Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Proposal for Final Project (preliminary)


Initially, I had a hard time coming up with an idea for a project. The readings and sites from this week inspired me to think about how history and art intersect, an activity that required some inbreeding between my historical interests and background as a visual artist (where I have traditionally relegated storytelling). I feel that this project could serve as an opportunity to try to bridge the gap.

The sites Welcome to Pine Point, Small Town Noir, and the Digital Vaults of the National Archives motivated me to think creatively. Pine Point and Small Town Noir both told poignant and touching stories, feelings that I would like my project to also radiate. The Digital Vaults succeeded in demonstrating the connections and complexities that a single era/event/person entails.

Currently, I am researching the Civic Club of Philadelphia and their efforts to centralize the School District of Philadelphia. Prior to 1905 locally elected ward boards ran Philadelphia schools with their individual neighborhoods, monitored by a loosely constructed and minimally powerful central Board of Education. The Civic Club was one organization among many Progressive Era reform groups. Specifically, I would like to tell the story of one campaign that the Civic Club ran in 1895 to get two women of the club elected to the Ward Board of the Seventh Ward.

I do not have access to much of the primary material to create a digital archive of the event, yet I am collecting materials related to Progressive Reformers of Philadelphia with Omeka that I can link to my final project.

I am imagining creating a series of multimedia images and possibly animations (potentially posted to a blog, as this will not require that I pay for hosting) that could serve as a teaching tool for students. The subject matter will revolve around the Civic Club’s campaign of 1895, but will try to connect the narrative with other event, people and places.  

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