Research Question: Using shared authority, how can a narrative such as the topic black hair be experienced through an exhibition in a new perspective?
The focus of the topic will be elements of a community driven oral history and art project. This project-based thesis will involve a photographic and an oral documentation/audio interview component. This is a topic that I have been fleshing out through other classes like Intro to Public History and Exhibition Design. I am drawing up inspiration from writers like Michael Frisch on shared authority and looking at groups like the Oral History in Liberal Arts organization who explore topics and projects using oral history. For the artistic aspect, I have been taking inspiration from art exhibitions surrounding black hair topics from artists like Laurna Simpson and Ellen Gallagher. Pieces have also been written on the topic specifically by Kobena Mercer. The piece “Black Hair/Style Politics” does a scope of black hairstyles throughout time and political movements like “Black is beautiful” this will give me context and inspiration for the photo element or even interview questions.
Sources:
- 1. Frisch, Michael H. A Shared Authority: Essays on the Craft and Meaning of Oral and Public History. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2011.
- 2. “Disrupting Authority: The Radical Roots and Branches of ...” Accessed September 29, 2019. https://ncph.org/history-at-work/disrupting-authority-the-radical-roots-and-branches-of-oral-history/.
- 3. Desroches, Jules. “Haitian Identity Formation Project.” Accessed September 29, 2019. http://ohla.info/toolkit/student-project-archive/haitian-identity-formation-project-jules-desroches/.
- 4.Mercer, Kobena. “Black Hair/Style Politics.” Black British Culture And Society, n.d., 111–21. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203360644_chapter_9.
- Simpson, Lorna. “See an Artist's Celebration of Black Hair.” The Cut, June 12, 2018. https://www.thecut.com/2018/06/lorna-simpson-collages-black-hair.html.
Hi Leah! It looks like you've developed a pretty solid base of literature! There's a pretty wide array of literature on topics relating to yours but I'm also glad to see you were able to find one that is almost exactly what you're looking at! It also looks like you have a solid plan of action for the future. I'm excited to see what you'll uncover in your reading and interviews!
ReplyDeleteHi Leah, I am looking forward to seeing how you cultivate contributions because I think the aspect of community contribution is really valuable. It would be interesting to see who else has worked in this area (I think Eboni Jones may be a valuable contact for you. She's at MAG and may be able to connect you with local artists engaging in this subject, too). and you've pointed out a number of them above. I love that you are hoping to focus on first-person accounts of individuals because I agree with you that they can be powerful, perhaps in a way that third-person storytelling can't.
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