Objects carry memories.
From treasured mementos to family heirlooms, our objects tell the stories of our past.
They are the artifacts of our lives.
Collected for their beauty, significance or way they transport us to a special moment or feeling, they adorn our shelves and fill our drawers. But unlike the objects and artifacts found in museums, the stories of these objects are rarely captured. Until now.
How it Works:
As your personal ethnographer, I will curate your most treasured items.
Based on anthropological methodology—or ethnography—each “citizen” being curated will be asked a series of questions to help identify the objects or “artifacts” that tell their story.
Each highlighted artifact will be accompanied with a synthesis of factual information regarding the treasured item (origin, dates, creators/designers, materials, etc., as would appear on a museum placard) plus the personal stories that give them their unique pricelessness.
The final product is personalized "ethnographic visual scrapbook”: a curated look at your personal artifacts, featuring both curatorial prose and a process of documentation --- photography, audio and/or video capture.
Commissioning a Curated Citizen project is just as much about engaging in an experience as it is producing a record of that process.
Pricing
Based on your needs and the scope of the collection to be curated, I can be hired on either an hourly or project basis.
Let’s chat.
FAQs
Why do I need a Personal Ethnographer?
While some can easily point to their significant life “artifacts,” for most of us this can be a challenge.
Like chatting with a friend or therapist, your personal ethnographer will take the time to get to know you.
Through a series of questions tailored to the type of project you would like to create, I will help guide you toward identifying key objects that tell your story.
Once these artifacts are identified I will not only research each object, but also tease out what exactly makes this object a treasured, significant or sentimental artifact for you.
Do I really have artifacts worth curating?
We all have sacred objects we hold on to. What makes an object irreplaceable often has nothing to do with its monetary worth, in fact, in many cases it is the opposite. Here value emanates from an objects emotional significance and the stories behind it.