StoryCenter was invited to assist with a special exhibition and media project to tell the stories of how people came to the city of Glendale, California. Supported by a major grant from California Humanities, the Tell Me project gathers video, images, and stories from a wide spectrum of Glendale communities to present a narrative—cohesive but, at times, fractured—that details how we got here as a city.
In an attempt to create a portrait of the city, Tell Me also presents a somewhat experimental contemporary video project via the meanderings of the library arts and culture courier as he makes his rounds crisscrossing the city over several days. Glendale’s story is ongoing and Tell Me adds to the city’s narrative with interactivity: it engages the audience and creates a space for library patrons to write their own stories and become part of the exhibit itself.
Taken together, these contemporary and historical narratives tell a story of transformation and community: much like the history of the city itself.
Tell Me: Stories of Migration to Glendale is the first step in the library’s newly launched effort to document the stories and narratives of its residents. These videos and images will become part of a growing archive, soon to be available to the public, that tells and tracks Glendale’s contemporary history.
The Tell Me Exhibition is curated by Ara and Anahid Oshagan, and opens September 13, 2019 at the Reflect Space at the downtown Glendale Library.
Here are some of the excerpted interviews.
