Minor in Curatorial Studies & Community Documentation

The first of its kind within the City University of New York, the Minor in Archival Studies and Community Documentation complements course work with diverse, supervised internship opportunities and field experiences in a variety of New York City cultural organizations, including museums, archives, and educational institutions. Intellectually, the minor offers students the opportunity to cultivate a deeper understanding of New York's local communities--their history, geography, culture, folklore, religions, politics, and social structures. Practically, the minor enables students to explore potential careers in various fields that draw on the study of community and archives. Professors Philip Napoli (History and the Library) and Anthony Cucchiara (Library) are the lynchpins for this program.

This year Abby Tallmer served as the temporary coordinator for the Minor in Curatorial Studies while Professor Philip Napoli enjoyed a Whiting Fellowship. During her tenure, Ms Tallmer held three open houses about the program, one in the fall and two in the spring, to introduce students from several majors to this interdisciplinary minor. Students already enrolled in the minor came to the open houses to share their experiences in the program. Student and NYC firefighter Mike Burns spoke about the pleasures of processing the Dershowitz collection, while Anthropology major Marie Starks described her internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Abby also sent two mass mailings to all declared majors who qualified for the minor. She found her class visits (supported by Jane Cramer's stylish posters) to be the most successful tool.