Activating the
Archive
These creative projects by museum staff, partners, and Oral History Collective members curate and activate clips from interviews in our archive. We strive to foster reflection and conversation by uplifting and unpacking stories from public housing.
Out of the Archives Podcast Series
Out of the Archives is the National Public Housing Museum’s oral history-based podcast, which centers the voices and experiences of current and former public housing residents from across the country.
When the Market Isn’t an Option Zine Series
When the Market Isn’t an Option is our four-part zine series that unpacks U.S. housing history, including redlining, neoliberal housing policies, and community activism.
These histories are interwoven with oral history excerpts that exemplify, public housing residents’ resilience and power.
A floor plan for the heart: 2023 Beauty Turner Academy Mixtape
What comes to mind when asked the question, “What does home mean to you?”?
Written, produced, and edited by Cosmo, jellystone, and Nedra, the first cohort of Beauty Turner Academy Archive & Activate Apprentices (2023), this is a floor plan for the heart.
Taylor Street Memories Installation
As you walk down Taylor Street, you will meet one of our founders, Commissioner Deverra Beverly, and learn about the changing neighborhood through the stories of past residents. These exhibits are accessible from the outside of the museum, even when the building is closed.
Animal Court Exhibition
The Animal Court, an enchanting seven-piece sculpture Animal Court by Edgar Miller, has been lovingly restored and placed in our courtyard. This physical exhibition features an archive activation of residents’ memories of the Animal Court throughout its history.
Silent Voices Among Us: A Montage of Chicago’s West Side
Silent Voices Among Us is a photojournalistic series taken by Dr. Cranston Knight, a former public housing resident from the Henry Horner Homes in Chicago’s West Side in the Austin and Garfield Park communities (Summer 2020). The photo series documents decades of systemic inequities put into place by unfair housing practices, school closures, healthcare access, and more.
Other Community-Based Memory Projects
We’re not the only organization working to preserve the histories and present-day stories of public housing! Check out some of the brilliant projects created by or with our partners.
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