Collecting,
Documenting,
Preserving History
My interest in oral histories began over a decade ago during a stage of dissertation research that took me to memorial sites in Romania, including the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance in Sighet. Recording the stories of those around us is a means of preserving and protecting collective memory. Such stories continue to shape my knowledge of New York, the place I call home, and often guide me toward learning more about my roots. Some voices recorded through the years include tattoo artist Thom deVita; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Sandra Lindsay, RN; Holocaust survivor Paula Weissman; and third-generation deli man Lloyd Lederman.
Image credit: Lloyd Lederman, founder of Jay & Lloyd's Kosher Delicatessen, 2022
December 2020 brought news of a devastating fire at the Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village. Raising the issue of hosting the bell at the New-York Historical Society and coordinating with the Middle Church team on the complex installation details will always be a career highlight. The project opened a new window to learn about historic preservation.
Read about the history of New York's Liberty Bell.
Stay up to date with Middle Church's rebuilding efforts.
Watch some of the press coverage on NBC and PIX11.
Click on the image to visit New York's Liberty Bell exhibition page .
Image credit: Installation of Middle Church's Liberty Bell at the New-York Historical Society, 2021
A Johnny Cash CD on one side of the road, a luggage wheel on the other. A couple of scattered coins. These were just signs of the long, arduous journeys that could be seen on the dead-end road used by thousands of asylum-seekers to cross into Canada. Talking to community members and documenting the marks of these crossings was an incredibly impactful experience.
Image credit: Cristian Panaite, Footsteps, 2018
It began with a small painted rock left by a neighbor at our door. It said: This Too Shall Pass. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the History Responds task force at the New-York Historical Society, I searched for, identified, and collected objects and artworks across New York City and the State. Three key words describing the process: outreach, diplomacy, and persistence. Among the items that will tell the story of the pandemic years to future generations: objects documenting the very first COVID-19 vaccinations, one of Dr. Anthony Fauci's masks; objects from the World Central Kitchen field operation office in New York; street art in support of frontline workers; field hospital items; and ephemera from the Hometown Heroes Ticker Tape parade.
Click on the image to learn more about the New-York Historical Society acquisitions documenting the first COVID-19 vaccinations.
Read the New Yorker coverage here.
Image credit: Collecting In The Time of Covid, New-York Historical Society, 2021