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Indiana University Folklore Institute’s Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Project records, 1979-2004, bulk 1981-1983

A Guide to the Records at the Indiana University Archives

Finding aid prepared by Chad Edward Buterbaugh

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives

Creator
Indiana University, Bloomington. Folklore Institute.

Title
Indiana University Folklore Institute’s Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Project records, 1979-2004, bulk 1981-1983

Collection No.
C588

Extent
.8 cubic foot (3 boxes)

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
The Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Project was a documentary production undertaken by Indiana University's Folklore Institute and Radio and Television Services between 1981 and 1983. The grant-funded project allowed a team of folklorists and film crews to attend the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Festival, a long-running celebration of classic cars and automotive heritage in Auburn, Indiana, 23 miles north of Fort Wayne. The collection consists of materials that trace the evolution of the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Project from planning to debriefing and includes project participants' activities researching and filming the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg festival.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Administrative History

The Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg (ACD) Project was a documentary production undertaken by Indiana University's Folklore Institute and Radio and Television Services between 1981 and 1983. The grant-funded project allowed a team of folklorists and film crews to attend the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Festival, a long-running celebration of classic cars and automotive heritage in Auburn, Indiana, 23 miles north of Fort Wayne.

Principle filming took place in 1982. Videographers captured footage from the festival, which began informally in the 1950s and is still in existence as of 2015. The resulting documentary, Classics Come Home: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg, aired on WTIU, the public television station based in Bloomington, Indiana. Additionally, an article based on the project was published in an issue of the journal Indiana Folklore and Oral History .

Researchers framed this project as a case study of the small-town festival, which at the time was seen as a typical way to promote community identity across the United States. In Auburn, a former manufacturing hub for luxury vehicles, automotive heritage serves as a springboard for giving residents a sense of local history and civic pride. Along with the festival, the city is home to the ACD Museum, a permanent exhibition of classic cars that is open year-round.

Folklore studies and documentary film share an affinity in that professionals from both fields endeavor to capture their subjects in a natural setting. Events or ideas that are integral to everyday life are of interest to both folklorists and documentarians, as shown in this project.

While scholarly publication might seem a more typical product of academic activity, the nature of folklore as everyday art inspires many folklorists to package the results of their research in more publicly accessible formats. Such was the case here. In addition to exploring the dynamics of small-town community identity, Classics Come Home: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg presented an intimate portrait of Auburn, Indiana, back to the people who live there.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into two series: Project overview and correspondence, and Video materials.

Scope and Content Note

This collection is organized into two series: Project overview and correspondence, and Video materials. The Project overview and correspondence series, which spans 1979-2004, traces the evolution of this project from background to proposal to debriefing. This series is organized to reflect the progress of the project. The Video materials series, which spans 1981-1983, gathers audiovisual and print data related to project participants' activities researching and filming the ACD festival. This series is organized in alphabetical order.

Separated Material

One VHS copy of the documentary Classics Come Home: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg ; located in Folder "Video" (see Box 3).

Photographs Pulled

Approximately 50 photos, 15 contact sheets, and several strips of negatives with limited contextual information; all located in Folder "Photos and photo logs" (see Box 3).

Related Material

Additional records such as newsletters, annual reports, bulletins, and publications may be accessed in the Archives of Institutional Memory.

Archived web sites for this unit may be included in Archive-It.

Related photographs may be available in the University Archives Photographs Database .

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Accession: 2003/055, 2010/065
Usage Restrictions
Copyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

Preferred Citation
[Item], Indiana University Folklore Institute’s Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Project records, Collection C588, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
Transferred from the Indiana University Folklore Institute, May 8, 2003 and July 12, 2010.
Appraisal
A number of files have been recycled. These were either duplicate materials or described minor expenses incurred during the project. They did not include any information about the content or production of the project.
Processing Information
Processed by Chad Edward Buterbaugh.

Completed in 2015.

Container List


Series: Box 1 Project overview and correspondence, 1979-2004 

Background materials, 1980-1985,  undated 

Funding, '82,  1981-1982,  undated 

Classics correspondence, 1981-1984 

Proposal, 1981-1984 

Indiana Committee for the Humanities Festival, 1979-1983,  undated 

Indiana Arts Commission proposal, 1981-1982,  undated 

Letters, 1985-2004 

Series: Box 2 Video materials, 1981-1983 

Audiotape indexes, 1982,  undated 

Questionnaires of interviews, 1982 

Script outline, blank release forms, video color forms, museum, 1981-1983,  undated 

Scripts and transcriptions, undated 

Video questionnaire, undated 

Box 3 Photos and photo logs, 1982-1983,  undated 

Video, 1983 

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