Tom Miller Week
Tom Miller Day was established by Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke in 1995 to celebrate the life and career of one of Baltimore's most acclaimed artists. Miller's whimsical charm is evident in murals and museums throughout the city. Nevertheless, the second event commemorating his legacy was not organized until 2021 when Blackives, LLC revived and extended the Day by presenting Tom Miller Week.
The 3rd Annual Tom Miller Week will take place on February 12th–18th, 2023 at the University of Baltimore's Robert L. Bologolmony Library. This year’s theme is “HOWEVER FAR A STREAM FLOWS, IT NEVER FORGETS ITS SOURCE…”–after Miller’s mural located in the Oliver neighborhood. Festivities will include virtual tours, artist talks, community art activities, and more!
The week's highlight will be an exhibition and live auction of salvaged furniture painted by Baltimore-based artist Gary Mullen and students from Tom Miller's former high school, Carver Vocational Technical High School. Funds raised from the auction will go towards an art scholarship created in honor of Tom Miller or Carver Art Instructor, for students at Carver Vocational Technical High School.
Case Studies in Reparative Description Projects
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
October 19–22; College Park, Md
The descriptive practices of yesteryear failed to be inclusive of the diverse communities archives are meant to serve. The legacy issue of harmful language requires repair and a reimagining of archival description practices. Panelists from government and university archives will discuss current projects and goals in reparative description, along with the challenges, opportunities and benefits these initiatives afford the archival profession.
In July, 2021, the National Archives and Records Administration chartered a ReparativeDescription and Digitization Working Group in response to the report by the Archivist’s Task Force on Racism. Pamela Wright, Chief Innovation Officer, and chair of the Reparative Description and Digitization Working Group will serve on the panel.
Katie Rojas, the Archival Processing and Discovery Supervisor for the University of Virginia’s Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, will discuss the approach that her repository is taking to practically implement and sustain reparative description practices.
Deyane Moses, archivist for Maryland Institute Black Archive (MIBA), will discuss her project work at MICA, the crossroads of institutional/community archiving, and the challenges of access created by poor description.
Moderated by Megan Cranyon, Deputy Director, Special Collections Maryland State Archives
Passion & Purpose--Object Dive--Material Activism: Art-Making Virtual Workshop
Join the Curator Deyane Moses, in partnership with the Maryland Center for History and Culture, virtually as she ‘dives’ into two photographs within the exhibit, discussing the use of photography as activist art in historic and contemporary forms. For the art-making portion, she will give the audience the opportunity to work with two local artists to create their own form of activist art.