Oral History Education

Become a Storycatcher:  2011 Workshop

The field of oral history has undergone a renaissance-like change that has lifted it out of the academic world and into communities throughout the country.  StoryCorps is a terrific example of this infusion of energy into the field, as their services broaden the opportunity for stories to be recorded and preserved (StoryCorps.org).  The 2011 Oral History Education Workshop on November 5th focuses on training, so that more “storycatchers” can be inspired and prepared to record the stories of ordinary people.  As the architect and coordinator of the workshop, I get excited about the topics we cover during this full day of learning.  These topics include:  Interviewing techniques, recording skills, interpretive approaches, and collection management.  I am also committed to helping organizations and individuals to fulfill their visions so that their oral history projects are successful.  This year, I am applying my experience in the field working with the Marin History Museum, the Journeys of Reconciliation project, and the Vietnam Veterans of California.  These projects include oral history interviews with a diverse range of people, including human rights leaders in the U.S. and South Africa, California leaders in farming and agriculture, and Vietnam War veterans who led the way to heal themselves and their communities.   The workshop takes place from 9 am to 4 pm at the Sonoma Sheraton, 745 Baywood Drive, Petaluma, CA.  The cost is $70, however anyone working with elders or Hospice can receive a 15% discount. The discount code is:  story. All participants will receive a CD with a complete set of oral history forms, and will have ongoing free access to tools and tips as they move forward on their projects. To learn more about the workshop and to register, please visit the Workshop 2011 page at OralHistoryEducation.com, or send an email to kelly@mystorycatcher.com.  You can follow us on Facebook or in the news at:  http://patch.com/A-mZhH.

Kelly Sturgeon

Founder, OralHistoryEducation.com

I sit in my garden this summer evening.  Thinking of my dear friend who has just passed from us.  Taken from us by Pancreatic Cancer.  He was an angel walking among us.  A friend who listened to secrets, to dreams, to visions.  A colleague who was thoughtful and bright.  A musician who could sing and play the trumpet.  A husband to an amazing artist.  Who am I to record his story – To record his life story as he recalled it in the last few weeks of his life?  I don’t know.  I only know that I am honored and privileged to know him.  To be inspired him.  To have learned from how he lived his life.

http://igrowsonoma.org/home

The garden I sit at now is one that was built by a group of my friends.  Friends who want to change the world by taking small steps locally.  Friends who hauled tons of soil, and planted dozens of vegetables.  Friends who gave advice on growing a garden and who are experts at growing edible gardens. I knew practially nothing at the time.  Only that plants need water and sun for photosynthesis to grow. Not much about nutrients – Not much about growing things. My friend who just passed is one of these friends who helped plant the garden.  A garden that transformed a former lawn to a vegetable and fruit cornucopia.  I look at this garden and I am comforted, even as the tears stream down my face.  It is full now.  The zucchini is huge and the kale has been plentiful.  The lettuce has been a part of at least a dozen salads and the tomato plant is going crazy.  Thank you to all who made this garden possible.  It is a place that holds our story.

The experience of recording my friend’s story makes me grateful for the people who trained me.  For the fellow oral historians who gave me the courage to be a practioner.  I am thankful to the academics who publish their amazing work and motivate me.  I listen, and sometimes wish to be listened to — mostly to ask questions of others in the field who have gone through this too.  At this moment, I am simply comforted by the experience of recording his story.

Just two weeks ago I recorded the life story of my friend.  His interview is the first in an oral history series I’ve wanted to do about the local founders of the Unitarian Universalists of Petaluma (UUP).  This congregation seems to represent a modern answer to our Christian history  (the history of a religious foundation to the democratic principles of the U.S.)  I am a member, but was only so reluctantly at first, and now am grateful to be a part of such a beautiful community – A community that listens, that supports, that works toward making our society better and our world better. Even if it is one garden at a time.  One friendship at a time.

My friend’s interview gave him the opportunity to be heard and hopefully to record his vision for the future and the stories of his past — and to connect the two. It is important to make that connection using one’s own words and images, and I hope that he was able to do so at the time.  My friend’s interview also gave me the opportunity to connect and be present with him and to learn how to face such a difficult and painful challenge.  A challenge that none of us ever thinks of taking on.

I used audio only, and let go of my prior bias toward video.  Video is cumbersome.  Video take a lot of memory/storage/time/energy.  Audio provided just what we needed.  A way to record his story of growing up; of learning; of loving; of family; of community.  I hope his story is the beginning of a collection of stories that teach us the power of commitment, the power of community, the power of valuing each person’s inherent worth on this earth.

This being said, I am thankful that my husband video recorded our friend’s last performance with his band as he sang two amazing songs:  Moon Dance and Walking on the Moon, and also as he played the trumpet.  Just three weeks ago his voice sang out with the strength of a man who was alive, who cared, who had a reason to sing.

Please respond to:  kelly@mystorycatcher.com.

Last week I was part of an all-day workshop sponsored by CERA, California Exhibition Resource Alliance, as part of the 2010 CAM conference for California museums. This free workshop offered information on technology and the visitor experience within exhibitions, how to create podcasts that inform the public about your museum, and mobile technologies that enable visitors to access information about your exhibits from their mobile phones. My presentation focused on collaborative projects that create digital media for You Tube, Flickr and museum websites that are designed to bring the untold stories of small museums to life. Here is the SlideShare presentation I’ve uploaded that includes examples of two projects on You Tube and my presenters notes. My hope is this short presentation will inspire small museums to reach big audiences with thoughtful digital media projects created with a team of museum professionals and students from a local university or school.

Two articles came across my Google Alerts today that highlight an important community benefit to oral history:  intergenerational dialogue. Through projects and programs that facilitate listening and storytelling between generations, we learn strategies for making change by an earlier generation that faced war, overcame injustice, and struggled to end racism in our country. The first article features four women who participated “quietly” in the civil rights movement and were recognized in their community for their participation: Recognizing Quiet Courage. The second article features a terrific collaboration between a history museum and the local chapter of the AARP, who put together a visitor program in which seniors shared their stories:  AARP Sponsors Free Day at National Civil Rights Museum.