ABLM Goes To Toronto: A reflection on Collaboration

Date: 2022-08-24
Author(s): Temple Marucci-Campbell
Editor(s): Nicholas Raffoul

​I am thrilled to be compiling my first blog post for our research group, and have it mark the beginning of my Master’s Degree in the department of Art History at Concordia University.
 
I am very excited to work with the ABLM research group, as the research I conducted during my undergraduate degree was heavily concerned with centering Black diasporic histories within art historical discourse. My undergraduate thesis research, looked to food as carrier of immaterial knowledge to understand my family history despite the lack of material archives. Through this study of food, I was able to resuscitate parts of my family history that would have been forgotten if not for a bowl of pepper pot or glass of sorrel. I’m looking to continue this research on the intersection of art and food at Concordia, and I believe the time I spend working with the ABLM team will further enrich the work I will be doing.

​Over the summer, the ABLM research group (made up of MA Student Nicholas Raffoul and PhD Candidate Aman Sandhu) worked with Alice on bibliographic research to start writing a thorough literature review of the intersections of Afrofuturism and BLM in the Canadian art scene, learning about pivotal artists, exhibitions, artworks, and scholars who have been contributing to the rise of Afrofuturism in Canadian art over the last few decades. Alice and Nicholas have also been accepted to co-chair a panel at this fall’s upcoming Universities Art Association Canada (UAAC) conference (more to come on that later this fall)!
 
I believe that when centering Black histories within scholarly discourse, there must be efforts made in decolonizing the methods in which information is collected. While I think the idea of decolonization within academia is heavily abstracted, I believe it starts with understanding that valid knowledge and histories exist in the periphery of canonical art historical archives.  The ABLM research group will be working alongside the Centre for the Study of Black Canadian Diaspora (CSBCD) to collect and preserve the oral histories of Black artists in Canada, which I believe to be an important step in broadening the scope of ‘legitimate’ art historical archives. While we have a long way to go, this research is an important step in thinking about ways we can decolonize institutions through our projects at hand.

​The CSBCD’s principal researcher is Dr. Andrea Fatona, who was my supervisor for my undergraduate thesis. To have the opportunity to collaborate with Dr. Fatona again is really exciting. Being able to work with such amazing mentors like Dr. Fatona and Dr. Jim makes academia far less daunting, and so far I am very optimistic of the paths available to me as an emerging scholar.
 
I am honoured that I get the opportunity to work with the ABLM research group as I begin my time at Concordia, especially coming back after two years of online learning. I am especially looking forward to the communities that will be cultivated through the collaborative environment Dr. Jim has fostered.
 
Very Best
Temple Marucci-Campbell
Research Assistant

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