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Indiana University Folklore Institute's Ventriloquism Project records, 1973-1990, bulk 1987

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 Ventriloquism Project records, 1973-1990,  bulk 1987

Collection No.
C589

Extent
.4 cubic foot (1 dc)

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
The Ventriloquism Project was a planned collaboration of the Indiana University Folklore Institute and Radio & TV Services, who hoped to produce a documentary on the contemporary practice of ventriloquism in the United States. Ultimately, the project was not funded. This collection traces the history of the venture from its beginnings to its eventual shelving.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Administrative History

The Ventriloquism Project was a planned collaboration of the Folklore Institute and Radio & TV Services, who hoped to produce a documentary on the contemporary practice of ventriloquism in the United States. Ultimately, the project was not funded. This collection traces the history of the venture from its beginnings to its eventual shelving.

The materials included here are among the last describing the Folklore Institute’s documentary filmmaking activities in the 1980s. Some of the most successful of the Institute’s documentary projects were 1980’s Joy Unspeakable , which investigated Pentecostal traditions in southern Indiana; and 1983’s Classics Come Home: Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg , which highlighted automotive heritage in northern Indiana.

Participants in the Ventriloquism Project worked hard to turn their idea into a documentary. The files in this collection—especially those in Series 2—detail their efforts to solicit financial support from a wide variety of sources. Even though they were unsuccessful in the end, this collection is valuable in that it archives a substantial body of preliminary work. Practitioners or fans of ventriloquism, as well as folklorists or other cultural experts with an interest in performance studies, are likely to find this material stimulating. Scholarly essays, event programs, and individual performers’ publicity pamphlets are among the files.

Arrangement

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

Scope and Content Note

This collection is organized into two series. The first series, Background materials, includes promotional literature, media coverage, and academic publications related to ventriloquism, as well as preliminary research data gathered at Vent Haven, a ventriloquism museum in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. It spans 1973-1987. The second series, Project overview and correspondence, details project participants' search for funding through various sources, including master puppeteer Jim Henson. A full project proposal is also included with these files, which span 1987-1990. All materials are arranged to reflect the movement of the project from ideation to attempted execution.

Separated Material

Two audio cassettes in an envelope dated July 15, 1985, and labeled “FCM Conference”; located in Folder “Audio cassettes" (Box 2).

Photographs Pulled: 3 contact sheets, 11 strips of negatives, and 1 photograph, all located in Folder “Photos & negatives” (Box 2). No contextual information.

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
Accessions: 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 Ventriloquism Project records, Collection C589, 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 include duplicate materials or files listing minor expenses incurred as a part of project research. They do not include any files describing the project’s content or funding process.
Processing Information
Processed by Chad Edward Buterbaugh.

Completed in 2015

Container List


Series: Box 1 Background materials,  1973-1987

Event literature & media coverage 1973-1987, undated 

FCM Conference Audio cassettes 1985 

Performer literature 1983-1985, undated 

Scholarly literature 1980-1987 

Ventriloquism Project – Winona Lake materials 1980-1985, undated 

Other fieldwork materials, undated 

Series: Box 1 Project overview and correspondence,  1987-1990

Project overview, 1987-88, undated 

Ventriloquism correspondence, 1983-1989 

Ventriloquism: NEH 1987-1990, undated 

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