Conferences

Peter Feinman: New York and the Civil War

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The Union may have won the war but the South has won Civil War tourism and its legacy. It’s an extraordinary fact of life that wherever the National Park Service has a site, a battle was fought there! And they are all in the South with the major exception of Gettysburg.

Time and time again presentations on life back then in antebellum (before the war) times begin with Gone with the Wind, still the box-office champion adjusted for inflation. What story does the North including New York have to tell that can compare with the pageantry of the South, the chivalry of the idealized plantation, and the glamour of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh? Freedom and preserving the Union that made the world safe for democracy in the three world wars in the 20th century should count for something, even for Confederates. Read more →

Fall Archives and Activism Symposium in NYC

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On October 12, the Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York and the New School Archives and Special Collections will be co-sponsoring Archives and Activism, a symposium exploring the burgeoning relationship between archives/archivists and social and political activist movements. Proposals for individual papers and group panels to be presented at the symposium are currently being accepted. See the official CFP below:

Archives and Activism: Call for Papers

“The rebellion of the archivist against his normal role is not, as so many scholars fear, the politicizing of a neutral craft, but the humanizing of an inevitably political craft.&#8221
&#8211 Howard Zinn &#8220Secrecy, Archives, and the Public Interest,&#8221 Vol. II, No. 2 (1977) of Midwestern Archivist.

The boundaries between &#8220archivist&#8221 and &#8220activist&#8221 have become increasingly porous, rendering ready distinctions between archivists (traditionally restricted to the preservation of records, maintaining accountability, and making critical information available to the communities they serve) and activists (who, with greater frequency, look to archives or adopt elements of archival practice as a means of documenting their struggles) virtually unsustainable. In the past year, archivists and citizen activists collaborated to document the Occupy Wall Street movement, and archivists committed to open government worked with the New York City Council to advocate for keeping the Municipal Archives as an independent city agency. While the apparent convergence of archival and activist worlds may appear a timely and relevant topic, these distinct communities often deliberate their roles separately with little dialogue.

The Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York and the New School Archives and Special Collections are sponsoring a symposium to bring together a diverse group of archivists, activists, students, and theorists with the aim of facilitating discussion of their respective concerns. Among its proposed topics, the symposium will address potential roles that archivists may engage in as activists, as well as how archivists can assume a greater role in documenting and contributing toward social and political change.

Possible areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

-Archivists documenting the work of activists and activist movements
-Activists confronting traditional archival practice
-Possible models for an emergent “activist archives”
-Methodologies for more comprehensively documenting activism
-Archivist and activist collaborations
-Community-led archives and repositories operating outside of the archival
establishment
-Archives as sites of knowledge (re)production and in(ter)vention
-Relational paradigms for mapping the interplay of power, justice, and archives
-Critical pedagogy in the reference encounter
-Interrogating preconceptions and misunderstandings that obscure common goals

Date: Friday, October 12, 2012

Location: Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, The New School

All individual presentations will be 20 minutes long (10 page paper).
Submissions must include a title, name of author and institutional affiliation (if applicable), abstract (250 words max), and indication of technological requirements.
Individual papers or entire panel proposals accepted.

Deadline for Proposals: Proposals should be emailed to [email protected] by August 1, 2012.

Peter Feinman: The MANY / Museumwise Conference

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On April 22-24, MANY and Museumwise held their annual conference in Albany. The two organizations are in the processing of merging which should be a good thing. Due to all the commotion over the NYS Regents, the Core Curriculum, and the state requirements in social studies for high school graduation, I have been delayed in posting about that conference. Read more →

New York Archives Conference, June 6-8

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The New York Archives Conference (NYAC) is an annual gathering of New York State archivists, curators, historians, and anyone else with an interest in the preservation and accessibility of archives and primary historical resources. This year’s NYAC meeting will take place at Nazareth College in Rochester from June 6-8.

NYAC provides an excellent platform for both new and established archives professionals to share their work, exchange ideas, learn about emerging trends, and become further involved in the professional archives community. This year’s conference will feature workshops and information sessions on managing digital collections, mobile apps for archives, facilitating genealogical research in archives, future plans for the New York Heritage Project, and much more.

Conference attendants will also have the opportunity to tour area repositories, including the Nazareth College Archives and the Cary Graphic Arts Collection at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The conference’s plenary speaker will be Marie Holden, Chief of Archival Services at the New York State Archives, who will offer advice on disaster preparedness for archival institutions based on success stories and lessons learned from 2011’s Tropical Storm Lee.

For those interested, the full conference program is available here. It’s also not too late to register!

Researching NY: Science, Technology, Environment

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The organizers of the Researching New York Conference invite proposals for panels, papers, workshops, roundtables, exhibits, and documentary and multimedia presentations on any aspect of New York State history —in any time period and from any perspective. The conference will be held at the University at Albany on November 15-16, 2012. This annual conference brings together historians, archivists, graduate students, public historians, documentarians, and multimedia producers, to share their work on New York State history.

Nature, science, and technology are reflected in the fabric of the State’s economy, public policy, and culture—and in the lives of its citizens. Environmental forces and human histories have long been intertwined. Among many concerns, policymakers today consider the implications of energy, light rail and nanotech research, while their predecessors sought to develop the economy of the state with infrastructure projects like the Erie Canal, the New York State Thruway, agricultural experiment stations, housing projects, and much more. For 2012, the organizers especially encourage submissions that call attention to transformations of the New York state landscape, while exploring historic ways of knowing and understanding the environment and the broader social, cultural, and political implications of technological and environmental transformations.

The proposal deadline is July 1, 2012. Complete panels, workshops, media presentations, or sessions are preferred- partial panels and individual submissions will be considered. For complete sessions please submit a one-page abstract of the complete session and a one-page abstract and curriculum vita for each individual participant. For individual submissions, submit a one-page abstract and one-page curriculum vita. Submissions must include name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Submit electronically to [email protected]. All proposals must detail any anticipated audiovisual needs or time constraints at the time of submission.

The organizers also seek commentators for panels. Please indicate your interest by contacting us at [email protected], noting your area of expertise and including a one-page vita.

Fort Ticonderoga’s War College of the Seven Years’ War

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Limited space is still available to attend Fort Ticonderoga’s Seventeenth Annual War College of the Seven Years’ War May 18-20, 2012. This annual seminar focuses on the French and Indian War in North America (1754-1763), bringing together a panel of distinguished historians from around the country and beyond. The War College takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center and is open to the public- pre-registration is required.


Begun in 1996, the War College of the Seven Years’ War has become one of the premier seminars on the French & Indian War in the country. It features a mix of new and established scholars in an informal setting for a weekend of presentations related to the military, social, and cultural history of the French & Indian War. Speakers include:

De Witt Bailey, British author and 18th-century arms expert, on British weapons of the war.

Maria Alessandra Bollettino, Framingham State University, on slave revolts in the British Caribbean during the war.

Earl John Chapman, Canadian author and historian, on the experiences of James Thompson, a sergeant in the 78th Highlanders.

Christopher D. Fox, Fort Ticonderoga, on Colonel Abijah Willard’s Massachusetts Provincials in 1759.

Jean-Francois Lozier, Canadian Museum of Civilization, on the use of paints and cosmetics among Natives and Europeans.

Paul W. Mapp, College of William & Mary, on the role the vast western lands played in the battle for empire.

William P. Tatum III, David Library of the American Revolution, on the British military justice system, using ten courts-martial at Ticonderoga in 1759 as case studies.

Len Travers, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, on the “Lost Patrol of 1756” on Lake George. The weekend kicks of Friday evening with a presentation by Ticonderoga Town Historian William G. Dolback on “Historic Ticonderoga in Pictures.” Dolback is also President of the Ticonderoga Historical Society and leading local efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the first settler in Ticonderoga in 1764.

Registration for the War College is $145 for the weekend ($125 for members of the Friends of Fort Ticonderoga). Registration forms can be downloaded from the Fort’s website under the “Explore and Learn” tab by selecting “Life Long Learning” on the drop down menu and then clicking on the War College. A printed copy is also available upon request by contacting Rich Strum, Director of Education, at 518-585-6370.

Civil War Legal Issues Conference Planned

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A conference entitled &#8220Civil War on Trial-Legal Issues That Divided A Nation&#8221 will feature a three-day program over June 7-9, 2012, include some of the foremost Civil War and Constitutional scholars in the nation on the subjects of the Civil War and the law, and will look at this iconic period in American history in a way unique from virtually all other conferences nationwide. The conference is being chaired by nationally prominent Civil War scholars Paul Finkelman and Harold Holzer.

The conference will be held on the campus of Albany Law School in Albany, New York from June 7-9, 2012. For more information on the conference agenda and registration, go to www.nysarchivestrust.org or call (518) 473-7091.

The New York State Archives Partnership Trust and the Government Law Center at Albany Law School, in cooperation with the Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York, the New York State Bar Association, and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation are organizing the conference. Principal financial support has been provided by History Channel and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation.

CFP: 12th Mohican / Algonquian Peoples Seminar

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The Native American Institute of the Hudson River Valley and The New York State Museum are inviting papers or other presentation to be given at the 12th Mohican/Algonquian Peoples Seminar held at the NYS Museum in Albany on September 15, 2012. Topics can be any aspect of Northeastern Native American culture from prehistory to present. Presentations are allotted 20 minutes speaking time.

Interested parties are encouraged to submit a one page abstract that includes a brief biographical sketch and notes any special scheduling and/or equipment needs. For presentations other than traditional papers, please describe content and media that will be used to make the presentation. Deadline for abstract submission is June 1, 2012.
 
The Selection Committee, made up of Board members, will notify presenters no later than June 10, 2012. The final paper should meet common publication standards. The paper should be foot noted &#8220author-date&#8221 style- sources are cited in the text in parentheses by author’s last name and date, with a reference to a list of books or sources at the end of the paper. Also, a disc containing the article, bibliography, illustrations (referred to as figure 1, figure 2 etc.) and captions for the illustrations should be submitted to the Board at the Seminar.

Send abstracts to:

Native American Institute of the Hudson River Valley (NAIHRV)
c/o Mariann Mantzouris
223 Elliot Rd.
East Greenbush, NY 12061
Email : [email protected]
Telephone: 518-369-8116

Arts-and-Culture Investments in Placemaking

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What do theaters, cultural centers, jazz clubs and the like contribute to local economies? To public safety? To neighborhood desirability? Many agree that culture is an essential component of urban livability, but quantifying how much and in what ways is a challenge. And that makes justifying and attracting investment an equal one.

At the forum &#8220Measuring Vibrancy: The Impacts of Arts-and-Culture Investments in Placemaking,&#8221 the Municipal Art Society of New York expects to offer those involved in placemaking – an approach to developing public spaces that starts by gathering information about users’ and potential users’ needs and aspirations – a chance to hear how some of their counterparts have met the measurement challenge.

The panelists, who represent the disciplines of economic development, urban design, research and real estate, are:

Carol Coletta, President, ArtPlace (NYC) – Moderator

Joe Cortright, President and Principal Economist, Impresa (Portland, OR)

Kevin Stolarick, Research Director, The Martin Prosperity Institute, Rotman School of Management (Toronto, ON)

Harriet Tregoning, Director, Washington, DC, Office of Planning (Washington, DC)

Sue Mosey, President, Midtown Detroit (Detroit, MI)

ArtPlace, which moderator Carol Coletta leads, is a national collaborative of foundations, federal agencies (including the NEA) and some of the nation’s largest banks which support placemaking initiatives. The organization is in the process of developing a set of “vibrancy indicators” that will measure the impact of investments in arts and culture.

&#8220Measuring Vibrancy: The Impacts of Arts-and-Culture Investments in Placemaking&#8221 will be held on Tuesday, April 24, 6:30 &#8211 8:00 pm (reception to follow) at the National Museum of the American Indian (One Bowling Green, NYC). The event is free, but registration is required.

This is the latest program in the MAS Arts Forum series. Produced since 1990, the series presents visionary cultural leaders working in all disciplines, across the country and around the world, who share their knowledge and experience with New Yorkers passionate about arts advocacy, policymaking and management. This event follows an April 12 MAS Arts Forum in which the leaders of all three NYC library systems will discuss the libraries’ role as centers of neighborhood cultural activity.

The Municipal Art Society of New York, founded in 1893, is a non-profit organization committed to making New York a more livable city through education, dialogue and advocacy for intelligent urban planning, design and preservation.

Underground Railroad Conference This Weekend

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The 11th Anniversary Conference on the Underground Railroad Movement, sponsored by the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region Conference, will be held at Russell Sage College in Troy, April 13-15th. This year’s conference, &#8220The Underground Railroad Turned On Its Head – Old Themes, New Directions,&#8221 focuses on new research on the Underground Railroad, slavery, abolition and the 19th century. Old assumptions such as “There is little documentation of the Underground Railroad”, “The UGRR was a string of safe houses to Canada” and numerous other ideas are challenged by new research and interpretations.

The conference will feature:

Friday, April 13, 2012

An Educators’ Workshop

Opening Address – Manisha Sinha, PhD
“Fleeing for Freedom: Fugitive Slaves and the Making of American Abolitionism”

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Keynote Address – Barbara McCaskill, PhD
“A Thousand Miles for Freedom: A New Take on the Old Story of William and Ellen Craft, the Georgia Fugitives”

Artists in Residence – Miles Ahead Jazz Quartet

Spectres of Liberty
Experience history – step into the recreated Liberty Street Presbyterian Church of Henry Highland Garnet

Over 20 Workshops, plus Vendors & Displays

Sunday, April 15, 2012

A bus tour of UGR Sites in Rensselaer County by Kathryn Sheehan, Rensselaer County Historian.

The Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region researches, preserves, and retells New York’s regional history of the Underground Railroad, highlighting the role of African-American freedom seekers and local abolitionists.

More information can be found online.