Seminar: Radical Making: Creative Engagement and Special Collections

Abstract

This seminar will consider the creative, and specifically the radical, making process as part of the research, teaching, learning and collection building work in special collections. Taking two tracks, we will first examine not just creative material in and of itself in collections, but work through how and why we might be concerned with the creation processes of materials that become part of special collections. Then, extending from these considerations, we will turn to the work of developing programmatic space within special collections to create critical and reflective art and other material products with inspiration from and in conversation with special collections. Creating physical or digital artifacts in conversation with collections also offers ways into particularly powerful spaces for empowered learning and we are particularly interested in the ways in which these creative art-generating activities can serve to open up debate, celebration, communion and reflection on history. We hope to offer intellectual and creative provocations for teaching and learning work in special collections as well as advice and inspiration for taking such programmatic interventions forward. Moderator: Jessica Pigza, University of California-Santa Cruz