Archiving at a Crossroads

Introduction In fall 2024, as part of the Eugene Lang College’s Social Science Fellowship, I interned in the curatorial department at the Museum of the City of New York. One of my responsibilities involved sourcing archival images for the Urban Stomp: Social Dance in...

The Power of Place-Based Stories

“Is that 16th Street? Where it turns into César Chávez?” Rigo asked his teacher.1 She nodded, and he continued to inspect the projected photos. “That one—Crazy Jim’s—there’s still a car dealership there. My uncle used to work there.” Another student chimed in. “You...

Using Folklife Magazine in the Classroom

In the fall of 2024, I had the unique opportunity to serve as an intern for the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH). As an 8th-grade Social Studies teacher I was selected to work with the online CFCH publication, Folklife magazine. Folklife is...