On April 26, 2013, graduate students and professionals in the public humanities participated in the third annual Public History Community Forum—PubComm13. This year’s event was held at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey in the Cooper Street Library in Johnson Park. Participants toured historic Cooper Street before the lunchtime keynote address. A series of roundtable discussions and a large group Q&A closed the day.
After a brief introduction by Mandi Magnuson-Hung, Chair, PubComm planning committee, participants walked the streets of Historic Camden with six MA public history students from Rutgers-Camden. Over the course of the semester the students researched and wrote the tours, presenting them for the first time that day. The tours touched on a number of themes including architecture, industrialization and urbanization, Camden’s medical history, and youth and education.
For those unable to attend PubComm13 or interested in learning more about Camden, please visit the Cooper Street website http://cooperstreet.wordpress.com/
Dr. Howard Gillette, Professor Emeritus of History at Rutgers-Camden and preeminent Camden scholar offered a thoughtful keynote on not only the history of Camden but its present as well. He spoke at length on the built environment of the city and how we might use the existing fabric of Camden to understand our historical context. He urged everyone to simply “take a walk,” noting that you can begin to imagine positive steps for the future of Camden by simply getting out in the city.
The majority of the day was spent engaged in “Pubic Humanities Speed Dating”—PHSD. For two hours twelve public humanities professionals and thirty-eight attendees met in a series of informal roundtables. Speakers represented the vastness of public history; consultants, archivists, public historians, site administrators and others fielded questions from students and professionals alike. No topic was off-limits, though most discussions kicked off with a brief introduction before exploring the public history issues and themes that mattered to participants.
This year’s speakers:
Howard Gillette, Professor Emeritus of History at Rutgers-Camden- Keynote
Tom Foley of Villanova University, Emilie Davis Diaries digital project
Jen Jannofsky of Rowan University and Whitall House
Sandy Levins, Historic Faux Food and Camden County Historical Society
Anita McKelvey, Authentic Philadelphia
Jim Mundy, Director of Education and Programming for the Abraham Lincoln Foundation at the Heritage Center of Union League, Philadelphia
Kris Myers, Director of Programs, Alice Pual Institute
Rosalind Remer and Paige Talbott, Remer & Talbott
Paulette Rhone, The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery
Mary Rizzo, New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Leslie Watson, Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum
Rebecca Yamin, historical archaeologist
Speakers unable to attend:
Flavia Alaya, Alaya Associates Cultural Resource Consulting
Mimi Iijima, Pennsylvania Humanities Council
Janet Sheridan, Cultural Heritage Consultant
Michael Tedeschi, Interactive Mechanics
A recurrent theme in the final Q&A was place. What do we know about where we are, how do we find out about where we are, and how do we engage with other people where we are? Historical archaeologist Rebecca Yamin stressed the role historical archaeology has in connecting people to their past and allowing them to have pride in that past. Sandy Levins, Programming and Publicity Director at the Camden County Historical Society and owner of Historic Faux Foods, echoed Dr. Gillette’s message, questioning what we know about the actual neighborhoods in Camden. Rather than focusing on stories in the media we should be striving to understand what the city means to the people “who struggle every day to make a life.”
Looking forward to PubComm14, participants requested more time for Public Humanities Speed Dating and more informal meet & greets throughout the year. Jen Janofsky of the Whitall House and Rowan University suggested adding a workshop component focused on resume building, choosing the right internship, job counseling and self presentation. Mary Rizzo, Associate Director of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities recommended casting an even broader net to bring in public historians who work in the federal and state arena, in public and private and for-profit and non-profit institutions.
If you have ideas for PubComm14 or would be willing to participate in PHSD or workshop please contact Mandi Magnuson-Hung at mandimh@camden.rutgers.edu
One of PubComm’s goals is fostering the diverse and growing public history community and providing opportunities for graduate students and emerging professionals in the region. Not only did graduate students from Rutgers-Camden design PubComm13’s walking tours, but the planning committee was made up of graduate students and emerging professionals as well.
PubComm13 was made possible by the support of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities at Rutgers-Camden, and the guidance of Dr. Charlene Mires.