Thursday, July 28, 2011

A Sneak Peak!

Since the exhibition is up (minus the wall texts) I thought I'd give you a little sneak preview. These are a few of my favorite items from the exhibition. :)



This was actually a last minute find. I opened a desk in the archives the other day and found a goldmine. This belonged to a graduating senior in 1924 and was a book for her to record all of her graduation memories. Next to it is an invitation to her graduation.



There are a few items in this picture and each is a favorite. It was interesting to find items that belonged to or mentioned the same students during my research. In this photo you see a framed diploma, a composition notebook and a grade book. Both the notebook and diploma belonged to a girl named Mary Elizabeth Gilmore, who graduated in 1910. Her grades for the 1909-1910 school year can all be found on the first page of the grade book. Mary Gilmore must have been an exemplary student, according to the grade book she made solid A's her final year at Cardome.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

An Exciting Update!

I just arrived back from an afternoon of accomplishing work at the Cardome Center. I am proud to say that the majority of the exhibition space has been organized and cleaned, and is nearly ready to be viewed. There are a few things I have yet to accomplish before it is completely ready. There is the matter of buying stands for some of the items that will be on display and, most importantly, I must write the wall text to accompany all of the memorabilia.
It is wonderful to see this project begin to really come together. It is my sincerest hope that those who were a part of Cardome during its academic years will appreciate the exhibit. There are many more items I would have liked to include in the displays, but I had to work with the room provided and have tried to cover the Academy and Sisters of Visitation from beginning to end. Of course, there is the room in the basement that is also dedicated to the history of Cardome, and will always be available for those who wish to view more. I am planning on organizing that room to be more viewer friendly.

Another update: I have finished one interview and have a few more in the works, if everything goes as planned. I interviewed Linda Boots and she was absolutely wonderful, and excited to help with the project. I am in the midst of transcribing her interview into text and will post it here when I am finished. There was a problem with the digital recorder, so it was necessary to alter this portion of the internship just a bit. We learn to roll with the punches and it will be wonderful regardless. It was a pleasure to get to meet her and learn about her experiences. I'm sure no one will be disappointed!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Beginning of the End



Since this blog has been largely devoid of pictures, I thought I would take this opportunity to share some. I have chosen some of my favorite items in the archives to photograph. Most are not self-explanatory, so they will be accompanied with short explanations.



This is a placard of awards, as well as a photography of the first girl, Ann Pryse Rieth, to receive the award.



Here are some pieces of artwork done by Alice Thompson, Class of 1955, and pottery from the Indian room.



My favorite photo album. The pictures are all from the 1940s and display a very nice idea of what Cardome was like for its residents, a solid mixture of learning and fun.



I believe this is the only remaining portion of the original Cardome house, built by Violetta and benjamin Stuart Chambers in 1821, a two-story building that faced East and was destroyed in a mysterious fire.

I have been able to get in touch with a few alum and we are trying to work out times for the interviews. I left messages with others and, hopefully, they'll get back in touch soon. Maybe my next update will be an audio of their oral history. :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

Progress Check

Though it has been a while since my last post, I have some wonderful news! Thanks to Allison helping me find a contact, Christine Kleemeier, who has given me the most recently updated Cardome Visitation Academy's alumnae list, it is time for the next step of this project. It is my best intention to get ahold of several women still living in Central Kentucky and ask them to be a part of the oral history portion of the exhibition. There are quite a few of these alumnae who spent many years at Cardome and who will, hopefully, be able to share not only about the actual history of the institution, but who will also be able to share their personal memories and feelings of and about their years at Cardome. Based on my research, though the institution was got large in number, the girls who attended the school were very diverse and came from many backgrounds making the possibility of very unique accounts and stories likely.
It is my attention to update the blog with the audio of these interviews and also, to have the histories playing for those who visit the exhibition after its opening.

For the completion of this internship I have several things left to do. My partial to do list is as follows:
Interview alumnae and convert their interviews to be posted on the blog
Clean and arrange the actual exhibition
Write the wall text for the items that will be on display
Organize an opening event for the exhibition