Browsing by Author "Curtin, Abby"

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    Digital Sandbox: Playing with Public Humanities
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) McCune, Callie; Crosby, Christine; Curtin, Abby; Sacco, Nicholas
    We developed and led a daylong workshop on the digital humanities that took place at IUPUI on August 15, 2013. This project grew out of a spring 2013 digital humanities course taught by Dr. Jason Kelly and was designed to start a conversation on campus about digital technology and humanities scholarship. The goal was to offer fellow graduate students in the School of Liberal Arts an opportunity to “get their hands dirty” by applying digital humanities theories and tools to projects. During our digital history class, we realized our peers had an interest in the digital humanities but did not have training in practically applying digital technology to their current and future work. We recognize the use of digital tools can enhance humanities scholars’ work and that limited classroom time prevented our professor from covering both the theory and practical applications of these emerging practices. As a result, we took the initiative to bring digital humanities out of the classroom and into the “sandbox”- a place where we could explore and learn together. We sought a diverse collection of speakers and audience members to share expertise and foster collaboration. We then pushed our participants to ask new questions and to think critically about finding practical applications for digital humanities scholarship in both their academic and professional endeavors. Digital Sandbox was envisioned as an ongoing project. By presenting this poster showcasing our method and outcomes, we hope to continue the conversation about sustaining the role of digital humanities IUPUI.
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    Rethinking Landscape Interpretation: Form, Function, and Meaning of the Garfield Farm, 1876-1905
    (2014) Curtin, Abby; Monroe, Elizabeth Brand, 1947-; Bodenhamer, David J.; Robertson, Nancy Marie, 1956-
    The landscape of James A. Garfield’s Mentor, Ohio home (now preserved at James A. Garfield National Historic Site) contains multiple layers of historical meanings and values. The landscape as portrayed in political biographies, political cartoons, and other ephemera during Garfield’s 1880 presidential campaign reveals the existence of the dual cultural values of agrarian tradition and agricultural progress in the late nineteenth century. Although Garfield did not depend on farming exclusively for his livelihood, he, like many agriculturalists of this era participated in a process of mediation between these dual values. The function of the landscape of Garfield’s farm between 1876 and 1880 is a reflection of this process of mediation. After President Garfield’s assassination in 1881, his wife and children returned to their Mentor home. Between 1885 and c. 1905, Garfield’s widow Lucretia made numerous changes to the agricultural landscape, facilitating the evolution of the home from farm to country estate. Despite the rich history of this landscape, its cultural complexity and evolution over time makes it difficult to interpret for public audiences. Additionally, the landscape is currently interpreted exclusively through indoor museum exhibits and outdoor wayside panels, two formats with severe limitations. I propose the integration of deep mapping into interpretation at James A. Garfield National historic site in order to more effectively represent the multi-layered qualities of its historic landscape.