Agatha Schmidt wrote and painted to tell the story of her Russian Mennonite village’s experiences of war and displacement. Her papers, now preserved in the Mennonite Archives of Ontario, may appear “dry and uninteresting” at first glance, but they are charged with her fervent dedication to preserving memories of a vanished community.
In January, I attended a workshop on cultural heritage and wellness in Newcastle, England. This was a unique experience to learn about how archives and museums in many parts of the world are using their collections to promote wellness and connection in their communities. One of the hardest thing for archivists to learn is how to relax about our collections! We practiced techniques for allowing visitors to safely touch rare historical materials, acknowledging the human longing to connect through all our senses.
We also tried card games, sketching exercises, and guessing games as forms of “play” that acknowledge we all bring our own personal states of mind and heart to our encounters with history. I was able to try some of these techniques with Grebel classes this winter.
Encountering a centuries-old manuscript up close creates a memorable connection with the past (Hutterite Codex, 1653-54)
