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  • Treasure hunting and storytelling: The role of picture research in publishing Simon Fraser University’s institutional memory

Treasure hunting and storytelling: The role of picture research in publishing Simon Fraser University’s institutional memory

Example of stamps (publisher and photographer) and writing on the reverse side of an archival photograph which was published in the student newspaper. Tony Westman, “The Devils.” July 1967, Photograph (Side B), Simon Fraser University Archives, School for the Contemporary Arts fonds, F-109-12-4-0-24.

Graduating extended essay / Research project completed for the Master of Publishing program at Simon Fraser University. 

Author: 

Cassandra (Casey) McCarthy

Abstract: 

The Simon Fraser University Retirees Association (SFURA) is publishing a website and book providing a retrospective of the Centre for Communications and the Arts (CCA). As the campus arts hub during Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) radical first decade (1965–75), the CCA hosted countless flower-child “happenings” and conceptual art projects in the SFU Theatre. The program evolved into the School for the Contemporary Arts, School of Communication and SFU Galleries. This report describes the picture research methods employed to find historical images for the SFURA’s book and website, including identification, selection and clearance of 50-year-old images from archival sources. The processes, considerations – editorial, archival and legal – and the partnerships at play in curating and publishing these largely forgotten visual materials are discussed. The picture research methods explained in this report provide a practical model for the future publication of retrospective books and websites created at SFU and other organizations.

PDF available at SFU Library's online database of theses and graduating projects.