Dr. Emily Bloom, a Sarah Lawrence College Public Humanities Fellow and faculty member, is collaborating with the Wartburg Adult Care Community in Mount Vernon, New York, to connect undergraduates and seniors in a series of conversations about objects, memories, and the things that matter to us all.
Starting in the fall 2021 semester, Bloom launched an oral history project that uses objects—whether historical, aesthetic, or personal—to help Wartburg residents share their stories with Sarah Lawrence students, family members, fellow residents, and Wartburg staff. The project focuses on identifying evocative objects that can allow us to tap into memories, ideas, and beliefs and to communicate them with each other. As part of this project, there are opportunities for lifelong learning alongside college students, a recurring podcast featuring Wartburg residents’ stories produced by Sarah Lawrence students, and an “object-of-the month” series of discussions, talks, and activities. Read the Object Lessons newsletter from December 2021
Students engaged in the Wartburg oral history project with Bloom come from her two seminar classes for the 2021-22 academic year: Care Work and Objects and Memory.
"Senior Prom" by Sarah Lawrence student Kaia Goudreau
Musical Memories Podcast Series
Brenda Brown
Greer McAllister: I sat down with Brenda Brown, a truly incredible woman. In her life, she has been an assistant pastor, a black belt in karate, and a godmother to eighty-two children. I’m curious about her life, so I ask if she has a favorite song she would like to listen to.
Aufranc King
Greer McAllister talks with Aufranc King who is originally from Jamaica. We’re sitting in the dining room at Waltemade, listening to music from his life.
Susan McCarthy
Greer McAllister sat down with Sister Susan McCarthy to talk about her favorite songs, as well as the relationship between music and her religious life.
Mary Ann Platt
Greer McAllister interviews Mary Ann Platt and talks about her husband and what songs where important in their lives.
Louise Signorelli
Greer McAllister ask Louise Signorelli : So do you have any songs in particular that you like?
Louise Signorelli responds, "every one of them".
Objects and Memory Podcast Series
Carmen Toribio Martinez and Laurinda Thompson
Lilly Rushe and Sister Mary Ann Cirillo
Lilly Rushe: "I sat down with Sister Mary Ann Cirillo in the Meadowview third floor library, the
same library we had been meeting in every other Monday for our poetry group for the
past two months."
Elaine Koseff
Lilah: "Elaine is 95 years old, a New York transplant originally from California, just like me. She and I bond over our bicoastal lives and the people we love, and she tells me about her past."
Cathie Behrend, Zacharie Ledoux, and Melody Reudiger
In a conversation with students Zacharie Ledoux and Melody Reudiger, Wartburg resident Cathie Behrend describes how a small ornament that resembles a treadle sewing machine evokes a sense of family, work ethic, and generational connection.
Helen Byrnes, Annie Bingham, and Sophie Hammond
Wartburg resident Helen Byrnes flips through the pages of a photobook showcasing the home she lived in for nearly 60 years, sharing stories from each room of the house with students Annie Bingham and Sophie Hammond.
Rob Byrnes, Lee Brown, and Christine DuFur
In a conversation with students Lee Brown and Christine DuFur, Wartburg resident Rob Byrnes is prompted by his Regis High School yearbook to tell a story of lifelong learning and friendship that began in his teens.
Gloria McGalagly, Adam Stockman, and Gwyneth Sauvage
Gloria McGalagly shares with students Adam Stockman and Gwyneth Sauvage a record album—and memories—from the Choraleers, an all-female group she sang and traveled with during her college years.
Mary Alice O'Brien and Alexandra Moore
Wartburg resident Mary Alice O'Brien and student Alexandra Moore talk about the importance of photography when dealing with objects and memory while poring over photos from Mary Alice's youth.