Firmly ensconced in middle age, I recently returned to the religion of my youth: Buddhism. And as I enter a phase of life where I lose more people than I welcome into the world, it has proven a helpful balm for inevitable loss and change. It has also made me wonder how Buddhist principles might be applied to metadata (I know, bear with me).

The other day, the Buddhist sangha I attend brought up the “Five Remembrances,” reminders that sit at the very heart of what it means to be Buddhist: acceptance. They are:

1. I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.
2. I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.
3. I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Because I’ve also been doing some talks on reparative and liberatory approaches to metadata, it struck me that the remembrances might be a useful template for a statement around iterative, care-centered metadata practices. Information professionals often have perfectionist tendencies (just sayin’) that can make decisions around how to represent marginalized groups of people or liberation struggles cause for self-doubt and anxiety about “getting it right.”

So, in the spirit of greater self-compassion and fluidity, I offer these Metadata Remembrances:

1. I am of the nature to make mistakes. There is no way to escape making mistakes.
2. I am of the nature to have a limited perspective. There is no way to know everything.
3. I am of the nature to be short-sighted. There is no way to know the future.
4. Information and access needs are of the nature to change. Metadata is a living and flexible medium.
5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand.

Opportunities

Archives Editor position at Metabolic Studio

Metabolic Studio, led by artist Lauren Bon, does cool site-specific projects that address important social and environmental issues.

Looking for Archive Editor—full-time (or part-time) employee, expected duration of approximately 12 months.

We are looking for someone to help shape a publication and exhibition on Metabolic Studio’s long-term Payahuunadü (Owens Valley) projects. These include One Hundred Mules Walking the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the Glass & Water Orchestra, IOU Soil, the IOU Garden, and the ongoing Gertrude Stein Salon. This position will culminate with a published catalog and a related exhibition. The role involves structuring archival materials, mapping relationships, and collaborating on narrative. We seek someone with archival or editorial experience, and familiarity with ecological or social-practice art.

If you fit this description, send your cover letter and resume to info@metabolicstudio.org.

Andy Warhol Arts Writers Grant

I probably don’t have to post this, as they get so many applications, but I received one of these early in my art writing career and it made a huge difference! Deadline is May 6, 2026.

The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant supports emerging and established writers who write about contemporary visual art. Ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 in four categories—articles, books, short-form writing, and translation—the grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from short reviews for magazines and newspapers to in-depth scholarly studies. The program also supports art writing that engages criticism through interdisciplinary methods and experiments with literary styles.

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Black Reverie Ghana

Memory worker and artist Tatiana Bryant is leading an arts and cultural heritage tour of Ghana, July 24th - August 2nd, 2027. It looks fabulous!

Black Reverie Ghana is part seminar, historical immersion, hands-on craft-making, and multi-city tour to enrich participants' historical understandings of West African art, museums, archives, and history by learning the living, contemporary trends in art making and collecting, artisanship, cultural heritage, print culture, and institutional curation and programming.

Over the course of 9 days, we will explore museums, galleries, historic sites, libraries, archives, and artist studios across Accra, Kumasi, and the Cape Coast. We will also celebrate craft by learning papermaking and preservation, batik (textile) painting, and beadmaking.

>Learn more