The Age of Discovery
In January 2020, the Autry embarked on a year-long Revealing Women in the Archives initiative that includes programming, a social media campaign, and the exhibition, What’s Her Story: Women in the Archives.
The initiative also includes a "Discovery Fellow” workshop series with WriteGirl, a Los Angeles-based creative writing and mentoring organization for young women. The first two of the three workshops were held at the Autry’s Resources Center and the WriteGirl participants were introduced to archive work and the role it plays in recording women’s stories. The hands-on workshops also encouraged the nine participants to engage physically and intellectually with the woman-focused archives and to develop their own reflections about women’s stories from the past. The last workshop was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but prompted the participants to archive their own experiences during this time.
Regardless being in-person or virtual, a zine was to be the capstone project of the Discovery Fellow and Write Girl collaborative experience. The zine, titled WriteGirl in the Archives, reflects their voices, these contemporary times, and the power of documenting.
Discovery Fellows and Autry Staff
2020
Photographer: Victoria Bernal
Digital photograph
Back row from left to right: Christina Hummel-Colla, Library Collections Assistant; Rebecca Kahn, School Programs Manager; Nova Odette, Discovery Fellow; Emily Burton, Discovery Fellow; Jenny Payan, Discovery Fellow; and Carolyn Brucken, Chief Curator and Director of Research.
Front row from left to right: Liza Posas, Head of Research Services and Archives; Sarah Wilson, Director of Education; Amayah Watson, Discovery Fellow; Sofia Silvia, Discovery Fellow; Chloe Vigil, Discovery Fellow; Keren Taylor, Executive Director of WriteGirl; Danielle Del Castillo, Discovery Fellow; Cora Reis, Discovery Fellow; and Katherine Herman, Education Outreach Manager
Reading the diaries of Caroline Boeing Poole
2020
Photographer: Victoria Bernal
Digital photograph
Discovery Fellows engaging with the stories found in the Caroline Boeing Poole diaries. Clockwise, Jenny Payan, Nova Odette, Amayah Watson, and Cora Reis.
Processing Assistance League of Los Angeles photographs
2020
Photographer: Victoria Bernal
Digital photograph
Discovery Fellows processing the photographs of the Assistance League of Los Angeles, while investigating the stories they reveal. Left to right, Amayah Watson, Cora Reis, Danielle Del Castillo, and Chloe Vigil
Autry Discovery Fellows / WriteGirl Alum
2020
Photographer: Victoria Bernal
Digital photograph
Images of WriteGirl workshop participants “team processing” the photographs in the Assistance League of Los Angeles Institutional Archives (MS.11). From left to right: Sofia Silvia, Cora Reis, Amayah Watson, Chloe Vigil, Jenny Payan, Danielle Del Castillo, Nova Odette, and Emily Burton.
Emily Burton sharing her story
2020
Photographer: Victoria Bernal
Digital photograph
On the first day of the workshop, participants were asked to bring in a picture from their family archives and share their story behind their image. Emily Burton is telling her story as other participants (left to right) Nova Odette, Amayah Watson, and Sofia Silvia look on.
Relatives of Jenny Payan
2020
Photographer: Jenny Payan
Digital photograph
Jenny Payan’s poetic thoughts about finding a vintage image of her great grandmothers.
Amayah Watson
2020
Photographer: Jenny Payan
Digital photograph
Each workshop started with a warm-up exercise asking the participants to guess what was under the sheet to be revealed later that day. What do you think it is (hint: It captures the voice of Manuela Garcia)?
Twitter post from second Discovery Fellows workshop
2020
Photographer: Victoria Bernal
Screenshot
Photograph included in post taken by Victoria Bernal and includes Discovery Fellows Chloe Vigil, Jenny Payan, Cora Reis, Emily Burton, Amayah Watson, and Danielle Del Castillo with Annlee Ellingson, WriteGirl volunteer (far back) and Liza Posas, Head of the Research Services and Archives at the Autry (handling scrapbook).
Screenshot retrieved from https://twitter.com/LA_autry/status/1233875853311758336 October 9, 2009
What's Her Story: Women in the Archives Sponsors
This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Visit calhum.org
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
