OHMA Virtual Open House on Jan. 25, 2023
Photo credit to Jayon Park at “You are (Not) Invited”
About this event
OHMA VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
Information session
Virtually meet OHMA students and alums
Presentation by OHMA Alum: Ariel Urim Chung
Mini-interviewing workshop, taught by OHMA Director Amy Starecheski
OHMA is the first program of its kind: a one-year interdisciplinary Master of Arts degree training students in oral history method and theory. Our graduates work in museums, historical societies, advocacy organizations, media, the arts, education, human rights, and development. OHMA is also excellent preparation for doctoral work in fields like anthropology, history, journalism, and American studies or professional degrees in law, education, or social work.
Jointly run by the Columbia Center for Oral History Research, one of the preeminent oral history centers in the world, and INCITE, a lively hub for interdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences, OHMA connects students with the intellectual resources of a major research university, and with the intimate society of a small cohort of talented students.
During a year at OHMA, students learn the skills of digital audio and video production and editing, digital archiving, oral history project design and interviewing, and both historical and social science analysis. Working with an OHMA faculty member, each student is guided through the process of creating a thesis. Past projects have taken the form of academic and creative essays, film and audio documentaries, performances, exhibits, and multimedia websites. OHMA students also have access to elective courses taught anywhere within the University and exclusive oral history internship opportunities.
ALUM PRESENTATION
Ariel Urim Chung (she/her) is an artist and scholar working across performance, technology, and oral history. She interrogates larger visceral connection between consumption, aesthetics, and race in gendered spaces. How are racialized bodies consumed in narrative? How do senses inform the perception of race? How do structures of care turn into those of violence towards racialized bodies? Her thesis The Kitchen Project received the Martha Ross Memorial Prize. Currently she is a Visiting Scholar at NYU’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute and MAGIC Grantee at the Brown Institute for Media Innovation. www.arielurimchung.com
The Kitchen Project
The Kitchen Project is an oral history project recording stories of diasporic Asian daughters, mothers, and nonbinary children and their relationships to food and maternal figures. Centering around the question - “what is your favorite childhood dish?” - the project opens up generational stories of caretakers, gender roles, food as survival or luxury, and broken and woven families in the Asian mothers, daughters, and non-binary children in diaspora. Recording these intimate stories in a setting like a kitchen where the embodied language much differs from a sit-down interview, the project faces its unique questions. In this presentation, Chung will share how her thesis transformed during her journey at OHMA through a multidisciplinary approach.
Prospective students are also welcome to meet with the OHMA director or virtually sit-in on one of our classes. Please send us an email (ohma@columbia.edu) to connect!
Image Description: A snapshot of “You are (not) Invited,” an exhibition for The Kitchen Project. The image shows a table full of colorful flowers, food, and found objects. The photo focuses on a hand reaching out to grab a piece of cake.
These events are open to all. You can use this quick survey to let us know how we could make these events more accessible for you. Note that we are able to provide ASL interpretation for any event, but need two weeks' notice. Please contact Rebecca McGilveray at rlm2203@columbia.edu with specific access requests or questions.