Oral Histories, Neighborhood Maps, and Community Arts

Throughout the course, students met with long-time residents and learned more about their personal histories growing up and living in Southwest Baltimore. Students paired with one or more residents, interviewed them, and produced an oral history, including audio recordings, a transcript, and follow-up conversations, when appropriate. With student and resident permissions, a select number of interviews and transcripts are shared here.

As the final project for the the course, students worked in teams to create historically informed Arc-GIS maps that illustrate neighborhood change over time. Students selected a topic then conducted original research in campus and community archives, interviewed residents about their memories, and built digital maps that help re-narrate the history of Southwest Baltimore. Several of the final projects are shared below, with student permission.

Students also engaged in the practice of community arts, led by Jeneanne Collins and building on her decades of work in the community. Students participated in several walking tours of the neighborhood, narrated by Prof. Collins and in conversation with residents along the way. They also produced abstract collages using artifacts collected and making comparisons between their world at Homewood Campus and the world of Fayette Street’s community. Several of the collages and images are included.