Archives are known to be sites of memory that reflect the conscious practice of selection, exclusion, and memorialization. What if we saw archival research as deep encounters, weaving together the scraps of the Archives to bridge the gaps between what has been saved and what else could have been? What if we transmuted our pain of invisibility into purpose? In this talk, Archivist Melissa J. Nelson will discuss the practice of “Archival Alchemy” — the transformative use of archives to convert narratives of pain and loss into sources of empowerment and liberation. Black artistic creation can confront the machinery of the Archives to surface Black livingness and architect liberation.

ABOUT MELISSA

Melissa J. Nelson is an award-winning archivist, educator, and community connector based in Toronto, Canada. Her work centres Black being and belonging in the archives to support collective healing and liberation movements. She is guided by critical and creative praxis to reimagine the Archives as sites of Black joy. Melissa has worked with notable clients such as Harvard University, Library and Archives Canada, ARMA International, and the Association of Canadian Archivists, among others. She holds a Master of Information Studies from McGill University. She received a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in History, with a minor in Sociology, from Carleton University.