Expanding the Archive: a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon workshop

Expanding the Archive: a Wikipedia Edit-a-thon workshop

Date & Time: Sat, 4 Feb @9:40AM-12:00PM
Location: Sàn Art
Millenium Masteri,
Units B.16 & B.17
132 Ben Van Don, Ward 6, District 4,
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Language: English only*

From imagined archives to the creation of counter archives, or to artwork sourced directly from state-run, private or national archives, during the past century, artists have used archives for the creation of their work. While the ‘archival turn’ took central stage in contemporary theory, art and art criticism, the normative ambitions of archival practices persist. The supposed neutrality, if not objectivity, of the archival space is produced and reproduced through mechanisms of exclusion such as hegemonic classification structures, sets of rules, protocols, procedures and technologies that govern access to their holdings. Departing from the showcased artists in the exhibition Don’t Call it Art!, artist Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn and art historian Amber Berson, led a two-hour Wikipedia edit-a-thon. Designed to improve coverage of Vietnamese arts on Wikipedia, the workshop included tutorials for the beginner Wikipedian, ongoing editing support, reference materials, and refreshments.

* Due to a lack of resources, the event was in English only with bilingual writing and editing encouraged.

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This workshop was co-sponsored by Art + Feminism, an organization building a community of activists that is committed to closing information gaps related to gender, feminism, and the arts, beginning with Wikipedia.