Sign in

Media Burn Archive

@mediaburn.bsky.social
470 followers 258 following 149 posts

Media Burn is a nonprofit dedicated to video’s overlooked histories and its most fiercely independent voices, from the 1960s to today.

PostsRepliesMedia
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 4h
Happy Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest 2026, Chicago! We hope you enjoy the fest as much as Spice the dog enjoys ignoring an apple in this excerpt from the 1999 short film Inner Spice produced by Jacqueline Stewart.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 22h
🎃NEXT WEEK: Learn With Media Burn! Spooky Edition🎃 📆10/8 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive, 348 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607 💸 FREE 💌RSVP via link
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
In this short excerpt from the 1990 documentary Palestinian Diaries, one young man describes how watching tapes helped him get through the boredom of the Israeli-imposed curfews. Watch the full video on our website.
022
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Happy World Heart Day! Take a look at this heart-and-lung machine featured on The Bill Veeck Show . Hosted by major league baseball team owner Bill Veeck, the talk show ran from the late 1950s through early 1980s and covered a wide range of topics.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Show your love for preserving video history! Attend a cool virtual event next week by being either a member of Experimental Sound Studio or (ideally and) Media Burn! secure.qgiv.com/for/mediaburn
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Announcing the 1st World Poetry Slam Day!!! 📅9/26 ⏰2-4pm 📍Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL 60610 💸 FREE, though a $10 donation is suggested 💌RSVP via link in comments Join us as part of an international celebration of the Poetry Slam featuring founder Marc Kelly Smith.
001
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We loved meeting so many SAIC students and other artist-run organizations at the fair this afternoon! Thanks for chatting with us, and enjoying our stickers and temporary tattoos! Here, Executive Director Sara Chapman enthusiastically explains our collection and our preservation process.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Oscar Trujillo, a queer Cuban-American, offers insights on navigating the intersection of his identities. in the 2007 documentary Tal Como Somos which focused on the experiences LGBTQ+ Latinx people. Produced by Judith McCray and Juneteenth Productions. Watch the full video on our website.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Take a v virtual tour of the Media Burn office and hear some words on the importance of video preservation from Senior Archivist Dan Erdman!
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Thanks for learning how to use the internet with us last evening at our September Learn With Media Burn event! And for enjoying some low stakes betting with imaginary money while playing along with a VCR remote controlled game of roulette (patent possibly still pending)! See you next month?
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
TODAY! 🎈 Media Burn Archive will select a surprise vintage educational video from our collections to screen. 📆 9/17 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive, 348 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607 💸 FREE 💌RSVP via link in comments
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The introduction to a 1975 rendition of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf,” filmed before the iconic choreopoem would go on to Broadway. Featuring poet Alta Gerrey, playwright Ntozake Shange, and Paula Moss. Watch the full video on our website.
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Happy Maxwell Street Market day, Chicago! In 1994, the market was relocated by the city to Canal Street to much outcry from vendors. The market reopened at its historic location in 2024, and is now operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Happy Video Games Day! 🎮 This tape features a demo for the 1983 television show "Wired In." Sadly, the program never came to fruition, but would have explored themes of emerging technology in the 1980s. Enjoy cameos from Bill Murray, Lily Tomlin, and footage from a vintage arcade.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
#onthisday twenty-five years ago, the Twin Towers fell, killing 2,977 and changing the American approach to security and counterterrorism efforts. This newsclip reported by Elizabeth Brackett documents the effects of the terrorist attack on downtown workers in Chicago.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
NEXT WEEK! Happy September! Another month, another Learn With Media Burn! Each third Thursday, Media Burn Archive will select a surprise vintage educational video to screen. 📆 9/17 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive, 348 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607 💸 FREE 💌RSVP in comments
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Opening September 4: Histórias Latinoamericanas at MASP! We are proud that "Chicago Boys" by Juan Downey is included in this major international group exhibition. Watch the full documentary on our website: loom.ly/FYX1q6s
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Over 2026? Travel back in time to a day in New York City in 1973, shot by Videofreex members Skip Blumberg with David Cort. Blumberg described the clip as "... the Seinfeld show of video art: it's about nothing. I was practicing camera moves, following action, and editing in camera."
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Happy Star Trek Day! #onthisday sixty years ago, the original Star Trek television series introduced viewers to space, This tape is from a special effects reel for Apogee Productions, showcasing VFX from the movies Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and Caddyshack
021
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Happy Labor Day, Chicago! Watch the full documentary by Tom Palazzolo on our website.
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Happy Read a Book Day! Listen to American Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter BIll Veeck discuss sports history literature with TV sportscaster, host and producer Mike Leiderman at Powell's in 1983. Come for the vintage bookshop footage, stay for the digs against court tennis.
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Announcing the 1st World Poetry Slam Day!!! 📅9/26 ⏰2-4pm 📍Newberry Library, 60 West Walton Street, Chicago, IL 60610 💸 FREE, though a $10 donation is suggested 💌RSVP via link in comments Join us as part of an international celebration of the Poetry Slam featuring founder Marc Kelly Smith.
021
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Chuck Kleinhans (1942-2017) was a scholar and filmmaker, who, often with his partner Julia Lesage, was a foundational figure in modern film studies. Read and watch more in our current online exhibition on our website "Chuck Kleinhans : Dictatorship of the Proletariat."
011
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Last Wednesday, Media Burn gathered at the Chicago History Museum for our first-ever staff retreat. These experiences reinvigorated our commitment to our preservation work and reminded us of the continued urgency to save works on video. Long live the archive!
120
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Happy September! Another month, another Learn With Media Burn! Each third Thursday, Media Burn Archive will select a surprise vintage educational video from our collections to screen. 📆 9/17 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive, 348 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607 💸 FREE 💌RSVP via link
110
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Fresh from the archive: This 1990 documentary directed by John Reilly follows “Twin” James and “Happy” Wilson, who portray Vladimir and Estragon respectively in an all-inmate production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in San Quentin.
031
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Happy Birthday, Mary Shelley! Born #onthisday in 1797, the English novelist continues to inspire across the ages and across art forms, like this song by John Battles called "Frankenstein Created Go-Go Girls." This Chic-A-Go-Go episode originally broadcast on July 16, 2002.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
On this day in 1968, a historically tense and highly protested Democratic National Convention wrapped up in Chicago. The gathering was marred by police violence against protestors who opposed the Vietnam War. This impressionistic view of the convention was directed and produced by Tom Palazzolo.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Happy Panda Fest, Chicago! 🐼 Travel back to Chicago's Chinatown in 1980 through this excerpt from the short documentary Wah Hong: A Medicinal Herb Store by Barbara Sykes. Find the full documentary on our website. 🐼 Credits: production by Barbara Sykes
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Happy Chicago House Music Festival! Watch a bit of history in the making as club goers warm the dance floor of Power House on opening night at the club in 1985, featuring Frankie Knuckles and J.M. Silk. Produced by Phil Ranstrom.
021
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Happy Dog Day! 🐾 Enjoy this excerpt from a cute canine romp captured by a student videographer for Pat Lehman's college course in 1975. 🐾 Credits: Director of 'The Dog', Susan Jarosiewicz Producers: Pat Lehman, Susan Jarosiewicz
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
😎😎in this excerpt from the short documentary Hollywood Comes To Chicago. John Landis goes around Illinois looking for the perfect places to film scenes in The Blues Brothers, including the historic Aragon Ballroom. Credits: Produced by John Davies
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Happy Taste of Greektown, Chicago! Take a cruise down 1998 Halsted Street in this riveting, kaleidoscopic road movie by David E. Simpson and narrated by Studs Terkel. Credits: Produced, Directed, Written, & Edited by David E. Simpson. Photographed by Tsuoyoshi Kimoto. Narrated by Studs Terkel.
012
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Congratulations to all Chicago Triathlon competitors! 🌊🚲👟 Celebrate and commiserate with these participants in the 1993 Downers Grove Bud Lite Mini-triathlon. Credits: camcorder correspondent, Doug Sawyer ; produced by TWTV 🌊🚲👟 Josh, are you an Olympian now??
021
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Happy Eat A Peach Day! 🍑 This clip from Chic-a-go-go's 200th episode features an interview with Canadian musicians Peaches & Gonzales. Much more is available on the Chic-A-Go-Go YouTube page. More episodes will be made available on Media Burn as they are re-digitized and catalogued. 🍑
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Happy Poet's Day! 🪶 Enjoy this student reading hosted at Latino Youth High School in Chicago's Pilsen/Little Village neighborhood in 1978. 🪶 From the Community TV Network (CTVN) collection.
011
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Thank you for coming out for our inaugural Learn With Media Burn! Remember, the advice and exercises in these videos are intended to be used only in conjunction with the advice of your own personal physician. We hope you'll join us on this gentle, stretchy journey again next month!
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
🚨⚠️TODAY!⚠️🚨 📆 8/20 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive Join us each third Thursday for the screening of a surprise vintage educational video from our collections.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Today is World Photography Day! Enigmatic photographer Vivian Maier captured over 150,000 scenes of everyday life. Her work remained completely unknown until after her death. This 2011 documentary by Tom Palazzolo maintains the mystique of Maier's singular approach to recorder her world.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
🚨⚠️NEW PUBLIC PROGRAM ALERT!⚠️🚨 📆 8/20 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive Join us each third Thursday for the screening of a surprise vintage educational video from our collections.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Snippets of life in 1993 on Chicago’s South Side are portrayed in this b-roll footage for the documentary "The End of the Nightstick: Confronting Police Brutality in Chicago" produced by Peter Kuttner, Cyndi Moran, and Eric Scholl.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Our goal is to fill the gap where more traditional archives stop, in telling the stories of people and places who didn’t make it into the history books. We’re proud to be recognized by Illinois Humanities as part of its investment in 50 organizations across Illinois.
033
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Happy Air and Water Show weekend, Chicago! ✈️ Enjoy this more mundane aviation choreography from when Joe Cummings visited O'Hare Airport in November of 1986 to discover just how O'Hare runs from the inside.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
We're thrilled that some videos from our archives made it into the line up curated by former Media Burn video cataloger Phoebe Beckett Chingono for Three Wheel Drive festival!
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Happy Little Italy Festa, Chicago! This street festival takes over Taylor Street for a weekend every August to celebrate the neighborhood's rich history. Take a stoop tour of 1995 Taylor Street in this clip from local show Weekend TV. Main Credits: Andrew Jones [videomaker] Performers: Ben Hollis
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Today marks the anniversary of the the largest blackout in North American history. Emmy Award-winning director Caroline Pahl is gathering home videos, photos, and recordings from that day in New York City for a documentary project. Please share your materials at blackoutoh3.com.
000
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
🚨⚠️NEW PUBLIC PROGRAM ALERT!⚠️🚨 📆 8/20 ⏰ 5pm - 7 pm 📍Media Burn Archive Join us each third Thursday for the screening of a surprise vintage educational video from our collections.
021
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
On this day in 1974, Richard Nixon announced his intention to resign. This clip reveals the moments before the scandal-embroiled presidenttook to the airwaves to announce his intention to resign. Here, we see Nixon is calm and collected, joking with staff as they set up the pool feed.
020
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Today is the Bud Billiken Parade! 🎺🥁🎉 In this clip, historian and writer Studs Terkel visits the South Side of Chicago to see the 1980 parade and recounts the history of the Black migration from the South to Chicago.
010
Media Burn Archive @mediaburn.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
📅August 13 | 2-7pm 📍The CheckOut Chicago Join our friends Feeling Tone at The CheckOut for a day of relevant-to-now samples from Studs Terkel's legendary archive, live music, and conversations with present-day artists, journalists, poets, activists, and other interesting minds.
000