Category Archives: Events

Cutz Beatz & Blendz: Free event at the Boston Public Library this Saturday about the art of DJing and making beats

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Flyer for hip-hop event at the Boston Public Library, graphic shows outline of DJ as sound board.What: Cutz Beatz & Blendz: Beat Makers, Producers, and DJs!

When: Saturday, November 10, 2018 | 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Where: Boston Public Library, Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, Teen Central

Boston Public Library and UMass Boston invite hip-hop enthusiasts of all ages to attend a free hip-hop event in Teen Central at the BPL’s Central Library on Saturday, November 10, from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Spend the afternoon with Dane “DanejaZone” Bradley and fellow DJs learning the art of DJing and making beats. Enjoy live performances, special guests and more. Participants will wear headphones that allow them to switch to different channels and hear everything going on at the individual DJ stations. Participants will also have a chance to explore Teen Central’s Digital Maker Lab and learn how to use the music software. In addition, Michael Jeffries, Associate Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College, will share a documentary entitled “Scratch” as well as insights about DJ history.

Since 2016, Boston Public Library and the Healey Library at UMass Boston have been working together to preserve and share the history of hip-hop in Boston and Massachusetts. They continued their collaboration to expand awareness and access to the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. As part of this grant, UMass Boston and the BPL hosted the “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got” hip-hop digitization event in May 2019 at the Central Library, which was attended by more than 200 members of the local hip-hop community. View the digital collection here and learn about other grant-related events here.

The Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive at UMass Boston includes a collection of almost 300 demo tapes featuring the biggest artists from Boston’s early hip-hop scene, which were digitized thanks to the support of the Boston Public Library. University Archives and Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston is currently working to expand the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive and welcomes donations of archival materials from musicians, DJs, breakdancers, graffiti artists, producers, promoters, and fans that will help document the rich heritage and legacy of hip-hop culture in Boston and Massachusetts. Click here to learn more about what we collect.

Download and share the flyer for this event.

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Special thanks to Dane “DanejaZone” Bradley for helping to make this event possible. Cutz Beatz & Blendz is presented in partnership through Boston Public Library and the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston, and made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations in this program do not necessarily express those of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

Identification and Care of Photographs Workshop offered at UMass Boston

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William A. Cowles in uniform, 1863. SC-0012 William A. Cowles papers.

Workshop is full – a waiting list has been started

Interested in learning how to identify and care for historic photographs? Join us on Saturday, November 10, 2018 from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm for a FREE workshop presented by Monique C. Fischer, Senior Photograph Conservator, Northeast Document Conservation Center.

Participants are encouraged to bring a few photographs for discussion and examination.

The workshop will be held in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Directions to campus. Parking is available on campus at the new West Campus Garage.

Registration is required; limited to 15 participants. Register for the workshop by November 1, 2018, by emailing library.archives@umb.edu.


About this workshop

This workshop offers an introduction to the preservation of photographs, including their identification, deterioration, and care. Participants will learn how to recognize various photographic formats and study the preservation problems associated with each format type. The workshop will also discuss storage concerns and preservation priorities, including environmental guidelines and proper care and handling. Participants are encouraged to bring photographs for examination and discussion.

Schedule

9:00-9:30 am   |   Registration and Introductions

9:30-11:15 am   |   Identification of Photographic Materials

  • A system of identification
  • Hands-on practice

11:15 – 11:30 am   |   Break

11:30 am- 1:00 pm   |   “Photographic Conservation Checklist”: Storage Concerns and Preservation Priorities for Photographic Materials

  • Discussion will include environmental guidelines for the storage of photographs and proper enclosures, care, and handling

1:00 pm   |  Adjourn

Logo for National Endownment for the Humanities

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations in this program do not necessarily express those of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

Registration is required; limited to 15 participants. Register for the workshop by November 1, 2018, by emailing library.archives@umb.edu.

This workshop has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Read more about this grant here.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

 

Grossmann Gallery exhibit highlights the life and art of Theresa-India Young

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Black and white photo of Theresa-India Young

Theresa-India Young, circa 1972. Courtesy of the estate of Theresa-India Young.

A new exhibit in the Joseph P. Healey Library’s Grossmann Gallery highlights items from the Theresa-India Young collection. The exhibit is entitled The Life and Art of Theresa-India Young: Preserving African American Identity.

Join us for an opening reception on Wednesday, October 17, at 4:00 pm. The event is sponsored by the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston and the William Monroe Trotter Institute and will include remarks by Trotter Institute Director Barbara Lewis, Interim Dean of University Libraries Joanne Riley and by Meghan Bailey, Processing Archivist in the Healey Library and Project Director of the Research Inventory Grant Project funded by Mass Humanities.

Theresa-India Young was a fiber artist, interdisciplinary arts teacher, and education consultant working in the Boston area from 1975-2008. Young taught studio art and museum education at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where a scholarship is endowed in her name. She also taught at the Museum of Fine Arts, Roxbury Community College, Boston Public Schools, Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts, Harvard University Museum, Cambridge Friends School, Lesley University, and Wheelock College.

Young was a mentor in her community, helping her colleagues and local youth claim their identities as artists and pursue opportunities related to those roles. She served as an advocate for her fellow artists at the Piano Factory Studios when rising rent threatened to displace resident artists.

Young mentored Boston youth by developing the Kush Club, a teen docent program, and managed Primal Arts, an educational consulting business that specializes in cultural presentations, art workshops, and museum tours. As a teacher and purveyor of cultural heritage, Young worked to preserve and maintain folk art traditions in her artwork, such as the Gullah heritage of basket weaving. Her work was informed by her research into African aesthetics and traditions, particularly weaving and hair braiding. She was also prolific in ceramics, European Tapestry, and ethnic weaving.

Visit the display in the Grossmann Gallery on the 5th floor of the Healey Library at UMass Boston. The Grossmann Gallery is open during the library’s regular hours: 7:30 am–10:00 pm on Monday through Thursday, 7:30 am–6:00 pm on Friday, 9:00 am–3:00 pm on Saturday, and 11:00 am–5:00 pm on Sunday. The exhibition will run through the spring of 2019.

Additionally, there’s an exhibition of Theresa-India Young’s work and work by recipients of the Theresa-India Young Scholarship Fund in the Thompson Gallery at MassArt, which was recently featured on WBUR.

Learn more about the Theresa-India Young papers here and view a finding aid for the collection here.

For questions about the exhibition, this collection, or to schedule a research appointment, please email library.archives@umb.edu or call 617-287-5469.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

“I EMCEE What You Did There”: Join the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive for a free event this Saturday

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"I Emcee What You Did There" Hip Hop Event flyerWhat: “I EMCEE What You Did There” Hip-Hop Event

When: Saturday, September 15, 2018 | 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Where: Boston Public Library, Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street, McKim Courtyard

Boston Public Library and UMass Boston invite hip-hop enthusiasts of all ages to attend a free hip-hop event in the courtyard of the Central Library on Saturday, September 15, from 1-4 p.m.

“I EMCEE What You Did There” is the first in a series of hip-hop programs to take place at the Central Library and branches. Courtney Boston will host the event, with music by DJ Drew and performances by Red Shaydez, Mark Merren, First Lady Sarita, Sondro Castro, BYTC, Dasan Ahanu, and The Hangaz.  The event includes a live hip-hop Jeopardy game.

Additional hip-hop programs are scheduled for Saturday, November 10, at Teen Central at the Central Library, and at the Codman Square and Grove Hall branches in spring 2019.

“Boston Public Library welcomes artists and hip-hop enthusiasts to one of the Central Library’s most beautiful and inspiring spaces to celebrate Boston’s hip hop legacy and gather as a community to share experiences, both new and old,” said David Leonard, President of Boston Public Library. “I am grateful to UMass Boston, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Hip Hop & The Bostonians curating committee for their commitment to promote Boston’s intergenerational hip hop presence locally and beyond, while also preserving this important piece of living history.”

“As we continue to build a collection at UMass Boston related to the history of hip-hop in Boston and Massachusetts,” said Carolyn Goldstein, “we are pleased that this grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities is providing opportunities for Boston’s hip-hop artists to share the legacy of these four hip-hop elements—music, dance, DJs, and graffiti—with a broad citywide audience at the Boston Public Library’s Central and branch libraries.” Goldstein is the grant’s principal investigator and Public History and Community Archives Program Manager in the Healey Library at UMass Boston.

Since 2016, Boston Public Library and UMass Boston have been working together to preserve and share the history of hip-hop in Boston and Massachusetts. They continued their collaboration to expand awareness and access to the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and hosted the “Show ‘Em Whatcha Got” hip-hop digitization event on Saturday, May 19, at the Central Library. Attended by more than 200 members of the local hip-hop community, items collected for digitization included photos, clothing, videos interviews, and more, and will be available to view this month via openarchives.umb.edu. [Update: This collection is now online. Read more and view the digital collection here.]

The Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive is a collective of creatives, hip-hop enthusiasts, innovators, and community and state organizations united by a common passion and purpose to provide resources and opportunities to Boston’s urban arts community. The Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive includes a collection of almost 300 demo tapes featuring the biggest artists from Boston’s early hip-hop scene, which were digitized thanks to the support of the Boston Public Library. University Archives and Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston is currently working to expand the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive and welcomes donations of archival materials from musicians, DJs, breakdancers, graffiti artists, producers, promoters, and fans that will help document the rich heritage and legacy of hip-hop culture in Boston and Massachusetts. Download this flyer to learn more about what we collect.

Logo for National Endownment for the Humanities

This event is presented in partnership through Boston Public Library and the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston, and made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations in this program do not necessarily express those of the National Endowment of the Humanities.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

Ninety-nine years on: The 1919 Boston Police Strike Project moves forward

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Patrolmen attached to the Sixth Division, 1901 Boston Police Department Yearbook. At least one of these officers, Joseph O. Hodgkins, was a striker.

Patrolmen attached to the Sixth Division, 1901 Boston Police Department Yearbook. At least one of these officers, Joseph O. Hodgkins, was a striker.

It’s that time of year! Today marks the 99th anniversary of the 1919 Boston Police Strike. We are now only one year away from the centennial of the strike, and the 1919 Boston Police Strike Project is in full swing. Volunteer researchers are hard at work documenting the men behind the strike, bringing us closer to our ultimate goal: the launch of a database of striker biographies on September 9, 2019.

Last fall, students in Carolyn Goldstein’s History 620 Introduction to Public History and Public Memory graduate seminar explored strategies for commemorating the strike and for engaging public audiences in thinking about the strike and its significance from many perspectives. Their projects generated ideas to inform interpretive programs to accompany the database of striker biographies.

In the spring, we introduced a free and self-paced open education course to teach participants how to perform biographical research and fill out a Bio Research Worksheet. Doing Biographical Research: The 1919 Boston Police Strike Project is open to all, even those not interested in volunteering for the project. After completing the course, students may apply to contribute to the project as volunteer researchers. To date, more than 100 people have enrolled in the course, and community volunteers have started research on over 700 of the 1142 strikers.

Also this spring, Margaret Sullivan gave popular presentations about the strike at the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Boston Public Library. Subsequent media coverage by the Boston Globe and WGBH’s Curiosity Desk helped spread the word and connect new audiences with the 1919 Boston Police Strike Project blog.

Visitors to the blog can check out the newest feature, a searchable list of strikers. Browse the list to see who participated in the strike and where they lived and worked, or view a single striker’s duty card.

To learn more about the project, visit the 1919 Boston Police Strike Project blog. Email bpstrike@live.umb.edu with any questions.

Save the date for a commemorative centennial event on September 7, 2019 at the Central Branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.