Call to Action: Ask the American Planning Association to Share the Salary

This Labor Day, We’re Taking a Stand! Join Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq., Desiree' D. Powell, CNU-A, and me, to advocate for salary transparency!

On a day that honors the contributions of workers, we are launching our “Share The Salary” campaign to call on the American Planning Association to require salary transparency on their job board. It’s time to ensure fairness, equity, and honesty in the planning profession. Hidden salaries and unpaid internships perpetuate wage gaps and disadvantage marginalized groups.

Let’s make Labor Day a day of real change. Join us in advocating for transparency and equity! Learn more at transparencytoday.com

How You Can Help:

1. Email APA: Use their Customer Service Form to demand that they require salary ranges

for all job postings and stop sharing unpaid internships.

2. Sign Our Petition!

3. Send a Postcard: Download our free “SHARE THE SALARY”; postcard template and help us flood APA’s mailbox with this important call to action.

4. Spread the Word: Share our message on social media using #ShareTheSalary, #EquityInPlanning, and #FairPayForAll.

Jackson Home Art Reveal Reflections

It will forever be one of my greatest honors to have worked alongside Athena F. Richardson to support Jawana Jackson's vision for her family home by developing a strategy based on her goals and identifying the ideal caretaker of the Jackson Home. The Jackson Home has gone from Selma, Alabama to The Henry Ford. It has moved to exactly where it should be to support future generations of socially conscience community members. 

To Learn More About the Jackson Home:

Read: The House by the Side of the Road: The Selma Civil Rights Movement by Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson

Tour: The Jackson Home prior to disassembly

Watch: The physical move of the Jackson Home from Selma, Alabama to Dearborn, Michigan.

+These doodle reflections are part of an ongoing effort to move slower and embrace the journey of preservation and were done after a reveal of art installed at the former site of the Jackson Home on June 15, 2024.

Dismantle Preservation (un)Conference Returns

The Dismantle Preservation (un)Conference is returning September 23-29, 2024, and I am so happy to say Dismantle Preservation will continue to experiment with the ways we elevate and support people pushing for positive change in the cultural heritage field. A Zine! Virtual Workshops! & In Person Pop-Ups!

Learn more via this link!

Featured on The Republic; Photo Gallery: Bartholomew County Public Library Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Wondering what a library system’s 125th anniversary party looks like? The answer is - a whole lot of fun! Check out this photo gallery of participating stitching dolls at my station, creating clay sculptures, listening to music, and more! All photos taken by Mike Wolanin

Bartholomew County Public Library 125th Anniversary Party Reflections

Sometimes events will leave you drained, but the 125th anniversary party for Bartholomew County Public Library left me energized and amazed by Columbus, Indiana’s community. Their interest in coming together to celebrate their history, and connect with friends and old/new while doing that - it’s magic.

It was a pleasure to design a Tiny Henry Moore doll for the event and to help attendees craft a connection to the past.

~These digital doodles are a part of an ongoing effort to move slower.

Show Your Salary:

The Anonymous Cultural Heritage Worker Salary Study provides a glimpse into how labor, in a variety of specialties, is being valued. What people have chosen to contribute in addition to numbers is just as compelling. Please take a moment to submit your information today and take some time to review the contributions* -
Here are just a handful of personal stories shared:
+ "No real raises in 5 years, since it was more important for me to get my employees' salaries up."
+ "I have 2-4 jobs at any given time to pay bills."
+ "My salary doubled by switching from a department director to executive director, but so did my responsibilities."
+ "I live paycheck to paycheck at 72K/year and I can’t imagine how others at lower salaries feel. This field is severely underfunded and good people will keep leaving or just not applying for jobs because the pay is often not a realistic number. "
+ "The current salary (Northwest) is the same as I had in the Northeast 8 years ago"

*you can use the link to submit your salary and to access both the raw data and an air table version of it.

Contributor: Florida's Historic Preservation Toolkit

A big thank you to Community Planning Collaborative for inviting me to be a contributor to the Florida’s Historic Preservation Toolkit. It was a pleasure to contribute illustrations and text to these resources. Use this link to learn more and to read digital versions of the toolkit.

Arizona Historical Society Fellowship Reflections

I knew the best way for the Bess Prather Project to grow was to spend time in the Arizona Historical Society’s archives. Big thanks to the Arizona Historical Society for believing in the idea, seeing the value in this research, and for granting me a Research Fellowship.

The sketches above serve as a reflection for my week in the archives, and are a part of an ongoing effort to move slower.

Out(sider) Preservation Initiative Kickoff Reflections

Dr. Andrea Roberts has launched the Out(sider) Preservation Initiative, an evolution/extension of The Texas Freedom Colonies Project. Support from the Mellon Foundation will allow the initiative to invest in “commemorative practices and storytelling that reflect place-based migratory histories and bring those considered on the margins of state-sponsored preservation and placemaking to the center of the American commemoration landscape.”

It was a privilege to attend the initiative’s kickoff and I hope you all will choose to support/learn from both The Texas Freedom Colonies Project and the Out(sider) Preservation Initiative.

~These digital doodles are a part of an ongoing effort to move slower.

Punks on Paper Moves to UNC-Greensboro's Archives

Being able to help cement a loved one’s legacy beyond their lifetime is truly one of the greatest honors one can have.  Caroline Weiss and I are pleased to announce that John Rivera’s* Punks on Paper archive has found a forever home.

Punks on Paper is MOVING to UNC-Greensboro’s Archives! We are working with their team of archivists for a smooth transition, and the fliers will soon be available on their website! We need your help to grow Punks on Paper. The Punks on Paper collection would love to add your photos, fliers, cds, tapes, or records, of punk/hardcore music in North Carolina. Whether it is your band or a band you went to see - your part of NC music history is a story worth telling. Physical donations will be displayed on rotation in the UNC-Greensboro's public library. Digital files will also be accepted. Please contact Stacey Krim (SRKRIM@uncg.edu) to learn more about how to contribute to the Punks on Paper Collection.

*A true agent of chaos in our lives over many years and many pizzas. Forever grateful for his DIY spirit.

Saving Places Conference Reflections

We live in a culture of perpetual motion. We are always moving on to the next thing. In an effort to make time move a bit slower, I have begun to carve out time for reflection - specifically sketching out reflections after work trips. The sketches above provide a glimpse into my time at Colorado Preservation’s 2024 Saving Places Conference in Boulder, Colorado.

Launching Dismantle Preservation Merit Badges!

There is no time like the present to celebrate others. Dismantle Preservation merit badges are created to cause smiles. I want you to celebrate the small and the big stuff; I want you to applaud progress not perfection. Use this link to view/download (free) the first Dismantle Preservation Merit Badge.

Featured In: Mentoring Up, Down, and Sideways: Reciprocity and Care in the Museum Education Field

Thank you Ashley Mask for interviewing me and Sierra Van Ryck deGroot about our peer mentorship relationship. Our interview alongside others, provide a wonderful reflection on what mentorship can look like to meet a variety of needs. Ashley’s article Mentoring Up, Down, and Sideways: Reciprocity and Care in the Museum Education Field can be found in the Journal of Museum Education, Volume 48, Issue 4 (2023).

Contributor to Cemetery Maps Volume 2

When art intersects with historic preservation/public history, MAGIC HAPPENS. Amy Martin's Cemetery Maps series is one of these instances. The Cemetery Maps series features hand drawn maps that showcase the significance of burial spaces around the world and encourages you to engage with those who came before us. It's a pleasure to be a part of Volume 2 alongside so many talented storytellers, historians, artists, and all sorts of other folks who fall under the preservation umbrella - whether they realize it or not.

I hope you will consider adding this book to your personal library! Click this link to purchase a copy.

Work Featured in “THE RELEVANCY GUIDEBOOK”

Add Bonnie McDonald's Relevancy Guidebook to your fall/winter reading list and find ways to integrate the tools into your 2024 goals. It was an honor to be interviewed for this initiative, and to have been a draft reviewer.

Visit this link to download the free guidebook.

Tiny Jane Jacobs Gift Guide

TINY ACTIVIST DOLLS ARE BACK! #TinyJaneJacobs and #TinyIMPei are excited to go on an adventure with you!

The doll "factory" is open and I'll be releasing dolls in small batches! In lieu of a traditional purchase, I'm asking you to donate $50+ directly to a nonprofit; we are going to work together to support Latinos in Heritage Conservation’s Congreso scholarship fund* and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation’s Forum scholarship fund! And I’m really excited to announce this fundraiser is in collaboration with Matt Armstrong every doll with Batch 1 & Batch 2 come with a beautiful National Register Plaque letterpress card. Visit this link to learn more!

Wondering what other gifts may be great for a Jane Jacobs fan?!?! Here are some of our recommendations:

• Walkable Cities Sticker

• Vital Little Plans: The Short Works of Jane Jacobs Book

• Walking in the City with Jane: A Story of Jane Jacobs Children’s Book

• Plan for Better Cities Vintage Stamp (also available on Etsy)

• Last Stop on Market Street Children’s Book

• Becoming Jane Jacobs Book

• Support Missing Middle Housing Sticker

*This one batch of dolls will be able to support one scholarship to Congreso! To learn more about Congreso sponsorship opportunities click this link!

Tiny I.M. Pei Gift Guide

TINY ACTIVIST DOLLS ARE BACK! #TinyJaneJacobs and #TinyIMPei are excited to go on an adventure with you!

The doll "factory" is open and I'll be releasing dolls in small batches! In lieu of a traditional purchase, I'm asking you to donate $50+ directly to a nonprofit; we are going to work together to support Latinos in Heritage Conservation’s Congreso scholarship fund* and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation’s Forum scholarship fund! And I’m really excited to announce this fundraiser is in collaboration with Matt Armstrong every doll with Batch 1 & Batch 2 come with a beautiful National Register Plaque letterpress card. Visit this link to learn more!

Wondering what other gifts may be great for an I.M. Pei fan?!?! Here are some of our recommendations:

• The Gold Leaf Louvre Museum Pyramid Artwork

• Dallas, Texas Handscape Art Print

• Luce Memorial Chapel Night Light

• Pei Heart Sticker

• I am I.M. Pei Children’s Book

• Iggy Peck, Architect Children’s Book

• I.M. Pei: Mandarin of Modernism Book

• I.M. Pei Architecture Slides

• Louvre Museum Shirt

*This one batch of dolls will be able to support one scholarship to Congreso! To learn more about Congreso sponsorship opportunities click this link!

Featured In: The “Passion Tax” is History

“As more and more history sector workplaces unionize, the “Passion Tax”—the price a worker in history pays in exchange for the privilege of working in the field—might become a thing of the past.”

— Elizabeth Blasius

A huge thank you to Elizabeth Blasius for amplifying the work of labor advocates in the cultural resource field. It is an honor to be included in The “Passion Tax” is History article on MAS Context. I hope you will take a moment to read the full article.

Featured In: House Calls by Anya Davidson

Carla Bruni has been a consistent catalyst for positive shifts in historic preservation - in Chicago, and beyond. She is OFFICIALLY a comic super hero. “House Calls” by Anya Davidson takes us on a short journey as Carla gives a compelling argument for preservation as an affordable housing tool. It’s an honor to be featured in the comic alongside Tonika Johnson and Shermann “Dilla” Thomas as an innovative preservationist.

You can buy a digital or physical issue of Newcity October 2023 Issue: Chicago Architecture Biennial on newcityshop.com.

Quoted In: Pay Transparency - Does mandatory disclosure of salaries reduce inequity? REPORT

It was a pleasure to be interviewed by Urooj Naveed for her report co-written with Tasmiha Khan about compensation transparency.

“Companies are facing a crescendo of calls for greater transparency about their pay levels, as local, regional and national governments enact laws designed to increase the visibility of salary rates. Pay transparency laws typically fall into three categories: prohibiting companies from banning salary discussions among ...” Click link to continue reading