The Library Guide for Survivance & Sovereignty on Turtle Island was made possible through a Curatorial Fellowship at the Kupferberg Holocaust Center (KHC). The fellowship enabled Zak Risinger, who recently completed his M.A. in Museum Studies at CUNY's School of Professional Studies (SPS), to take part in the inaugural cohort of a new partnership between CUNY SPS and the New York Historical Society that focused on the diversity and inclusion of more voices within the museum community. Through this collaboration, Mr. Risinger worked alongside Dr. Laura B. Cohen, Executive Director of the KHC, and Kat Griefen, Program Coordinator & Faculty Member in the Gallery and Museum Studies at QCC and who also served as the co-curator for the exhibition featured within this Library Guide. Much appreciation is expressed towards everyone who worked on Survivance & Sovereignty on Turtle Island, as well as the entire KHC staff. Special thanks goes to the exhibit's co-curator, Danyelle Means (Oglala Lakota), who provided invaluable insights for this project. This Library Guide could not have been possible without the diligent work and guidance of QCC's Librarians, Mi-Seon Kim and Leslie Ward.
As a cultural member of the Cherokee Nation, Mr. Risinger paid special attention to the nuances surrounding the issues addressed in the Library Guide. He made certain that Native written source material was featured whenever possible so that users are armed with trusted, non-bias information. He was tasked with not simply “presenting” an online version of the objects seen in Survivance & Sovereignty, but rather to use the pieces as a conduit to address issues that might fall through the cracks in a traditional educational environment. Drawing upon years of experience and a lifetime of passion, he was able to create a Library Guide that gives the contemporary art showcased at the KHC a new voice. It is impossible to encapsulate the entire Native Experience in one educational website, but Mr. Risinger worked diligently to curate an online experience illuminating a myriad of issues relating to Indigenous history and culture. This guide invites users to not only engage with contemporary art, but implores them to continue to question and learn so that the atrocities of the past will never happen again--and with the express hope of moving towards a better and more informed tomorrow.