SEASON 03, EPISODE 03: Living and Leaving a Legacy with Sierra King
In this episode of Black in Real Life, Anuli talks with multidisciplinary artist, archivist, and curator, Sierra King, about how she got into the work of archiving, her personal approach to self-documentation, and how to curate your own career as a creative contract worker.
Featured speaker: Sierra King
Sierra King is a multidisciplinary artist, archivist, and curator. Her introduction to archiving began with her Great-Grandmother, Annett L. Battle, a well-known child-care provider in the Collier Heights neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art from Valdosta State University. She is the founder of Build Your Archive, a memory work lab where Black Women Artists build their archives in real-time. In 2022, she was an Arts & Social Justice Fellow at Emory University in collaboration with Dr. Paul Bhasin, Director of the Symphony Orchestra. Currently, she is a Sweet Auburn Artist-In-Residence at Remerge Atlanta (@remergeatl) and Social Justice for Archivist Scholar Graduate Student at the University of Alabama.
Follow sierra King
Personal Website: https://www.sierraking.co/
Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/SierraChas
Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierrachasity/
Build Your Archive Website: https://www.buildyourarchive.com/
Build Your Archive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildyourarchive/
Sierra Chasity Are.na Profile: https://www.are.na/sierra-king/index
Referenced Materials
Atlanta Contemporary, “New Worlds: Georgia Women to Watch.” Curated by Sierra King and Melissa Messina. January 28, 2023 - June 4, 2023. https://atlantacontemporary.org/exhibitions/new-worlds
Bambara, Toni Cade. 1970. The Black Woman: An Anthology. New York: New American Library. https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-black-woman-an-anthology-toni-cade-bambara/10916790?aid=87607&ean=9780743476973&listref=season-3-reading-list
Boddie, Elise C. 2018 “Ordinariness as Equality.” Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 93: Iss.1, Article 4.
Caruso, Skyler. 2023. “Everything to Know About the Hollywood Writers Guild Strike, Including the TV Shows and Movies Affected.” People.com. https://people.com/tv/hollywood-writers-guild-strike-everything-to-know/
Chang-Cook, Althea. 2022. “Why People of Color Are Less Likely to Have a Will.” Consumer Reports. https://www.consumerreports.org/money/estate-planning/why-people-of-color-are-less-likely-to-have-a-will-a6742820557/
Cherlise, Renata. 2023. Black Archives: A Photographic Celebration of Black Life. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House. https://bookshop.org/p/books/black-archives-a-photographic-celebration-of-black-life-renata-cherlise/18510577?aid=87607&ean=9781984859297&listref=season-3-reading-list
“Choices, Okay?!” Insecure. Season 5, Episode 8.
Hickmon, Gabrielle Ione. 2023. “Ordinary Black lives should be remembered, too.” Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/2023/2/22/23601649/black-archives-renata-charlise-book-qa
hooks, bell. 1995. “Women Arts: The Creative Process.” in Art on My Mind: Visual Politics. New York: The New Press. https://bookshop.org/p/books/art-on-my-mind-visual-politics-bell-hooks/11170203?aid=87607&ean=9781565842632&listref=season-3-reading-list
Kathleen Cleaver papers, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University. http://pid.emory.edu/ark:/25593/vdvr9
Lester, Mimi. 2022. “Archive Spotlight.” Studio Museum Harlem. https://studiomuseum.org/article/archive-spotlight
“The Andy Warhol Diaries.” 2022. Netflix.
Young, Cate. 2021. “Insecure Recap: The Road Less Traveled.” Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/article/insecure-recap-season-5-episode-8-choices-okay.html