12c Engaging with Archives: community programs in practice
Tracks
Collaboration and Advocacy
| Wednesday, October 19, 2022 |
| 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM |
Presentation Type
Traditional Paper -- Moderator: Kathryn Dan
Session Information
Community engagement: For the archival profession to remain relevant - or be visible - in the eyes of the public, the profession has to engage with the community on multiple levels. This engagement can be at the individual or personal level - the approach generally adopted by archives is through emphasis on the provision of access. Alternatively, engagement can be on a larger scale and take a more general approach to this relationship. Speakers in session 12 will discuss finding of new areas not only for archival collecting but for building audiences for existing records and the new areas.
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Ms Elysha Rei
A/Manager Engagement Services
Queensland State Archives
Engaging with Archives: community programs in practice
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Since formalising an Access and Engagement team in 2019, Queensland State Archives (QSA) has been developing practices in community engagement, utilising records as agents of social inclusion, regional outreach, and intergenerational exchange. Traditionally valued as primary resource materials for research and documenting the public record, QSA has stretched the application of records to become items of stimulus for conversations with aged members of our community, the conceptual platform for the creation of digital and online games, and creative inspiration for artists and writers to develop new works.
Programs such as ‘Memory Lounge’ use photographic records as a platform for provoking memories and stories which are shared in group conversations, also addressing the challenge of social isolation among our senior community members. The regional touring program features digital engagement projects that gamify records into arcade games and interactive exhibitions, encouraging new generations of Queenslanders to discover and play with history. The Creative-in-Residence program commissions artists to create new series of artworks in response to the content and materiality of records, which is then shared with the public in our foyer exhibitions space and online. These exhibitions have provided audiences with an artistic approach to confront challenging points of history documented in the archives.
These various forms of creative and social outputs have allowed QSA to evolve into a hybrid form of archive – not just preserving the State’s public memory but using archives as a mechanism for generating new memories and connections to Queensland’s history. Through these programs, government records are transformed into tangible social, cultural and personal materials for access to all. As we continue to evolve our practices of record keeping innovation, QSA concurrently aims to deliver initiatives that expand the value of records and inspire new generations and audiences with the potential of their use. This presentation will provide an overview of projects and programs delivering these community engagement results, alongside a practical methodology for other archives to generate their own creative and social practices.
Programs such as ‘Memory Lounge’ use photographic records as a platform for provoking memories and stories which are shared in group conversations, also addressing the challenge of social isolation among our senior community members. The regional touring program features digital engagement projects that gamify records into arcade games and interactive exhibitions, encouraging new generations of Queenslanders to discover and play with history. The Creative-in-Residence program commissions artists to create new series of artworks in response to the content and materiality of records, which is then shared with the public in our foyer exhibitions space and online. These exhibitions have provided audiences with an artistic approach to confront challenging points of history documented in the archives.
These various forms of creative and social outputs have allowed QSA to evolve into a hybrid form of archive – not just preserving the State’s public memory but using archives as a mechanism for generating new memories and connections to Queensland’s history. Through these programs, government records are transformed into tangible social, cultural and personal materials for access to all. As we continue to evolve our practices of record keeping innovation, QSA concurrently aims to deliver initiatives that expand the value of records and inspire new generations and audiences with the potential of their use. This presentation will provide an overview of projects and programs delivering these community engagement results, alongside a practical methodology for other archives to generate their own creative and social practices.
