Activating Oral Histories

Where have you had meaningful interactions with oral histories? How can oral histories be used in museums and art galleries? What role can publications play in disseminating oral histories? How can we consider our audience when presenting oral history in public spaces? Where can we integrate participation and collaboration within our oral history projects?

In this workshop, artist Mark Menjívar will get us thinking about various participatory modes and methods of activating oral histories in the world. Come ready to share your own experiences with oral histories in the public as we build a toolkit to carry us into future work.

Mark Menjívar is a San Antonio based artist and Associate Professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University. His art practice primarily consists of creating participatory projects while being rooted in photography, oral history, archives, and social action. He attended McLennan Community College, holds a BA in Social Work from Baylor University and an MFA in Social Practice from Portland State University.

Mark is the artist-in-residence with the Texas After Violence Project, a public memory archive that fosters deeper understandings of the impacts of state violence. He is also a member of Borderland Collective, which utilizes collaborations between artists, educators, youth, and community members to engage complex issues and build space for diverse perspectives, meaningful dialogue, and modes of creation around border issues.