Select workshops that engage with archives using creativity and critical praxis.
Community Engagement
Archives are shifting and evolving to become more community-centred. I help institution’s explore this potential by developing tailored hands-on workshops for Black communities. My approach is to cultivate caring and safe(r) spaces for joy and healing. I work to repair our relationship with the archives, the past, and ultimately ourselves. As we reconnect with our past, we reaffirm our identities, and the presence of our ancestors. I developed the following workshops, with new workshops available by request.
To Gran, with Love
TO GRAN, WITH LOVE is an exploration of Black memory keeping practices as love letters to our parents, grandparents, and fore-parents. It pays homage to the sacredness of the Black home and family traditions of remembering. Led by Archivist Melissa J. Nelson, participants will reflect on the keepers of their family memories we wish to hold dear — including those who are gone but not forgotten. Participants are encouraged to bring an item or memory of a family member that grabs the heart. Your love letters can include a drawing, collage, poem, or song lyrics. Supplies are provided to help you give your love words.
The workshop is 90 minutes and is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.
The Freedom Dreamers
THE FREEDOM DREAMERS explores the dreams and aspirations of Black writers before us and among us. Led by archivist Melissa J. Nelson, this workshop will bring participants in conversation with rare text published between 1790-1902. Discover the personal narratives of Black authors who wrote in resistance to the colonial imagination. Participants will be guided through writing exercises to reflect on, remember, and document Black dreams. We are holding space for the possibilities of Black life.
The workshop is 2 hours and is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.
Dreaming with Archives
Black Dreams. What does it mean to dream while Black? How can we understand the dreams of our ancestors? How can we carry them with us? Black people have always dreamed in refusal of the colonial imagination. The past, present, and future are intertwined. Drawing from archival materials, archivist Melissa J. Nelson will guide participants in a creative writing workshop to connect with those who came before us and imagine a future for those yet to be born. Come view original archival materials, access ancestral memories, and dream of Black futurity. No writing experience is necessary – only your imagination.
Reviews:
“Dreaming about the kind of future I want, being invited into a space not only to dream individually but to share and see the collective dreams was instructive.”
“I enjoyed how everything worked in relation with each other. The opportunity to think about and discuss memory as an entry point before visiting with the archival materials. This was a great way to set up and inspire for the dream activity. The learning opportunity was great and it was fantastic to be able to collaborate with others.”
“Inspired to document myself and intentionally keep records about: food I like, exciting moments, people I care about, my favourite jewelry, how intense I am, all the feels, etc.”
This workshop was developed for the Archives of Ontario during my employment. The workshop is 2 hours and is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.
Visual Journaling with Black Archives
How can we reimagine the archive? Join archivist Melissa J. Nelson and artist Anthony Gebrehiwot as they explore the potential of Black archival collections for Black artistic creation. Come view original archival materials and develop your own artistic interpretations through visual journaling. Design a visual journal page with words, sketches, paint, or collage. Art supplies are provided to help you bring your creative ideas to life.
Reviews:
“Kinda obsessed with this workshop. Getting so many ideas for research and work. Thanks so much to Melissa for the encouragement to go to the archives for inspiration and connection to our projects. What a creative and healing experience this was.”
“I’m so glad I found this workshop! I realized how important it is for us to all document ourselves intentionally. I felt inspired to create my visual journal as a reminder to myself — that I can just be. Thank you for doing this work!”
“I thoroughly enjoyed today’s session. Learning about the power black archives truly hold, and what they mean to us as black folk. I was able to learn and connect while releasing pent up energy with my community members. Most of us hadn’t met formally but definitely left as friends. A truly healing experience!”
This workshop was developed for the Archives of Ontario during my employment. The workshop is 2 hours and is limited to a maximum of 25 participants.
Archival Training
Challenging traditional thinking is vital to building an inclusive discipline. I offer trainings that employ anti-oppressive frameworks and an ethics of care. I provide expertise on the ethical stewardship of Black cultural heritage and anti-Black archival materials. These trainings can be tailored to your institution’s unique needs and culture. My approach is to use creativity and critical thinking to address practices that have often excluded, invisibilized, and objectified Black users and subjects. These trainings connect your institution to real world scenarios that can be incorporated into your own practices. The following workshops are available.
Toward Community-Centered Reference
This workshop considers the challenges Black researchers face when consulting with reference services in archives. Participants will learn to think critically about their positionality and their current approaches to providing access. Practical suggestions will be offered to reference archivists to help them provide services that are community-centered. This workshop includes a small group activity and discussion with time for reflection.
In this workshop participants will:
- Learn how to unpack how white supremacy shows up in archives
- Learn how to identify and address oppressive practices in access and reference
- Learn how to minimize harm when providing reference services
The workshop is 2.5 hours (including a 10-minute break) and is limited to a maximum of 40 participants.
Workshop Materials:
Participants will receive a takeaway package of relevant resources.
Reviews:
“Thank you so much for making today’s workshop available…It’s exactly the type of programming I want to see for our professional associations and I’m grateful that I was able to attend.”
“The workshop was thought-provoking and informative. It was extremely relevant to our work, and encouraged us to recognize and address our positionality and to carry that through our work. I think the workshop is an excellent experience that all reference staff should participate in.”
“I appreciated the time and care that when into setting up a shared understanding of language, intention and expectations during the first half of the session. It is also nice to have time to reflect individually before joining a group to discuss things further. The meditation and music were also a welcomed addition to things.”
“It was really helpful to have reflections grounded in real-life archival scenarios and the lived experiences of Black Canadian researchers to push me to rethink how I work as an archivist.”
Description and Access for Anti-Black Archival Materials
This workshop addresses anti-Black racism in archival records by providing methods on how to create inclusive descriptions and provide access to these materials while minimizing harm. Participants are asked to think critically about the impact of descriptive and access practices for racist archival records. The workshop includes an interactive activity with space for discussion and reflection.
In this workshop participants will:
- Learn how to apply anti-racist frameworks to descriptive practices
- Understand how to minimize harm while facilitating access to racist archival records
- Learn how to think critically about the impact of archival practices on the discoverability of racist archival records
The workshop is 2 hours (including a 10-minute break) and is limited to a maximum of 40 participants.
Workshop Materials:
Participants will receive a takeaway package of relevant resources.
Reviews:
“Just wanted to send a note to gush about the Description and Access for Anti-Black Archival Material workshop. It was a terrific workshop, one of the best I’ve participated in a while!”
“Thank you for offering this workshop! It can get so tiresome talking about how we need to change when nobody suggests exactly how we should be changing. This workshop gave some excellent practical suggestions which I very much appreciate.”
“The breakout activity was exceptional. Even though there were some technical difficulties at the outset, it was well worth the wait.”
“The workshop was so informative and valuable and I can’t thank Melissa enough for her work and sharing her expertise. I’ve already told many colleagues about it and it’s given me lots to think about in my daily work and I appreciate all the further readings, which I will be reading! Thanks!”
