Oral History Project
California College of the Arts Oral History Project was launched in April 2014 with the goal of focusing on the history of the college and collecting the poignant stories of those involved with the institution as faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Originally the project focused on a few select individuals who were key players in preserving the school during the late 1970s and 1980s; this was later expanded to include the collecting of short stories from alumni at events such as the Alumni Association’s Half Century Club celebrations honoring alumni who have graduated fifty or more years ago from CCA. This project inspired the development of an oral archive of CCA’s history, which is stored in the college’s digital archive Vault.
The OCLC Oral History Subcommittee is continuing this work; its mission is to collect stories from CCA community members to both create a record of institutional history and capture the sense of place and culture. Made up of alumni, staff, and faculty across the college and led by CCA’s Director of Alumni Engagement Lisa Jonas, the subcommittee works to identify individuals for interviews, provide opportunities for community members to be a part of the project through programming and events, generate content for various legacy projects, and collaborate with the CCA Libraries to archive these stories.
The OCLC Oral History Subcommittee is led by Lisa Jonas and includes members Helen Frierson, Annemarie Haar, and Sean Nash.
Contact:
Director, Alumni Engagement
OCLC Oral History Subcommittee Lead
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