In this workshop, students will learn about the fundamentals of community archiving including evaluating the materials they have collected. We will explore how these materials might help you better understand what a more formalized archive might look like in the future. This workshop is structured to help those interested in building (but not limited to) a community archive of family histories, neighborhoods, people, places, or things.

What visions are available when we engage with artifacts of the past? What are the infinite possible worlds that are accessible when we make space for collective dream work? What is the history of dreamwork in our communities and how do we use that as a structure to create alternative futures?

Here, we will hold open a space for collective imagination work. We will build possible worlds through deep reading, playing, drawing, resting, writing, discussion, and digging in the archives. Participants will see and interact with artistic interventions and imagine their social infrastructure for new worlds, by honoring the old ones. Our work will be nourished by teachers such as Grace Lee Boggs, Octavia Butler, Karilyn Crockett, adrienne maree brown, and more.

This class will be held on 06/15 at the Design Gym (7 Ramsey Street in Upham's Corner, Dorchester) from 12-4pm.

Preservation for Community Archiving: Practices in Collective Dreamwork