Women's History Month, Dindga McCannon Collection, and the 2024 Pop-Up Memory Lab
Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the new thefeministinstitute.org and announcing an open call for creative works that utilize archival content.
At The Feminist Institute, we celebrate gender-marginalized individuals and organizations’ equal contributions to culture all year—it is the crux of our mission. But we would be remiss not to acknowledge the start of Women’s History Month today.
This Women’s History Month, we celebrate our upcoming Pop-Up Memory Lab and the Dindga McCannon Capsule Collection launch in our digital archive. We are also thrilled to observe the first anniversary of our digital home at thefeministinstitute.org. If you haven’t had an opportunity to browse our website, which was thoughtfully designed by the team at Linked by Air to replicate the joy of engaging with physical archives, we encourage you to explore it and learn more about our partnerships.
In addition, The New York City Bar Association’s United Nations Committee is honoring our information activism as a part of the Fifth Annual International Law Conference on the Status of Women, scheduled for International Women’s Day. We are so grateful for this recognition.
Dindga McCannon Collection Launch
We were thrilled to launch the Dindga McCannon Capsule Collection in our digital archive last month. McCannon was born and raised in Harlem, New York City. She retells the stories and histories of Black women through her mixed-media fiber practice. In the early 1960s, she participated in several activist groups, leading her to join the preeminent Weusi Artist Collective, which supported and gave voice to Black artists, allowing them to freely express and exhibit their ideas. Together with Faith Ringgold and Kay Brown, McCannon later formed Where We At, pioneering a new form of community-based arts education.
Dindga McCannon, Dindga McCannon wearing her quilted vest, 2010.
Copyright held by Dindga McCannon; digitized through a partnership with The Feminist Institute, 2023.
See record.
Our work with McCannon, starting with our initial collaboration at the Memory Lab and ending with her new capsule collection in the TFI Digital Archive, is a key case study of how our partnership model functions. Our model is rooted in feminist ethics of care, meaning that we prioritize relationship-building and collaboration in our partnerships. Our Memory Lab's design reflects this model—a free, participatory archival space that prioritizes feminist histories and legacies. You can read more about our partnership model and the Spring 2024 Memory Lab on the TFI blog.
2024 Pop-Up Memory Lab at Pen + Brush
Our second annual Pop-Up Memory Lab will run from March 7 to April 20 at Pen + Brush in New York City. The Memory Lab aligns with our primary goal to increase access to feminist materials and empower individuals to preserve their analog and digital legacies by offering our archival services to the public.
During the Memory Lab, you can book a 90-minute archival consultation with The Feminist Institute staff to digitize or transfer materials from obsolete media formats. You can learn more about which media formats we can assist with and book an appointment at the link below.
New York City Councilmember Keith Powers and The Lawrence B. and Elyse Benenson Charitarian Foundation provided generous support for our Memory Lab and Memory Lab Programming Series.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot Opening Reception
You can celebrate the opening of the Memory Lab and Pen + Brush’s new exhibition, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, on March 7, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot emphasizes the importance of making and holding space for women artists while also acknowledging the profound impact women have in shaping narratives, sparking dialogues, and igniting change. The Feminist Institute selected a Dindga McCannon work for inclusion in the exhibition.
Memory Lab Programming Series
This year, our Memory Lab Programming Series focuses on creative and alternative archival approaches that preserve and present marginalized histories and futures. This year, we are presenting a Tape Digitization Workshop and an Archival Creative Works Showcase at Pen + Brush.
Tape Digitization Workshop: March 21, 2024, 6:00 to 8:00 pm
Learn how to transfer your Hi8, miniDV, and VHS tapes using accessible digitization tools. Participants will leave with digitization workflows and information on where to purchase equipment.
Archival Creative Works Showcase: April 19, 2014, 6:30 to 9:00 pm
View incredible creative works that utilize archives innovatively, including audiovisual works and digital humanities initiatives. Reception to follow.
New York City Councilmember Keith Powers and The Lawrence B. and Elyse Benenson Charitarian Foundation provided generous support for our Memory Lab and Memory Lab Programming Series.
Open Call for Archival Creative Works
As part of our Memory Lab Programming Series, we have an open call for creative works that utilize archives to present in our Archival Creative Works Showcase at Pen and Brush on April 19th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.
Selected individuals will receive an honorarium for their participation in the event.