A Serendipitous Meeting in the 1960s
James Hatch and Camille Billops met in the city of Angels at the start of the 1960s when the decade was just beginning to whirl and roar, taking this country to an emotional peak, leaving little the same as before. Camille Billops was singing in the chorus of Fly Blackbird, a Civil Rights musical written by C. Bernard Jackson and James Hatch. The show moved to New York where it won the 1962 Obie for Best Musical. Camille Billops wanted to play the lead ingenue. Instead, James Hatch gave Camille Billops the lead in his life. And the rest is history. Literally.
Pioneers of the Hatch-Billops Archives
Playwright, poet, editor, biographer, and professor, James Hatch, and Camille Billops, artist, potter, singer, painter, graphic designer, sculptor, and filmmaker, are history’s stewards. They found a niche and filled it with their commitment, talent, and energy. They created the Hatch-Billops Archives, a private library housed in the SOHO loft where they live and hold periodic Sunday salons. In addition to an extensive library, they have a collection of slides and rare magazines, over a thousand oral history tapes, and an impressive art collection.
Educational Innovators with Global Influence
History took hold of them in the mid-sixties at City College where they both taught after returning from a three-year stay in Egypt, courtesy of a Fulbright scholarship. “I was right where I wanted to be with all those bright, ambitious minds,” remembers Jim Hatch, who is still teaching at City and also at CUNY’s Graduate Center. He recalls the era of “black is beautiful,” during which he was recruited to teach black theatre in the evenings. Lacking resources, he began compiling his own materials.
Establishing a Resourceful Legacy
Camille was teaching ceramics in the City’s Art department and collecting black art slides. As demand for their materials grew, they established their organization, receiving funding in 1968 from the National Endowment for the Arts and being chartered as an educational research library by the State Board of Regents in 1975. Camille handled the legal work, writing proposals and serving as president and fundraiser.
Capturing Oral Histories
The Hatch-Billops Archives publishes a yearly journal of interviews conducted several Sundays a month in front of an invited audience. Hatch, as the journal’s editor and publisher, conducts interviews with individuals distinguished in arts, music, dance, cinema, and architecture. They focus on older individuals to capture untold stories before they are lost, emphasizing the importance of dissemination.
Explorations in Filmmaking
Jim Hatch and Camille Billops also make films together. They’re making one this summer. When asked about their films, Jim says, “It’s our fourth film,” a docudrama titled KKK Boutique, Inc. Ain’t Just Rednecks. It’s a 90-minute film exploring racism within ourselves.
“Our first film was called Suzanne, Suzanne. It was about Camille’s niece who suffered through child abuse, heroin, and crime. Camille was proud that she survived. The film was successful, shown at the Museum of Modern Art, New Directors Series, and on Channel 13 in 1983.”
“The second film focused on older women and younger men, looking beneath stereotypes and discussing both the discrimination and joys involved. Women liked it. Men didn’t.”
“Our third film, Finding Christa, which I’m taking to Sundance, is about Camille’s search for the daughter she gave up years ago. It’s a docudrama with fantasy sequences to explore emotional themes.”
A Unique Filmmaking Approach
“We make our films in a mom-and-pop style, which means low finances. We raise the money ourselves. Our films are cinema vérité, unscripted, using real people dealing with real issues. We add fantasy for insight. Their simplicity, honesty, and the ability of people to be themselves make them good. This is the age of confession. It’s amazing what people will reveal on camera.”
Addressing Financial Challenges
When funding cuts threatened their work, Camille’s resourcefulness showed. She organized an art auction in October to cover the shortfall. “I’m not salaried,” says Jim. “Camille raised funds for her salary two years ago. A major challenge remains: keeping the collection intact. The Library of Congress would take everything except the art collection, and the National Gallery would take the art, but we want it all kept together.”
Open to Scholars and the Public
Hatch-Billops at 491 Broome Street is open to the public, students, and scholars. One simple condition: You must call first. The telephone number is 966-3231.
Recognition at Sundance
[Editor’s Note: At the Sundance Film Festival, Camille and Jim’s Finding Christa shared the Grand Jury Prize in Documentary with the British film A Brief History of Time.]
See the complete issue of ROUTES, A Guide to Black Entertainment February 10, 1992 as PDF.
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