“This site commemorates and celebrates the lives of people from all walks of life - those who give heft to the fabric of our community through their daily work, play, traditions and dreams. This is a place to share your story with family and community.”
Activities
Museum of the Person (MOP)-Indiana took off from MOP-Brazil. The Indiana branch hosts and assists with events where it can collect stories from citizens. The organization sometimes focuses on specific themes, such as Memories of the Monroe County Fair or Stories of the Spirit. In addition to formal events where participants can archive stories, anyone can add a story to the Museum’s website by sending in a typed story with or without graphics. The stories are all available to read on the website.
MOP-Brazil’s aim is to “collect, organize, preserve, and publish the life stories of ordinary people.” Like the Indiana spin-off, MOP-Brazil hosts a website where anyone can post a biography and associated multimedia. The organization started by setting up an open video recorder and capturing 150 life stories; the website now receives approximately 15 new stories each day.
Relevant Project(s)
The most relevant project is Memories of the Fair, which sought to capture the spirit and character of the fair through memories and stories of fair-goers. The organization set up a booth and recorded video footage; a video sampler is now available to the public in addition to selected quotes on the website.
Relevant Methodologies
MOP-Indiana primarily records stories through video footage and a web archive. MOP-Brazil worked initially in an area where the Internet was not popular, so the organization designed a system of publicly-located CD-ROM “Jukeboxes” or kiosks where individuals could record their stories and get help. The organization works with many additional media, including books and exhibitions, and now works to gather information about people’s daily lives—birthdays, anniversaries, net diaries of everyday life.
Region
Indiana; Brazil
More Information
Indiana: http://www.bloomington.in.us/~mop-i
Bloomington, IN
812-349-3745 (phone)
Brazil: http://www.museudapessoa.org.br/
Rua Natingui, 1100
Sao Paulo, SP
+ 55-11-2144-7150 (phone)
+ 55-11-2144-7151 (fax)