Archival Alchemy®

Unfortunately, many people go through life not fulfilling their purpose; fewer individuals know how to preserve the stories of how they lived. As a certified archivist and an interdisciplinary artist, I created Archival Alchemy® to help seekers, visionaries, and creatives to transform their lives and leave a legacy. 

I. Coaching
Explorations in the Archival Alchemy Laboratory℠ are rooted in self-transformation whether you are seeking to develop or transform your career, your creative practice, or your overall lifestyle. Through my foundational nine-step mapmaking process, you can move closer towards the life you were called to live.

I. Consulting 
Archival Alchemy® supports creatives and cultural institutions to activate their archives through consultations. Being able to serve indivisibly as an archivist/artist is my strength. I am versed in established archival practices to ensure sustainability, but utilize creativity to showcase why archives are even kept.

III. Creating
Archival Alchemy® also creates artistic/archival projects (e.g. programs, performances, public speeches) that could interact with a variety of initiatives, be showcased in wide-ranging settings, and connect with diverse communities.

Please contact me about my services to further discuss how I could support you! I can work remotely or on-site, across the nation or around the world. To follow Archival Alchemy’s projects, please connect with me on Instagram!

I received a bachelor’s degree in Writing and Literature from Naropa University via Hampton University. I received a master’s degree in Library and Information Science with an Archives Certificate from Pratt Institute; I hold a Digital Archives Specialist Certificate from the Society of American Archivists, and I am a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists. I have worked for the Weeksville Heritage Center, the Associated Press Corporate Archives, The New York Public Library, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. In 2011, I self-published my first archival text, somethymes grief goes for a walk. In 2013, I co-curated The Finding Aid: Black Women at the Intersection of Art and Archiving event at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. I am a House of Noire gem; I was a Create Change fellow with The Laundromat Project, a member of the EmergeNYC incubator, as well as a MoCADA creator in residence. In 2017, I founded Archival Alchemy® in New York City. This letter written by Jean Hines, a librarian and friend, inspired the name of my business.