For my first assignment for INFO256, I had the pleasure of interviewing Supriya Wronkiewicz, San Francisco Ballet Archivist and Project Archivist for the Museum of Performance + Design (MP+D). Supriya received her undergraduate degree in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and after graduation had her first experience working in a library at the Stanford Health Library. This experience led her to pursue her MLIS at SJSU, beginning in the special libraries path and later switching to focus on archives. When asked about what she didn’t learn at SJSU that she wished she had, she mentioned that she wishes she had taken more classes about digital preservation.
After graduating in December 2007, Supriya worked as a cataloger at the Giannini Foundation at UC Berkeley from 2008-2009. When the 2009 recession hit funding became tight, Supriya was able to find short-term contract work via her former professor and faculty advisor at SJSU, Lori Lindberg. In 2010 she worked as a processing archivist (fixed-term) at the Hoover Institution Libraries and Archive. Later that year she was hired to work for a 1-year contract MP+D to work with the San Francisco Ballet Archives, tasked with helping them to process the existing backlog of records and establish a records retention system for materials to be transferred to the Archives at MP+D. She was drawn to the position because she has a lifelong long of the performing arts. The position has since been expanded and she has been working with SF Ballet at MP+D since 2010. Supriya currently works part-time, 3 days a week.
When I asked her about the differences that she observed in her former work environments, Supriya said the main differences had more to do with the sizes and resources of the organizations than the type of library (special vs. academic). While the Giannini Foundation had a small staff, it still had access to many of resources that come with being on the UC Berkeley’s campus. Similarly, the Stanford Health Library benefited from being part of the larger university system. She now works for an independent performing arts organization that does not have access to the resources of a larger organization. In her current position she is the only archivist managing the SF Ballet Archives at MP+D. Her position is supported by the SF Ballet but she works for the MP+D, the Ballet’s official repository, not for the Ballet itself. While she describes herself as somewhat of a “lone arranger”, her resources include the Ballet’s Media Asset Administrator, a certified moving image archivist, and the Director of Collections at MP+D, a trained librarian and archivist. When I asked her how she would explain what she does in the simplest terms she replied, “I do my part to preserve records and history for an organization” and then stressed the importance of record management stating, “I capture and catalog as much history as possible for the organization”
Supriya wears two hats in her current work as an archivist; she works as the San Francisco Ballet Archivist at MP+D and as project archivist, usually when grant-funded opportunities are available. The SF Ballet Archives are spread out between the Ballet’s main building, its storage warehouse, and in the MP+D’s custody. The Ballet’s archives comprise of around 400 linear feet of paper, photographs, audiovisual materials, 3 dimensional architectural models, and various other items that pertain directly to the history of the company. Along with the SF Ballet Archives, the collections at MP+D comprise of 3.5 million items related to the performing arts. The MP+D was founded in 1947 by Russell Hartley, a dancer and designer with San Francisco Ballet. Supriya works directly with Kirsten Tanaka, the director of collections the MP+D and an archivist and the only other employee. While in previous decades the museum was able to purchase some items, donations are the primary collection acquisition method for both archives.
The Ballet’s archive is mostly accessed by people with some relation to the organization, such as volunteers, former dancers, artistic directors, etc. On the other hand, the MP+D is used by a larger group that includes the general public, the patrons tend to be university students and other adults that are interested in researching the performing arts. While Supriya occasionally deals with reference requests from the public, Kirsten Tanaka deals with the bulk of the public interactions for the MP+D. The MP+D is currently open by appointment only.
During an average day Supriya is managing reference requests, maintaining regular communication with the digital assets manager about newly digitized content, and communicating with other Ballet departments in order to keep up with the record retention schedules that she established. The current volume of digital records makes things more challenging, her role has evolved to include more digital records management of historical records than it did previously. She also works in partnership with the Ballet’s education department to promote the history of the Ballet using items from the archives.
When asked about current challenges that she is facing, Supriya emphasized that lack of time and money are almost always issues when working part-time for a nonprofit. The pandemic has been particularly difficult for performing arts organizations, and as a result the sometimes-overlooked work of arts archivists is in an even more tenuous position. Copyright is also a big issue. It’s a challenge to balance the increased demand and expectations for access in an increasingly digital world, while satisfying the union contracts of musicians, dancers, and stage managers. Supriya also mentioned that frequent staff turnover in the certain departments within the Ballet can make her job more challenging.
When faced with issues and questions, Supriya relies on networking with other archivists, professional organizations such as Dance USA’s archiving and preservation group and SAA’s performing arts section, the online resources of the Association for Moving Image Archivists, the Library of Congress, and NARA, and the opportunity for learning provided by annual conferences.
When I asked about past projects that she felt were successful, Supriya was proud of the online exhibits she put together, such those featured on MP+D’s San Francisco Bay Area Digital Archive . She is currently working on a revolving installation, displayed at the War Memorial Opera House, to commemorate SF Ballet’s outgoing director Helgi Tomasson’s career as he retires this year after serving as the longest running artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet.
Supriya’s main concern about the future of arts archiving has to do with the lack of consistent and/or adequate funding. As many projects are funded by grants, there is a lack of continuity of funding which can make put the longevity of archives into doubt. While she doesn’t have a solution to this problem, she hopes in the future that archives and archivists are more widely recognized for their importance and are funded in such a way that reflects their value.
In conclusion, her favorite part of her job is getting to interact with all of the amazing things in the archives. Supriya has a deep love for the performing arts and delights in the objects that she preserves.
References
Museum of Performance + Design (n.d.). About. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.mpdsf.org/