up at Fifth Avenue and Jefferson Street above a grocery store and attended O’Dea High School in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. After sailing around the Pacific Rim as a steward on merchant vessels, Smith returned to Seattle with a new camera and a desire to capture his home city on film. What started as a hobby soon became an art and a profession, with Smith starting his own photography business, called "On The Spot." The MOHAI exhibit "Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith" was a glimpse into Seattle’s African American community and the Central Area neighborhood, the local jazz scene, as well as the life and the work of this unique artist.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection was a joint project of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State and the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) to collect oral history interviews in connection with the 2017 MOHAI exhibit "Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith." The collection consists of eight interviews: Howard Giske, Carol Peoples-Procter, Jackie Lawson, Delores Davis, Carver Gayton, Gertrude Peoples, Shirley Wilcox, and Barney Hilliard.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
All of the interviews are available in digital format as .mp3 files made from master .wav files.
Transcript are available for all interviews; restrictions may apply.
Restrictions on Use
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Seattle on the Spot Oral History Project, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Description | Dates |
|---|---|
| 2018.104.1: Oral history interview with Howard Giske
Interview with Howard Giske, Curator of Photography at MOHAI, about the Al Smith Collection and MOHAI's
plans to preserve it.
Interview conducted by Al (Butch) Smith, Jr.
|
2015 April 21 |
| 2018.104.2: Oral history interview with Carol Peoples-Procter
Interview with Carol Peoples-Procter of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State, about Al Smith,
his photos, and the project to preserve them.
Interview conducted by Al (Butch) Smith, Jr.
|
2015 June 10 |
| 2018.104.3: Oral history interview with Jacqueline "Jackie" Lawson
Interviews with Jackie Lawson, past President of the Black Heritage Society of Washington State about her
memories and perceptions of Seattle photographer Al Smith and his photography of Seattle's African American community
in the Central Area. Jackie Lawson's cousin Chris Jones joins the second part of the interview.
Interview conducted by Al (Butch) Smith, Jr.
|
2015 August 15, 2017 March 15 |
| 2018.104.4: Oral history interview with Delores L. Davis
Interview with Delores Davis about life in Seattle's African American community in the Central Area in the
mid-twentieth century.
Interview conducted by Howard Giske and Chris Jones.
|
2017 February 13 |
| 2018.104.5: Oral history interview with Carver Gayton
Interview with Carver Gayton about his recollections of Al Smith and his photographs of the African
American community in Seattle's Central Area.
Interview conducted by Howard Giske and Al (Butch) Smith, Jr.
|
2017 February 25 |
| 2018.104.6: Oral history interview with Gertrude Peoples
Interview with Gertrude Peoples about her recollections of Al Smith his and his photographs of the African
American community in Seattle's Central Area.
Interview conducted by John Peoples (her son).
|
2017 March 17 |
| 2018.104.7: Oral history interview with Shirley Wilcox
Interview with Shirley Batiste Wilcox about her recollections of Al Smith his and his photographs of the
African American community in Seattle's Central Area.
Interview conducted by Carol Peoples-Proctor and Chris Jones.
|
2017 March 23 |
| 2018.104.8: Oral history interview with Barney Hilliard
Interview with Barney Hilliard, a saxophonist, about Seattle's African American music scene and life in
the Central Area in the mid twentieth century.
Interview conducted by Howard Giske, Paul de Barros, and Chris Jones. Paul de Barros joins Howard Giske
for the first interview, and Chris Jones on the second.
|
2017 December 18 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- African Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jazz
- Music--Washington (State)--Seattle
Personal Names
- Smith, Albert J., Sr.
Geographical Names
- Central District (Seattle, Wash.)
- Seattle (Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Oral histories
- Sound recordings
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Museum of History & Industry (Seattle, Wash.) (creator)
Finding aid prepared by Jody Hendrickson
2019
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
