In this interview with The Eye of Photography, Amanda Smith tells us about her role as Director of Archives at MUUS Collection as well as the handling of Deborah Turbeville’s archives and what we can learn from them.
Could you tell us about your background as well as your role as director of archives at MUUS Collection?
I have a bachelor’s degree in art history and American studies from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in photographic preservation and collections management from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). This very specialized program provides an interdisciplinary approach towards understanding the various histories of photography (social, aesthetic, political, technological, material, etc.) and the archival methodologies best suited to collections of photographic materials. I was fortunate enough to be hired as the archivist of The Gordon Parks Foundation during a pivotal period in the organization’s growth and was then promoted to assistant director; in that role I managed the overall preservation of the archive as well as exhibitions, publications and grant-making. I’ve always had a fascination with creating order amid the chaos that often exists in archives, especially those of photographers whose work has been underknown. At MUUS Collection, I can apply that interest and skills to not one, but five entire archives of American photographers who are under-explored. Each archive presents its own unique set of challenges as well as discoveries to be made.