During the summer of 2009, we started thinking a lot about the amazing value of documenting people discussing their lived and learned-from experiences. This led us to an entire community and field of history that values this process as a priceless piece of the human experience. We decided to organize an oral history event at SEA Change Gallery during which two oral historians (Felicia Williams and Michael O’Rourke) interviewed two artists (Shane Schneider and Sandra Lakeman) about their lives in front of an audience.


It was amazing how much we learned and how touching and fun it was, and that’s a big part of what Public Social University is all about.


After we won November’s STOCK Grant, we realized that we could do something better than just making a CD of oral histories to give to attendees of our ORAL HISTORY event, which is what we had originally planned. We decided to have an open meeting where we could ask the public what we should do with our STOCK funds. We had used a similar approach before, in February 2008, when we invited the public to tell us how we could help people turn the economic recession into a potentially good thing.

The question this time: “What issues and needs would a public oral histories project address?”


The responses:

• Provide ways for people to learn more about oral history and build community during the process
• Provide a space and resources for people who want to have their oral histories recorded and preserved
• Raise awareness about the need for institutional and public support of oral history

So we came up with Oral History Space and invited the public to help us make it happen.


And now it happened, and we hope you enjoyed it and that it inspired you to create space in the community for what you love and what moves you.