Written by Clarity Amrein, Community Content Coordinator, Downtown Main Library
Want to learn to save and care for your own personal archive? Want to turn your memories and family history into something both usable and meaningful?
The Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) will host local artist, photographer, and curator Asa Featherstone IV for a series of three workshops this November in the Cincinnati Story Center located on the second floor of the south building. Each class will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6-8 p.m.
Foundations of Memory Workshop Dates
In this series, participants will learn the foundations of personal archiving, share and reflect on the important artifacts in their collections, and learn how to turn their memories into works of art.
Register now for Foundations of Memory: A 3-Week Workshop on Preserving the People, Places, and Moments You Love.
- Tuesday, Nov. 4: What is an archive? Why is it important? Lecture and activity.
- Tuesday, Nov. 11: Archival methods, examples, and tour of the Cincinnati Story Center. Discuss creating an archival project with personal photos and artifacts.
- Tuesday, Nov. 18: Screening of Laying the Foundation & Student Project Showcase
At the end of the workshops, Asa will screen his newest film, Laying the Foundation, an archival documentary featuring stories of the Findlay Market neighborhood and historic photos scanned at one of CHPL’s mobile scanning events. This screening will be free and available to the public, even if they did not participate in the workshops.
Registration is encouraged but not required. Workshop participants will create a culminating project with their personal artifacts, so participants are encouraged to attend all three classes and gather their materials in advance.
Asa Featherstone, IV: Photographer & Curator
Asa (AY-suh) Featherstone, IV is an award-winning photographer, curator, and founder of MIDTONES Photo Magazine, based in Cincinnati, OH. His work centers on the beauty and nuance of daily life in marginalized communities, using a narrative style that leads by listening. Influenced by his homeschool upbringing, Asa developed a practice rooted in observation, empathy, and curiosity about how people move through the world.
He has created work for clients including The New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, Google, the WNBA, and American Airlines. His photographs have been recognized by TIME as one of the Top 100 Portraits of the Year (2020), and his past fellowships include the Animating Museums Fellowship at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (2017). He’s currently an Environmental Justice Fellow for the Black Midwest Initiative.
Through MIDTONES and his own projects, Asa continues to explore how visual storytelling can shape memory, connection, and belonging.
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