An immersive gallery installation that projects Jewish homegrown movies on three giant screens, Jewish Homegrown History uses home movies to explore the dynamic interplay between personal memories and collective history. The vibrant films document diverse immigration trajectories and the identity issues they raise. They emphasize the complex negotiation of rival allegiances to new locations and homelands left behind, and also the complex relations Jews forged with other ethnic communities within California. Unlike most other cultural histories of Jews, which begin in the East with Ellis Island, this exhibition focuses on the Jewish experience in the West, a reversal that enriches our understanding of the broader history of Jews in America.

Conceived and created by The Labyrinth Project, an art collective and research initiative on interactive narrative at USCs School of Cinematic Arts, the exhibition offers the opportunity to interact with Labyrinths online multimedia archive specially compiled for the exhibition. Learn how you can add your own family stories and images to this expanding homegrown history and become engaged in preserving the cultural heritages of our families and our communities.