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Preserving Our Stories: Starting Your Family Archive

This project was developed as part of my capstone for the Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Leadership at the University of Minnesota.

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It shares my methodology, research findings, and practical approaches to support and encourage others in preserving their own family histories.

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Download the Family Archive Inventory Template here.​

Download the Family Archive Action Checklist here.

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May 1st - May 27th, 2025

XIA Gallery & Cafe 
422 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55103

This exhibit comes from sorting through the things my father left behind.

After he passed away, I began asking questions I had never asked before:
What do we keep? Who decides what matters? How do we remember stories that were never written down?

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I am a 1.5-generation Hmong American daughter of refugees from Laos. In our home, history lived in memories, everyday objects, and spoken stories. There were no official records—just things passed down and held onto.

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This project shares items from my family archive: photographs, documents, and belongings that tell stories of my father’s life, and of my own.

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These pieces may seem small, but they hold deep meaning. They help me understand where I come from—and what it means to remember.

Organizing Family Photos

Organizing your photographs

The way you organize your photographs is a personal choice. If you are just starting out, take time to find a system that works best for you. Personally, I found it helpful to organize mine by eras—specifically, based on the different homes my family lived in. This approach has worked well for me, at least until I have more time to further refine the organization.

Resources Used for Preservation & Contextualizing

OVERVIEW

This isn’t a comprehensive list but rather a good starting point and what I used to help get started with my own family archive.

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Preservation Resources

  1. Archival Methods Preservation Guide (Free online, $ to order physical copy) – https://online.flippingbook.com/view/262990477/

  2. Free Preservation Resources – NEDCC – https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/overview

  3. Preservation and Conservation – Government of Canada – https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/care-objects.html

  4. Saving Stuff by Don Williams and Louisa Jaggar – ISBN13: 9780743264167 (Highly recommended)

  5. Springboard for the Arts Resource Lab

  6. Family Search Center (Crystal, MN)

  7. Fedex Office ($, but does large format scanning and printing)

  8. Local Library

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Resources to Contextualize Hmong History and Culture

  1. Talk to your family members directly

  2. Center for Hmong Studies – csp.edu/center-for-hmong-studies

  3. Hmong Cultural Center Museum and Library – https://www.hmongcc.org

  4. Hmong Museum Learn Uake - https://learnuake.org/

  5. Science Museum of Minnesota Collections – https://new.smm.org/collections

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Archiving Enclosures and Tools

  1. Gaylord Archival – gaylord.com

  2. Archival Methods – archivalmethods.com

  3. Blick Art Materials – dickblick.com

  4. Michaels Craft Supplies

  5. Tools I had at home: Lighting, flathead screwdriver, No.2 pencil, Micron archival pen, air puffer, microfiber cloth, craft spatula, and sticky notes

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