Bringing the Past into the Future
Guest Speaker: Rachel Fidler, Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH)
February 20–23, 2017
The John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) at Skidmore College is pleased to partner with the Jacob Perlow Series to welcome Rachel Fidler, creative programs director at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH) for a mini-residency in February 2017.
Over the course of three days, Fidler will deliver a lecture, visit classes and offer a workshop to support Skidmore faculty and staff and community partners develop tools to build connections across generations on stories that matter. Join Fidler as she shares some of the stories and the impact of this program for generations past, present and future.
Public Event: Tuesday, February 21, 6 p.m.
Emerson Auditorium, Palamountain Hall
Moderated by Dan Nathan, professor of American studies
Bringing the Past Into the Future
This may be the last decade in which a younger generation can directly connect with those who lived through the Holocaust. With Voices of History, the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust has set out to bring out the voices of Holocaust survivors through a young person's lens using the Holocaust as a source of motivation and activism. Survivors' inspirational and timeless stories can teach others the power of perseverance as well as the importance of protesting injustice. With Voices of History, teens and young adults are producing compelling oral histories and short films with the support of the museum that are inspired by these stories. This event is free and open to the public.
Workshop: Wednesday, February 22, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Scribner Library room #113 (first floor)
Creating Activism through the arts and across generations
Fidler will discuss her work on Voices of History, a project led by LAMOTH to share the voices of Holocaust survivors through a young person's lens. With this project, teens and young adults produced compelling oral histories and short films inspired by the stories of Holocaust survivors. The workshop conversation provides a framework that can be applied to many community projects looking to create activism by engaging community members and young people.
A light buffet lunch will be served. RSVP to mdocs@skidmore.edu (with names/# of attendees) by Friday, Feb 17.
We hope that you are able to join us!
Rachel Fidler received her B.A. in psychology and sociocultural anthropology from Scripps College. Following graduation, she led programs as an art educator at the Portland Children’s Museum. Research for her undergraduate thesis, “Holocaust Memorialization: Perceptions of the Workplace, Translation of Memory, and Personal Experiences of Museum Staff,” introduced her to Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, where she interviewed key staff members for her analysis. As creative programs director at LAMOTH, Fidler merges her experience with young-adult museum programming in the arts with Holocaust education, specifically centered around creative reflection. Working with community partners, Fidler develops and directs art programs in a variety of mediums connecting Holocaust survivors and teens in the Los Angeles area. Creative programs at LAMOTH have been selected for the Slingshot Guide, recognizing the most innovative Jewish nonprofits in North America.
