The Edward J. Williams Collection

Cataloguer

The Edward J. Williams Collection consists of "4,000 objects of 'negrobilia' – mass cultural objects and artifacts that feature stereotypical images of Black people." This collection, housed at Theaster Gates's Stony Island Arts Bank, was amassed by Edward and Ana Williams, a Chicago couple who began collecting in a futile attempt to take these racist objects out of public view. 

I worked with a small team on the initial cataloguing and documentation of this collection over the course of several months, creating a searchable database for digital and physical retrieval.

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Why would a Chicago library collect racially insensitive art?, Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, July 2017