Camille Billops facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Camille Billops
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Camille Josephine Billops
August 12, 1933 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | June 1, 2019 (aged 85) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Los Angeles State College California State University City College of New York |
| Occupation | Visual artist Sculptor Printmaker |
| Spouse(s) | James V. Hatch |
Camille Josephine Billops (born August 12, 1933 – died June 1, 2019) was an amazing African-American artist. She was a talented sculptor, filmmaker, and printmaker. Camille Billops also worked as an archivist, collecting important historical materials. She was known for her unique artistic style and her dedication to sharing Black American culture.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Camille Billops was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Alma Gilmore, was from South Carolina, and her father, Luscious Billops, was from Texas. Her mother worked as a seamstress, making clothes. Her father was a cook. They worked for a family in Beverly Hills, California. This allowed Camille to attend a private Catholic school.
Even as a young girl, Camille loved art. She would paint her bow and arrow set and her dolls. She felt her parents' creativity, especially in cooking and dressmaking, inspired her own art.
Camille Billops went to Los Angeles State College. She graduated in 1960, focusing on education for children with physical disabilities. She earned her first degree from California State University. Later, she received her master's degree from City College of New York in 1975.
Artistic Work and Films
Camille Billops was a very creative artist who worked in many different ways.
Visual Art Creations
Camille Billops started her art career mainly as a sculptor. Her sculptures are now part of important collections. You can find her work at the Jersey City Museum. She also has art in the Museum of Drawers in Bern, Switzerland.
Her first art show was at Gallerie Akhenaton. There, she showed ceramic pots and sculptures. She also tried other art forms like photography, printmaking, and painting. Her art was shown in many places around the world. These included Cairo, Egypt; Hamburg, Germany; and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. She also exhibited in Cali, Colombia.
Camille was a good friend and co-worker of the famous printmaker Robert Blackburn. She helped him start the first printmaking workshop in Asilah in 1978.
Filmmaking and Stories
Even though she started with sculptures and paintings, Camille Billops is most famous for her films. Her movies often told stories about the lives of Black people around the world.
In 1982, she made a film called Suzanne, Suzanne. She went on to direct five more films. One of her most famous films was Finding Christa in 1991. This movie was very personal. It won a big award, the Grand Jury Prize, at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival.
Other films she directed include:
- Older Women and Love (1987)
- The KKK Boutique Ain’t Just Rednecks (1994)
- Take Your Bags (1998)
- A String of Pearls (2002)
Camille made all her films with her husband, James Hatch. Their film company was called Mom and Pop Productions. Many of her films were about her own family. They were often made with her husband and his son, who was the director of photography. For example, Suzanne, Suzanne looked at the relationship between Camille's sister and her niece. Finding Christa was about Camille's daughter, whom she had given up for adoption.
The Hatch-Billops Collection
In 1968, Camille Billops and her husband, James Hatch, started something very special. It was called the Hatch-Billops Collection. They began collecting thousands of books and other printed materials. They also gathered over 1,200 interviews and almost 1,000 play scripts. They did this because there weren't many published works about African American art and culture.
This huge collection was once kept in a large loft in Lower Manhattan. Now, most of it is at Emory University. It is part of the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch archives.
In 1981, Billops and Hatch also started publishing a yearly journal. It is called Artist and Influence: The Journal of Black American Cultural History. This journal features interviews with many important American artists. These are often artists whose work might not have been widely recognized. So far, they have recorded over 400 interviews. This journal is also part of the collection at Emory University.
Teamwork and Books
Camille Billops worked with other talented people on projects. She collaborated with photographer James Van Der Zee. She also worked with poet and scholar Owen Dodson. Together, they created a book called The Harlem Book of the Dead. It was published in 1978 and had an introduction by the famous writer Toni Morrison.
Camille also acted in a play called America Hurrah. This play showed what America was like at that time. She acted in it with her husband, James Hatch. They also wrote a book together called "The Art of Remembering."
Her SoHo Loft
In the early 1980s, Camille and James bought a large art studio in SoHo, Manhattan. It was a big space, about 4,000 square feet. They made it into a studio, office, and library. This space was open to students from City College of New York. Camille once said that they invited everyone there. This included friends, students, and even art gallery owners. She was proud that she could sell her art directly from her home.
Personal Life and Inspiration
Camille Billops had a unique personal journey that influenced her art.
In 1955, Camille met a man named Stanford. She became pregnant with their daughter, Christa. Camille made the difficult decision to give Christa up for adoption in 1960. Her film Finding Christa (1991) is about meeting her adult daughter later in life.
In 1959, Camille met James V. Hatch, who was a professor. They later married in 1987. They lived in New York City, where James was a playwright and theater producer.
Camille's husband, James, influenced her move from visual art to filmmaking. In 1996, Camille and James spent five months in India. This trip helped her explore new artistic ideas. She first worked on plays, then moved into making films.
Her Unique Look
Camille Billops had a very special and noticeable style. One person described seeing her wearing an outfit with beads clicking in her braids. She also wore feathers, a man's hat, and had dark-rimmed eyes. She often wore Afro-Asian necklaces. Her unique style made her stand out, especially as a performer.
Awards and Honors
Camille Billops received many awards for her amazing work:
- 1963: Fellowship from Huntington Hardford Foundation
- 1975: MacDowell Colony Fellowship
- 1975-76: International Women's Year Award
- 1992: Sundance Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize for documentaries for Finding Christa
- 1994: James VanDerZee Award, Brandywine Graphic Workshop
Filmography
Here are some of the films Camille Billops directed:
- 1982: Suzanne, Suzanne (Documentary short) – Director
- 1987: Older Women and Love (Documentary short) – Director
- 1991: Finding Christa (Documentary) – Director, producer, writer
- 1994: The KKK Boutique Ain’t Just Rednecks – Director
- 1998: Take Your Bags (Short) – Director
- 2002: A String of Pearls (Documentary) – Director, producer, production designer
- 2009: And That's the Way It Is (Short) – Production manager
Selected Exhibitions
Camille Billops's art was shown in many places around the world. Here are some of her selected exhibitions:
- 2019: Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia
- 2016: Still Raising Hell: The Art, Activism, and Archives of Camille Billops and James V. Hatch, Atlanta, Georgia
- 1997: Inside the Minstrel Mask, Noel Fine Art Acquisitions, Charlotte, North Carolina
- 1991: Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Oakland, California
- 1990: Clark College, Atlanta, Georgia
- 1986: Calkins Gallery, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
- 1983: American Center, Karachi, Pakistan; Pescadores Hsien Library, Makung, Republic of China
- 1980: Buchandlung Welt, Hamburg, Germany
- 1997: Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey
- 1973: Ornette Coleman's Artist House, New York, New York
- 1965: Gallerie Akhenaton, Cairo, Egypt
Images for kids
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Camille Billops, a talented artist and filmmaker.
See also
In Spanish: Camille Billops para niños
