As we say goodbye to 2022, we also say goodbye to Lara, a student placement who has shared her thoughts and experiences of the last 3 months she spent working in the GWL archive.
Hello, I’m Lara, I am a student from Germany and I’m happy to tell you a bit about my experience of doing a student placement at the marvellous place called Glasgow Women’s Library.
Before I came here, when I told people I was going to spend three months working in a feminist library, reactions couldn’t have been more different: from excitement and support to semi-serious comments like “I hope you don’t come back a feminist” or a complete lack of comprehension along the lines of “I don’t see inequalities between men and women in our society“– I heard it all. Now my student placement is finished (I can’t believe it. These weeks have passed in the blink of an eye…) I can already say I hope I do come back a feminist as for me it means to stand in for equality for everyone regardless of their gender. But I am getting ahead of myself. This is my journey, no time to waste on past expectations of others, so here is the account of my experiences so far:
First thing to know, all of GWL’s staff and volunteers are just lovely. The moment you enter the door you feel safe and welcome. More than that no matter where you come from, what baggage you carry and strengths you have, you can be sure that your presence will be greatly appreciated – just the way you are. It is a place where you are encouraged to build trust in yourself, that you have a voice and something to say. Along with affirmations like these you will get a smile and a wee cup of tea.
One aspect of my work here involved being at Front of House. I am more of an introvert so showing people around or taking phone calls, especially in English, means stepping out of my comfort zone. But having so much support from the staff and volunteers around me, I became more and more comfortable each day that I tried.
As a student of art history and archaeology I have a strong passion for the Arts – and old stuff in general. So, I was delighted to spend much of my time working in the archive supporting the work on GWL’s 30th anniversary project ‘Three Decades of Changing Minds’. The project is about reflecting on the institution’s own history and milestones and within this beautiful project I’m taking a closer look at the visual documents of the library’s early beginnings and Women in Profile (WiP), the grassroots broad-based Arts organisation from which GWL emerged. Established in 1987, Women in Profile meant to counter an all-white male-centric representation of Glasgow’s arts and cultural landscape in the context of Glasgow being awarded the status of European City of Culture in 1990. The organisation’s aim was to support, promote and encourage the work of women in the Arts. Therefore, Women in Profile organised a diverse series of events, projects, and exhibitions, around the year of 1990. Throughout the season, highlighted in September 1990, national and international participants were collaborating with local-based women. They were running projects such as the Women’s Film Festival ‘Hertake’, a Conference and Symposium, the Women’s Own Annual exhibition, and the project Castlemilk Womanhouse. Events on a slightly smaller scale involved for example, readings, cabarets, music events, slide shows and performances. The material created and collected during that time was extensive and should become the basis of resources accessible in the first premises of the Glasgow Women’s Library in Garnethill in September 1991.
If you would like to read a bit more on the projects of Women in Profile, you should definitely check out the blog post of Ellen Embleton who had been working on the WIP archive material during her two-week cataloguing placement. As I spent three months with GWL, I had the time to dig a little deeper into a smaller part of the collection, which led me to working on the photographic material. At the moment, (for you never know when the project archivist Mae might find in the future) the material consists of four boxes filled with photographs, films and prints as well as multiple slides and Polaroids. All of them were taken in the late 1980s to 1990s and it was my pleasure to explore the history behind these photos and delve into the cultural context of Glasgow during that time.
Sifting through the material, first I tried to capture the scope and content of the material. Describing everything that I notice, ranging from the preservation to notes or labels which might explain the circumstances of taking the photograph in the first place. Then I linked the images to specific events and locations, using writings of Women in Profile such as annuals, or the ’Working Memory Space’ interviews conducted with GWL co-founders Adele Patrick and Kate Henderson in the course of the 30th anniversary project.
A large amount of the photographic material, especially of the slides, show artists and their artworks in various media. Other images show exhibitions, projects and events organised by Women in Profile as well as WiP members and participants. Most of the events took place in a series happening in September 1990. Many art slides and a number of black and white prints for instance are related to the launch of the Women’s Own Annual, an exhibition and following publication highlighting Glasgow based women working in the Visual Arts. Some of the photos document the Hertake Film Festival. Representing still images of the movies shown with writing and stickers on the back stating title, filmmaker and contact details of the organisers. I love these different marks, each of them witnessing an object’s history and attaching different levels of meaning to it. There are also lots of snapshots of people clearing out the, let’s say modest, first premises owned by WiP at Dalhousie Lane or Polaroids showing portraits of WIP members at Garnethill. Looking at these images really feels like opening a window to another time and place. And it is just great to see that some of the people featured in the photos, for example Adele Patrick, are still shaping GWL today.
Working together with Mae, who taught me so much about cataloguing systems and the highs and lows of archival work in general, we established a cataloguing arrangement for the photographic material. The point is to make the material as accessible as possible for researchers and anyone else interested in it. Hence, we will rehouse the material in different covers and binders to ensure their preservation and facilitate their handling. Next steps will involve digitising a selection of photographs and slides in preparation for the slide projector session next February (please feel free to mark the date in your diary) and to make the material accessible for digital audiences as well.
I loved this archival work which sometimes feels so much like archaeology in a cardboard box. Going through the boxes, you never know what treasures you will find next. But even though I enjoyed this kind of detective work so much, I have to say that quite often I feel frustrated as well. In the last few months, I have encountered more women artists than in my three years of studying art history. There are many art movements and periods I thought I knew about but quickly realised that I have only ever heard about the male contributors – never the women. There are lots of great women artists throughout history. They are just still not as visible as they should be.
It makes me so happy to see that a place like GWL exists, dedicated to women past and present, their lives and artworks. Preserving memory as well as offering a space for creation. I feel like I have rarely seen a place so full of kindness, empathy, and care.
I have so enjoyed my weeks because every day I have learnt something new. Every day I felt myself grow and my horizon getting broader. I am thankful for every day I spent here.
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