In April of 2024 students and faculty at Lorain County Community College and The Lorain Historical Society-Lorain Black History Project, began investigating the viability of creating a digital simulation in virtual reality of two forgotten historical sites, On-Erie Beach and Camp Merriam. During the Jim Crow Era African-Americans created blacks-only recreational beaches, summer cabins, and amusement parks. On-Erie Beach (1921-1946) and the adjacent property, Camp Merriam (1922-1935) were established in west Lorain by two local African-American women. On-Erie Beach afforded rest and replenishment to black communities without fear of violence or humiliation and Camp Merriam offered respite to young, mostly urban black women. Our immersive reality lab (IRIS) and Arts and Humanities students worked in concert to develop a script and build digital 3d models for re-imagining the lost sites. We determined that so little visual evidence remains that an accurate historical recreation would not be possible, but a respectful historical interpretation felt necessary. By researching and interpreting relevant histories and documents at LCCC, we have re-created a memory of a lost past for members of our community.
Documentation:
Credits:
Project coordinator and Artistic Director: Gregory Little, Director of IRIS, LCCC
Producer, researcher and scriptwriter: Janeya Hisle, Lorain Black History Project
Lead Developers, sound design and coding: David LeBron and Gabriel Beckstrom, IRIS, LCCC
Lead 3D Modeling: John Kwasny
Additional 3D Modeling: students in ARTS/CGSD 276, Fall Semester, 2023
Textures and Digital Painting: Deshanaye Cannon
Script development: Janeya Hisle, Sarah Baldwin
Faculty Advisor and research: Jewon Woo, PhD
Voice-overs: Pamela Brooks, Ron Jantz, Michael Smith
