Hip-Hop Education Center Leads the Way for Community Archiving

NEW YORK, NY, USA, August 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Hip-Hop Education Center (HHEC) is proud to announce its selection as one of the recipients of the Society of American Archivists Foundation Catalyst Grant. This prestigious grant will enable HHEC to hire an archivist to work on the Fresh Bold So Def (FBSD) Women in Hip-Hop Collection, making it accessible to the public in 2025. The FBSD Collection includes ephemera, books, films, toys, apparel, and more.

HHEC has also been invited as a partner in the Alliance for Media Arts + Culture's Digital Archivist Apprenticeship program. This groundbreaking initiative addresses the growing demand for skilled digital archivists and is part of a broader effort to build a sustainable support ecosystem for creative careers and entrepreneurship. HHEC will provide support to the Alliance designing work-based curricula, testing new digital archive models and developing strategies for supporting the training of community-based archivists.

The apprenticeship program aims to equip emerging digital workers with the necessary skills to navigate, preserve, manage, and curate vast amounts of digital content. By establishing this Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), the Alliance seeks to fill the current skills gap in this high-demand field and provide meaningful opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth. The initiative is funded by a grant from the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) program, part of a larger $31 million state investment in pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships across various sectors, including media arts and creative technologies.

"Our partnership with Hip-Hop Education Center illuminates the pathway for developing a program that is fully community-centered, reflecting the needs of next generation creators and culture bearers who will be organizing and curating from archives in wholly new ways," says Wendy Levy, Executive Director of the Alliance. "Thanks to HHEC and the vision of Martha Diaz, our California-funded initiative can now serve as a youth-driven model for organizations and institutions across the country."

Moreover, Martha Diaz, Executive Director of HHEC, serves as one of the project leads for the Arts2Work Digital Archivist Apprenticeship program. She will help develop the curriculum, form a youth advisory committee and mentoring board, and work closely with partners to assess archival needs. Earlier this year, Diaz was elected to serve a three-year term as Member-at-Large for the Independent Archivist Steering Committee at the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The Committee's mission is to provide advocacy and agency for independent archivists, those serving in an archival capacity beyond the traditional boundaries of institutional galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) archives.

The Committee aims to:
- Foster awareness of professionals pushing beyond traditional roles.
- Build a community for those on the fringes of more traditional SAA sections.
- Provide tools and resources to advocate for archival work in non-traditional settings.

"I'm extremely honored to be part of this committee and look forward to contributing to the evolution of the field and offering new perspectives and career pathways into the archiving profession," said Martha Diaz.

Furthermore, HHEC, in partnership with Maysles Documentary Center, has become a community partner and host site for Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) Media. Through this collaboration, they will offer Community-Based Preservation Education and Training: Hands-on Training in Analog Video Playback Equipment, a six-module training course intended to strengthen the skills of professionals who work with analog media as well as those who have no previous experience.

This is all in preparation for a comprehensive Community Archiving initiative that will be launched in 2025 in celebration of HHEC’s 15th anniversary. The initiative will be a call for artifacts and testimonials on the impact of Hip-Hop, inviting community members to contribute their personal stories, memorabilia, and reflections on how Hip-Hop has influenced their lives and communities. This initiative aims to create a rich, inclusive archive that captures the cultural and historical significance of Hip-Hop through diverse voices and perspectives.

Martha Diaz
Hip-Hop Education Center
+1 917-330-6413
email us here
Visit us on social media:
X
LinkedIn
Instagram