Activating the Archive: A Panel Discussion

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February 27, 2023 · Diamond in the Back, On Archives, Workshops

A panel discussion hosted by The Blackivists highlighting archival documentation projects in and beyond Chicago.

A graphic with the header text "Activating the Archive" in the color red, followed by "Panel Discussion with Makiba Foster, Meida McNeal, and Morris (Dino) Robinson, Jr., moderated by Stacie Williams of The Blackivists. Below that text there are three headshots of the presenters and the Diamond in the Back logo in blue, red, and purple. The text at the bottom says "Sunday, March 26th, 2:00PM CST/ 3:00 EST, Virtual via Zoom, ASL and live-captioning provided"
A graphic with the header text "Activating the Archive" in the color red, followed by "Panel Discussion with Makiba Foster, Meida McNeal, and Morris (Dino) Robinson, Jr., moderated by Stacie Williams of The Blackivists. Below that text there are three headshots of the presenters and the Diamond in the Back logo in blue, red, and purple. The text at the bottom says "Sunday, March 26th, 2:00PM CST/ 3:00 EST, Virtual via Zoom, ASL and live-captioning provided"

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED. You can watch the recording below.

Date: Sunday, March 26
Time: 2:00 PM CST / 3:00 EST
Virtual via Zoom
ASL and live-captioning provided

Register Here

Sixty Inches From Center and The Blackivists present Activating the Archive, a conversation with Makiba Foster, Meida McNeal, and Morris (Dino) Robinson, Jr., moderated by Stacie Williams. 

This panel will highlight archival documentation projects in and beyond Chicago and offer insight into how individuals, communities, and groups can promote and engage the public using their physical and digital collections. Attendees will hear various strategies and methods from cultural heritage professionals and memory workers – representing Archiving the Black Web, Honey Pot Performance, and Shorefront Legacy Center–who have implemented successful outreach initiatives and public programs.

By the end of the workshop, you will know: 

  • Metrics for establishing meaningful partnerships
  • Strategies for promoting archival collections for different audiences
  • Tips for equitable budgeting and labor 

Following the panel discussion, there will be time for Q&A, where attendees can ask questions, address specific concerns, and receive support.

Registration is free and open to all ages, experience levels, and interest areas. ASL and live-captioning will be provided.

This workshops is part of Diamond in the Back: Excavating Chicago’s Black Cultural and Material Heritage, a two-year community archiving collaboration between Sixty and The Blackivists, made possible with support from Mellon Foundation.

About the Panelists:

Recently appointed as the director of libraries for the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, Makiba J. Foster’s past leadership roles include successful tenures as the manager of the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) for Broward County Libraries and the Assistant Chief Librarian at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, at New York Public Library. Throughout her career, Makiba has increasingly invested her energies into helping libraries reimagine services to better serve and positively impact the community. Her work includes libraries as incubators for the arts/artists with the creation of a social justice Artist Residency, faculty and community collaborations focusing on the role of libraries and archives in advancing social justice through digital archives like Documenting Ferguson, and co-creating the historic web archiving project Archiving the Black Web (ATBW), a national partnership between HBCU libraries, community-based Black collecting organizations, and Black collecting public libraries.

Meida McNeal is Artistic and Managing Director of Honey Pot Performance. She received her PhD in Performance Studies (Northwestern) and her MFA in Choreography & Dance History (Ohio State). Awards include Field Foundation’s Leaders for a New Chicago, 3Arts Award in Dance, Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, and the Links’ Hall Co-Missions Fellowship. An Independent Artist and Scholar at the intersection of performance studies, dance, and critical ethnography, Meida also teaches at University of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago. Meida also works with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events’ Executive Administration team as the Senior Manager of Arts & Community Impact Investments building and implementing artist recovery programs and creative placemaking grantmaking initiatives. Prior to this role, Meida worked with the Chicago Park District as Arts & Culture Manager supporting community arts partnerships, youth arts, cultural stewardship, and civic engagement initiatives.

Morris (Dino) Robinson, Jr. is the Production Manager at Northwestern University Press. Previously, he served in creative positions in advertising, and later operated Robinson Design. He holds a BA degree in Communication Design and a minor in African American Studies. Dino is the founder of Shorefront, an organization he pioneered in 1995. Within Shorefront, he has authored books, facilitated subject specific speaking engagements and exhibits, and consults on community based archiving, organizing, and programming. Throughout the last 20 years, Dino built a growing collection currently measuring over 500 linear feet, representing the local Black communities on Chicago’s suburban North Shore. The Shorefront Legacy Center houses its collections and library and serves as a space for research initiatives, programming activities and community engagement.