Allison
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Cooking with the Dead Zine
In a fun project, I created the Cooking with the Dead zine with two friends to try out recipes left on tombstones around the world. Carved and etched on granite gravestones, they dictate—sometimes hazily—the instructions for delicious fare such as cookies, cobblers, and bread. Scouring cemeteries and the internet, we collected and attempted seven of…
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JSTOR Daily: How Black Communities Built Their Own Schools
In a short post for JSTOR Daily, I wrote about how Black communities came together to build their own schools through the Rosenwald Fund that was established in 1917. The story also looks at how these historic sites are now in danger of being lost: When the National Trust for Historic Preservation released its annual…
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Fine Books: Photography’s Gilded Age
In the Summer 2020 issue of Fine Books magazine, I have a story on daguerreotypes from the Gold Rush: The 1848 discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill—a sawmill in Coloma, California—inspired thousands of people to uproot their lives and travel west to seek their fortunes. They arrived from across the country and abroad, from Chile,…
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JSTOR Daily: Why Do Police Use Tear Gas When It Was Banned in War?
As the US has experienced a wave of police brutality in response to the protests, I explored why they are allowed to use tear gas when it is banned in war. From the story on JSTOR Daily: As a police tool, the current deployment of tear gas reinforces the effect that made gases so powerful…
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Wellcome Collection: Graveyards as Green Getaways
For Wellcome Collection, I interviewed three cemeteries that kept their gates open during the pandemic when so many spaces have closed to the public: Notably, many of the cemeteries that stayed open were founded in the 19th century as respites from urban life, and their capacity to accommodate people safely comes in part from their…
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Brooklyn Brainery: Cemetery Symbols
On May 28, I led an online cemetery symbols class for the Brooklyn Brainery. Thanks to the over 100 (!) people who attended (and one very attentive cat) and for the Brainery for hosting. They’ve been doing fantastic virtual programming and I recommend checking out any and all of their courses!
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Nightingale: Color Field Paintings That Anticipated “Warming Stripes”
For Earth Week 2020, I contributed a story on color field paintings and Ed Hawkin’s “Warming Stripes” visualization to the data visualization publication Nightingale: The reduction of an idea to its basic form in “Warming Stripes” is reminiscent of the Color Field style of abstract painting that emerged in the 1950s and ’60s, with hubs…
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Something Rather Than Nothing Podcast
I was interviewed on Ken Volante’s Something Rather Than Nothing Podcast about topics ranging from the 1918 flu to deeper questions about what is art. Thanks to Ken for taking a deep dive into my writing and reminding me what a wild range of topics I’ve explored! Listen here.
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The Study: How Socially Concious Makers Are Giving Back to Local Communities
The 1stDibs The Study, I interviewed makers who are embedding socially consciousness in their practices, from heritage sheep wool blankets to mud bead chandeliers: Each step in crafting an object has an environmental and social impact, from the sourcing of materials to production. Aware of the responsibility this entails, many designers and makers are thoughtfully…
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Hart Island in National Geographic
I covered the role of Hart Island in caring for the unclaimed dead and its new significance amidst COVID-19, for National Geographic: The burial process hasn’t changed much since the late 1800s. An 1890 photo by Jacob Riis shows coffins being lowered into a trench, and an aerial video today shows a similar scene. It’s…
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And Now Presents Podcast
The And Now Presents podcast included me in their episode on “Pandemic Art.” It was interesting to revisit the “Spanish flu and the depiction of disease” article I wrote way back in October 2019 for Wellcome Collection, as I never would have imagined it would be so relevant to contemporary life. Listen here.