Postcard Rex: Captioning the Archives
Hello from the cold storage
Hi, all.
It’s been a while! Last year I changed jobs, lead-curated my first exhibition (I say ‘lead,’ because no work of curation is ‘solo’), read, wrote, slept, dreamed, hoped, worked, played, traveled, grew. Things I did not do: keep up with this newsletter. I’m hoping to do so more regularly/semi-regularly this year.
Captioning the Archives, Aisha Sabatini Sloan and Lester Sloan
A writer-daughter’s conversations with her photojournalist father caption his archive of photos of famous people and events of the 20th century. They’re by turns moving, mysterious, and funny as the anecdotes are paused by questions or gaps in memory. No matter how much we think we document or save, the work of unpacking or cataloging an archive reveals how much is continually lost, and how we are forced to write our versions of the past with imperfect information.
If you like it
Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View by Janna Ireland is a lovely catalogue of the incredibly prolific architect’s work, again blurring the lines of art and documentation.
If you don’t
Go full fiction with They’re Going to Love You, Meg Howrey. A daughter looks back at her estrangement with her father, the AIDS crisis, and the vocation of professional ballet.
Things I’ve written lately:
The Hammer Museum wants to be seen, Hyperallergic
Visions of Nursing, Issues in Science and Technology
How Cabinets of Curiosities Laid the Foundation for Modern Museums, Smithsonian Magazine
Park City’s Newest Gin Distiller, Park City Magazine
Adding Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth and Families, Park City Magazine
Gallery Mar Celebrates 15 Years in Park City, Park City Magazine
How World War I Media Brought Conflict to the Public, Smithsonian Magazine
Things I’ve curated lately:
Coming Out West: LGBTQ+ Elders Share Their Stories, at the Santa Monica History Museum. Covered beautifully in LA Weekly by Shana Nys Dambrot.
Upcoming: From the Ground Up: The Life of Vernon Brunson, showcasing some of the >100 architectural drawings of an underrecognized Black building designer, and Un|Housed: A History of Housing in Santa Monica, on the history that led to our current housing problems. More on these soon!