Francesca Roccaforte papers 1977-1994

Finding aid prepared by Stacy Wood, 2013; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575
(310) 825-4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
©2014 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Title: Francesca Roccaforte papers
Collection number: 2165
Contributing Institution: UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material: English
Physical Description: 0.25 linear ft. (1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1977-1994
Abstract: Francesca Roccaforte is a photographer and teacher living in San Francisco, California. This collection contains photographic prints from several of her projects ranging from documenting horse races to Italian historical sites.
Language of Materials: Materials are in English.
Physical location: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.
Creator: Roccaforte, Francesca

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Francesca Roccaforte papers (Collection 2165). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 7384781 

Acquisition Information

Provenance unknown. This collection is part of an outreach and collection-building partnership between the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives , the UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW)  and the UCLA Library .

Processing History

Processed by Stacy Wood, 2013.
The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archive  at UCLA is an outreach and collection-building partnership between the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives , the UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW)  and the UCLA Library . These collections expand the pool of primary source materials available to researchers and to the community at large. This partnership was initiated by CSW and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to inventory, organize, preserve, and digitize more than eighty Mazer collections pertaining to lesbian and feminist activism and writings.

Biography

Francesca Roccaforte was born and raised in New York City, where her early love of photography and aesthetics was nurtured and developed by her parents and environment. Her first solo show was at an organization called the "Door" in the West Village in the 1970s. The "Door" nurtured her creative teenage energy and enabled her to prepare for both intense photographic studies at the School of Visual Arts and Creative Writing at Hunter College in New York. She spent four years immersed in photo studies, and working part time as a documentary photographer, performing arts photographer and darkroom technician. She has taken workshops and classes with W. Eugene Smith, Ansel Adams, Eve Sonneman, Cora Wright Kennedy, Dena, and Alice Beck at the School of Visual Arts.
Roccaforte relocated to the San Francisco area at the age of 23 after a photography trip documenting spirituality and religious customs in Italy, Israel and the United States. She was employed in several photography labs and camera stores and completed her visual arts education in California by earning degrees and/or certificates from The California College of Arts, Berkeley City College and Cal State East Bay. Her thesis project, which focused on portraits and accompanying oral herstories of Italian women was both exhibited and published in the 1990s. She has worked as a freelance photographer, worked in educational and medical institutions and assisted with production and operational aspects of film festivals and accompanying events. Currently, she teaches beginning and advanced digital photography to adult learners. She also exhibits her photographic art in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Scope and Content

This collection consists primarily of photographs taken by Francesca Roccaforte. The photographs that make up the collection are assembled from different series and focus on disparate subjects including gay and lesbian pride events, horse racing, cultural events and self-portraits. Also included in the collection are poems written by Francesca Roccaforte as well as documents related to her professional and academic achievement.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Lesbian photographers -- Archival resources.

Box 1, Folder 1

"The Races" Photo Series. 1977.

Physical Description: black and white photographs, mostly 8x10

Scope and Content Note

Photo series taken at a horse racing track in 1977 at Belmont Park in New York City, NY. The subjects of the photos include spectators, jockeys and horses.
Box 1, Folder 2

Miscellaneous Photos. 1979-1994.

Physical Description: black and white photos of various sizes

Scope and Content Note

A mix of photographs depicting sporting events, social gatherings, marches, candids and posed nude portraits.
Box 1, Folder 3

Gay Games Photos. 1976-1992.

Physical Description: color photographs of various sizes

Scope and Content Note

Photos from several years of Gay Games. Includes both sporting and social events.
Box 1, Folder 4

Miscellaneous Photos. 1977-1992.

Physical Description: black and white and color photographs of various sizes

Scope and Content Note

Various photographs from several different series including: The Water Series 1992 Rocky's Book Series 1976 North Beach Italian 1994 Behind the Door 1994 "Stella" Cafe 1994 2 Budapest 1988
Box 1, Folder 5

Padua, Italy Photographs. 1978.

Physical Description: black and white photos

Scope and Content Note

Photos from a series taken in Padua, Italy.
Box 1, Folder 6

Miscellaneous Parade Photos. 1978-1991.

Physical Description: black and white and color photographs of various sizes

Scope and Content Note

Photographs taken at various gay and lesbian pride events, predominantly in the San Francisco, CA and Oakland, CA areas.
Box 1, Folder 7

Miscellaneous Photos on Matte. 1978-1989.

Physical Description: color photographs of various sizes

Scope and Content Note

Miscellaneous photos, including gay and lesbian pride parade photos, landscapes, and various musical or cultural events.
Box 1, Folder 8

Professional and Academic Documents. 1983-1994.

Physical Description: photocopies and printed paper

Scope and Content Note

Contains resumes, certificates, diplomas and other paperwork related to academic and professional achievement.
Box 1, Folder 9

Self Portraits. 1986-1987.

Physical Description: black and white photographs of various sizes

Scope and Content Note

Self portraits in black and white.
Box 1, Folder 10

Poetry. 1993-1994.

Physical Description: photocopies and printed paper

Scope and Content Note

Various poems written by Francesca Roccaforte.