2024 Pop-Up Memory Lab Recap, Attention Collectors: Wikimedia Commons Needs You
Learn more about our 2024 Pop-Up Memory Lab and upcoming virtual program with Art+Feminism on May 15th.
Our second annual Memory Lab has wrapped up, and we're thrilled by the incredible participation and attendance of all who joined us. This year's Memory Lab surpassed all expectations—we digitized 2,000 objects, formed exciting new partnerships, and expanded our community. Thank you to everyone involved for making this year’s Memory Lab an overwhelming success.
TFI Pop-Up Memory Lab Workshops & Events
This year, our Memory Lab Programming Series focused on creative and alternative archival approaches that preserve and present marginalized histories + futures. Among these initiatives was a workshop dedicated to digitizing VHS, Hi8, and MiniDV tapes to empower individuals to preserve their personal legacies.
Event Photo; TFI Pop-Up Memory lab Showcase Evening: Creative Archival Works, 2024. In Memory / For Alvin, Arlette Hernandez.
For our closing event, we hosted our sold-out TFI Pop-Up Memory Lab Showcase Evening: Creative Archival Works, where we screened four short films that use archival materials to retell stories of the past and their communities. Archives remain largely untapped creative sources, and we wanted to change that by offering a platform that celebrates, supports, and showcases works that draw inspiration from and utilize archives in their audiovisual creations. We extend our gratitude to Arlette Hernandez (In Memory / For Alvin), Adriane McCray (MVMTLS), Drew de Pinto (Compton’s ‘22), Katie Heiserman & Elana Meyers (Survival Without Rent) for their participation and for sharing their incredible films with us.
Digitized at the Memory Lab!
This year, we had 40 incredible participants, digitized 2,000 materials, and did over 2,500 scans. This year’s Memory Lab materials span feminist art, zines, videos, photos, interviews, correspondence, flyers, drawings, and other kinds of ephemera. Our media inventory reflects the multimedia nature of TFI’s Digital Archive.
35mm mounted slides: 830
Paper materials: 700
Photographs: 272
Negatives: 173
VHS tapes: 38
Audiocassettes: 3
MiniDV tapes: 7
Optical media (CD-R/DVD-R): 22
Websites: 1
We collaborated with numerous inspiring artists, media makers, and activists. In the following months, TFI will expand existing collections and release new ones featuring Dindga McCannon, Donna Binder, the Estate of Judy Siegel, Women’s Studio Workshop, Cathy de la Cruz, Desireé Rucker, Alida Wilkinson, and others. Stay tuned for the Memory Lab 2024 collection.
Many thanks to our incredible hosts and partners, Pen + Brush, for their invaluable support to the Memory Lab.
Osa Atoe, Shotgun Seamstress, 2006.
Item from Cathy de la Cruz’ upcoming collection featuring zines, records, and other riot grrl paraphernalia. Digitized through a partnership with The Feminist Institute, 2024.
Dindga McCannon and Edgar White, Children of the Night, 1974.
Upcoming addition of children’s books to Dinda MdcCannon’s TFI Collection. Copyright held by Dindga McCannon; digitized through a partnership with The Feminist Institute, 2024.
We also thank New York City Councilmember Keith Powers and The Lawrence B. and Elyse Benenson Charitarian Foundation for making this event possible.
Virtual Program with Art+Feminism— Attention Collectors: Wikimedia Commons Needs You
TFI is thrilled to announce our upcoming virtual program with Art+Feminism — Attention Collectors: Wikimedia Commons Needs You on May 15th at 1:00 PM ET. Archives, special collections, and individuals who collect primary sources typically aren’t rushing to upload their materials on Wikimedia Commons, but we argue that they absolutely should. This virtual event brings together The Feminist Institute and Art+Feminism to discuss how everybody wins when primary sources are uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
TFI will illustrate the importance of open access practices in archives of making by highlighting their work with Dindga McCannon, a feminist fiber artist, muralist, teacher, illustrator, and co-founder of the collective Where We At, Black Women Artists.
Following the presentation, A+F regional ambassador Alison Baitz will lead a brief training on uploading primary sources (and other materials) to Wikimedia Commons. The presentation will cover both the philosophical and technical aspects of uploading. We’ll consider questions like: What does contributing to the Commons mean? How is this part of information activism? Participants will have the opportunity and are encouraged to upload their own materials. Primary source materials, courtesy of Dindga McCannon, will also be provided.