Rebecca Murphy

Publication Date

Fall 2022

Abstract

This project applied museum and archival theory and practice in order to document and preserve the Aray Collection according to best practice. The Aray Collection is an important Black history collection found at the Ypsilanti Historical Society. The Aray Collection belonged to an affluent, free-black, farming family in Pittsfield Township and is made up of textiles, decorative arts, culinary instruments, tools, photographs, and archival documents. Tasks performed included artifact tracking which aided in the identification of unmarked collection pieces. Photographing, cataloging, labeling, and preservation were performed on the existing and newly located collection artifacts. The photographs and other archival material were processed, stored, and prepared for digitization. The preservation of the Aray Collection extended the lifespan of unique black history artifacts and archival material resulting in a more documented and accessible collection for diverse stories.

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