Winter Break plans

Over winter break, I hope to spend time working on interviews for my Sperr Memorial Park audio tour. This includes drafting lists of questions, contacting potential interview candidates, conducting at-home interviews (I hope to interview Rochester-based individuals when we come back in January), and spending time visiting AJ (Trooper Sperr). I try to make a point to visit him each time I come home, but it'll be interesting to really take the time to just be present at the park, and to see how all the research I've been conducting this semester informs/transforms my park experience.

I also have a local contact (and dear friend) who I'd like to touch base with --she's a photographer, so I think she'd be perfect for taking high-quality photos of the park to use for my tour. Speaking of photographs, here's one from Sperr Memorial Park this past weekend (before the Big Flats area was plummeted with power outages and snow). Some kind stranger had decorated the tree near the children's playground and, because it's seasonally-appropriate, I thought it'd be nice to share.

View of the children's playground and a decorated tree at Sperr Memorial Park. Photo taken by the author in November 2019.

Stay warm, everyone!

How has my project changed so far?

I'm pleased to report that my choice of topic has continued to solidify since my first blog post in September. I'm still just as dedicated to AJ Sperr and Sperr Memorial Park now as I was then.

Some things, however, have changed, and some important realizations have been made. I've played a bit with my research question (the current draft uses the term "emotional recontextualization," so I'm quite excited about that), and I've narrowed the scope of my project to make things more feasible. I've also been benchmarking potential software to make my app/audio tour, and submitted an application to the COLA Student Research Fund. All in all, things have started moving on the project front!

On the research/writing front, things are...dawdling. Writing the literature review has taught me that I've picked up quite a few bad habits throughout the course of my undergrad career, and I'm learning to remedy that ASAP. I spent the past weekend analyzing my current writing and time management skills, and have developed some new strategies that I'm looking forward to applying in the weeks ahead. As some of you can probably also attest, there are growing pains involved in academic writing, but I'm ready to see where this takes me. If I come out of this a better writer, then I'll have at least partially succeeded.

As of right now, I see my project having a life beyond the thesis deadline. By that, I mean that there'll be long-term maintenance involved as this project continues to grow and evolve well after May 2020. There's stories still to be told and there'll always be memories left to uncover at Sperr Memorial Park. I can't see the big picture just yet, but I can already tell that this project is going to have a ripple effect.

Blog Post #4: Revised Statement of Topic, Research Question, and Sources

Research Question: How can digital memory capture add context to and increase emotional accessibility at an existing public memorial site? 

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Paragraph Statement of Topic: 

(Biographical/Historical Note) 

On March 1, 2006, Trooper Andrew J. Sperr was killed during a routine traffic stop in the town of Big Flats, NY. Unbeknownst to Trooper Sperr, the vehicle he had stopped contained suspects from a bank robbery that had just occurred nearby. He was able to wound both suspects, which aided in their later arrest, before succumbing to his wounds on-site.

Out of tragedy, something beautiful was created: the site where Trooper Sperr lost his life was quickly transformed into Sperr Memorial Park. The park, notable for its two stocked bodies of water and scenic walking trail, has become a popular site for both public reflection and recreation. Many believe that Trooper Sperr, who was an avid outdoorsman, would be delighted to know that his legacy lives on in this manner.
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Sperr Memorial Park operates as a locus of public memory surrounding the life and legacy of Trooper Andrew J. Sperr, as well as the other fallen members of law enforcement memorialized on-site. This project was born of the earnest desire to tap that memory font before it is lost to the desensitizing pressures of time.

Through the use of an app-enabled audio tour, visitors to Sperr Memorial Park will be able to access the public memories surrounding Trooper Sperr in an unprecedented way. App users will be invited to listen to stories from Trooper Sperr's friends and loved ones, and will also be afforded the opportunity to share memories of their own. It is hoped that through the app's creation of increased emotional accessibility, that the users' understanding of public memorials will be both informed and transformed by their experiences at Sperr Memorial Park.
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Sources
Dickinson, Greg, Carole Blair, Brian L. Ott, and John Louis Lucaites. Places of Public Memory: The Rhetoric of Museums and Memorials. Tuscaloosa, UNITED STATES: University of Alabama Press, 2010. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rit/detail.action?docID=565716.

Doss, Erika. Emotional Life of Contemporary Public Memorials: Towards a Theory of Temporary Memorials. Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS, THE: Amsterdam University Press, 2008. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rit/detail.action?docID=419805.

Hamilton, Paula, and Linda Shopes. Oral History and Public Memories. Philadelphia, UNITED STATES: Temple University Press, 2008. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rit/detail.action?docID=368716.

Papailias, Penelope. “Witnessing in the Age of the Database: Viral Memorials, Affective Publics, and the Assemblage of Mourning.” Memory Studies 9, no. 4 (October 1, 2016): 437–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1750698015622058.

Tumblety, Joan. Memory and History: Understanding Memory As Source and Subject. London, UNITED KINGDOM: Routledge, 2013. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/rit/detail.action?docID=1170329.

Draft Statement of Topic & Research Question

DRAFT Research question: How can digital memory capture add context to and increase emotional accessibility at an existing public memorial site? 

(Additional questions: How can memory be preserved digitally? How does public memory and/or the use of public memorials evolve over time? Are public memorials considered sites of active grieving? Does digital memory capture have the potential for retraumatization? If so, what are the best practices for empathetically addressing the more difficult aspects of public memory and memorialization?)
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(working definitions)
digital memory capture: photographs, videos, audio recordings, digitized keepsakes, etc.

emotional accessibility: how often and to what degree can the visitor forge emotional connections to individuals memorialized on-site and/or to the experiences/memories of the individuals' families
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Statement of Topic:

Thematic Locus: Sperr Memorial Park, Big Flats, NY

If you saw last week's post, then you've already met my friend Andy Sperr. In case you didn't, let's quickly recap: Andrew J. Sperr was a New York State Trooper killed in the line of duty on March 1, 2006. His legacy, realized through the creation of Sperr Memorial Park, lives on through those that loved him and those affected by their experiences in the park. For both myself and members of the immediate community, Sperr Park is not only appreciated as a sacred space, but is also considered a site of public memory.

For my Senior Thesis, I would like to create an app-enabled walking tour of the different memorials at Sperr Park. (What I've been informally calling the "love child of walking tours and StoryCorps.") Through interviews that I will conduct, app users will be invited to listen to audio recordings from the families of individuals memorialized on site. It is my earnest desire that the app experience would not only enhance visitor appreciation, but also increase the understanding that the names inscribed on stone and bronze tablets belonged to individuals that should never be forgotten.

This project will exist at the intersections of public memory, commemoration and digitization, and will always be conducted with reverence and empathic understanding.
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A view of the water from the walking trail at Sperr Memorial Park. (Photo taken by the author in June 2019.)

My Senior Thesis Topic

Hi everyone,

I'd like you to meet my friend, Andy. I never met Andy in life-- which sounds strange, but I promise I'll explain it in depth later.

Memorial to Trooper Andrew J. Sperr. (Eloise the Chihuahua for scale.) 

Andrew J. Sperr, also known to his family and friends as "AJ," was born on December 21, 1972, in Rochester, NY. In 1966, Trooper Sperr graduated from the NYS Police Academy, and later transferred to Troop E, in Horseheads, NY (1). 

On March 1, 2006, Trooper Sperr was killed during a routine traffic stop, unaware that the individuals in the vehicle had just robbed a bank nearby (1). He had just reached his ten-year career milestone in law enforcement.

Out of tragedy, something beautiful was created: a memorial park was established at the site where Andy lost his life. As an avid outdoorsman, he would be delighted to know that his legacy is realized through a walking trail, two stocked bodies of water, and countless enjoyment from visiting friends, families, and fisherman (1).

Over this past year, Sperr Memorial Park, located in the town of Big Flats, NY, has become one of my all-time favorite places to visit. I went there pretty often over the summer to not only recharge, but also, as a form of personal catharsis, have conversations about life with Andy. I know in my heart that he's always listening.

If all goes to plan, I'd like to make Sperr Memorial Park the locus of my Senior Thesis. It's a powerful site of public memory, not just for the legacy of Trooper Andrew Sperr, but also for the other members of law enforcement memorialized on site. I want to explore the nature of public memory, how it evolves over time, and how the public utilizes these sites. Most importantly, however, I want to create something that Andy and his family would be proud of. I want to create a space in which my very dear friend can reach new audiences and continue to shine his light.

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1. "AJ's Biography." Sperr Memorial Park. Accessed September 16, 2019. http://www.sperrmemorialpark.org/BIOGRAPHY.html.

First Blog Post

Hi all, 

I’m Landyn, a fourth-year in the Museum Studies program. 

The first museum experience that I can recall was in 2007, when my mom,
upon learning that I had selected Betsy Ross as the subject of my second-grade
book report, squirreled me away on her yearly trip to Philadelphia. To this day,
I’ll swear that visiting the Betsy Ross House --and later, the Tutankhamun and the
Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit at the Franklin Institute* -- caused
something to awaken in me. Through museums, my insatiable quest for
knowledge found its home, and I like to think that I did too. 

For me, museums have always been a safe space-- a space in which I can
learn without restriction, and breathlessly share knowledge. In museums,
I’m allowed the chance to flex my brain-- to shamelessly become, as I so fondly
put it, “a plethora of useless knowledge.” It’s a constant source of intellectual
stimulation, and no two museum experiences are ever the same.
Honestly, it’s intoxicating. 

I’m fascinated by the museum experience, by that “Oh!” moment when everything
comes crashing down, and the visitor’s worldview realigns to accommodate
something new. It’s my belief that everyone --regardless of race, gender,
socioeconomic status, etc.-- deserves to experience the “Oh!” moment in the
museum space at least once in their lifetimes. 

My quest to expand my knowledge base has diversified these past few years.
Nowadays, it’s not good enough for me to think only of my own comfort
in the museum space-- I need to know that everyone is afforded the same rights
concerning knowledge and accessibility. I need to strive to constantly amend my
worldview, continually develop my sense of empathy, and always keep learning. 

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*Seven year-old Landyn was a weird little kid knee-deep in her Egyptology phase. Why talk
about Disney princesses when I could tell you all about my favorite Egyptian goddess? 

A photo from my most recent Philadelphia trip. I'm always a sucker for museum ethics!