ARTchivist's Notebook: Weary and dissatisfied with everything
At this busy time of year, a round up of recent and upcoming events, publications, and opportunities.
I don’t know about you, but I am pretty exhausted. After a spate of events and work travel, I was happy to be home for a bit…and then promptly got sick. At the same time, there is so much going on! Rather than test your patience with my usual musings, this issue is a round up of recent & upcoming events, publications, and opportunities. I hope you find something of interest.
“MONUMENTS” at MOCA Geffen & The Brick
This powerful exhibition opened on October 23 and it is a stunner. Juxtaposing decommissioned Confederate monuments with works by contemporary artists, it raises important questions about who and how we remember. It’s an especially trenchant intervention in our present moment, as so much history is being willfully erased or censored by the Trump administration. “MONUMENTS” says WE ARE NOT GOING BACK. Please check out my review for KCRW’s Art Insider newsletter.
Curationist Metadata Learning & Unlearning Summit: Metadata Outside the Box
The recording of this year’s Curationist Metadata Summit is now online. We had a great conversation about alternative or subversive approaches to metadata with UC Santa Cruz professor Kyle Parry, Arab Image Foundation researcher Lydia Mardirian, and Los Angeles Contemporary Archive founder and director, Hailey Loman. Check it out to learn more about how metadata can be a site of resistance and repair.
resilient communities, resilient archives: Protecting Heritage, Memory & Land in Palestine & Lebanon
Unfortunately, the deadline for the call for proposals has passed, but I’m looking forward to this important online conference on Nov. 21-22, which seeks to confront the urgent threat of cultural erasure in Palestine and Lebanon by centering the voices of local archivists, researchers, and community stewards. So much history in Gaza City alone has been destroyed.
RUINED: A Heritage of War from UNESCO to NATO
For the Angelenos: Dr. Lynn Meskell will be at the Getty Nov. 22 to discuss how cultural heritage sites are increasingly used in “ruin warfare” as leverage to gain territorial, political, or legal advantage in global conflicts, and how UNESCO and NATO seek to mitigate the fallout.
Museums Moving Forward 2025 Report on Workplace Equity and Organizational Culture in US Art Museums
I am looking forward to reading the latest report from MMF on the state of workplace equity and organizational culture in US art museums. I expect it will not be rosy, but an important read nonetheless.
Curationist Open Call for Museum Partners
This call is for museums and organizations of all sizes who seek to share their digital collections with global audiences. Through its Museum Services program, Curationist provides tailored support for institutions looking to make their collections open, accessible, and widely discoverable online.
Open Letter on the Wakasa Memorial Stone and Site
The Wakasa Memorial Committee is still accepting signatures to this open letter to protect and preserve the Wakasa sacred site and its memorial stone, which was erected by Japanese American prisoners at Topaz incarceration camp during WWII to commemorate James Hatsuaki Wakasa, a prisoner murdered by a camp guard.
I’m not much of a Christmas person, but this effort caught my eye: sending tree ornaments to folks who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire last January. If you have some ornaments you’re not using or would love to make or buy some, I’m sure those who lost everything would appreciate a little dose of holiday cheer.
Groceries for Our Vulnerable Los Angeles Neighbors
LA is also one of the cities hard hit by ICE raids, and many folks are afraid to leave their homes, even to work or buy groceries. Grassroots org Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) Food Distribution is sourcing and delivering groceries to families who need them badly as their incomes and mobility have been compromised. Please donate to this community-based effort to help our neighbors in their time of need.