Blakely Dishman
Features Editor
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Erik Livingston. I am from Grand Rapids, MI. and I am a Senior majoring in art history and minoring in Russian studies.
Did you do anything fun over the summer?
Over the summer, I worked as a Collections Assistant at a local history museum in Michigan. My largest project was cataloguing the museum’s research library. This involved finding Library of Congress call numbers, organizing the books and creating a finding tool that broke down all the topics. I also helped install two exhibits, one on the 1920s and another on a local print shop. This involved choosing artifacts, making mounts for them, arranging them for display and a lot more work behind the scenes. I also helped with cataloguing donations and worked with a 3D printer to create interactive copies of artifacts. It was a fantastic experience and I loved every second of it.
What are you involved in on campus?
I work two campus jobs, one as a Department Assistant for the German and Russian Studies Department and the other as a Library Assistant in Special Collections. I am also the Music Director for WOO91, Co-President of RussClub, and a member of Phi Alpha Theta. I also live in the Russian suite.
What do you do in Special Collections?
As part of my job in Special Collections, I have been working on creating a timeline of LGBT history at Wooster from 1971-present. This has involved going through the Voices, Indexes (our former yearbook), course catalogues, faculty minutes, and miscellaneous items. I have worked on this every week for nearly 3 years now and feel very proud of it. At times it has been difficult, as reading story after story about discrimination, vandalism and hate tends to wear you down. However, it has also been a very uplifting experience. Queer voices often get lost in archives, as materials pertaining to them have historically been destroyed or lost. So, to have the opportunity to piece together the bits and pieces that we have has been truly rewarding. I was happy to work with SGI recently to present my research for Black and Gold Weekend, which allowed me to share this history with a wider audience. In addition, I was also able to make more community connections, which has already resulted in Special Collections receiving LGBT centered donations. These stories deserve to be preserved for future generations and I am glad I have been able to play a part in it.
What are you most passionate about?
I am very passionate about learning. When not in school, I spend tons of time reading and watching documentaries about my interests as well as new topics. I like to know as much as I can so I can develop a more rounded understanding of the world I live in.
Who has influenced you the most during your time at Wooster?
It’s hard to say who has influenced me the most. I’d have to say it’s a three-way tie between Dr. Cosgriff in the Art History Department, Dr. Filimonova in the Russian Studies Department and my boss in Special Collections, Denise Monbarren. They have all been sources of encouragement and inspiration during my time at Wooster and I cannot imagine it without them.
How is your I.S. going? Can you describe it?
My I.S. is going well! It can be really overwhelming at times, but I’ve been finding that the more I force myself to do it the easier it gets. I am focusing on Russian art during the 1990s and its response to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Specifically, I am concerned with how Russian national identity was renegotiated through art during this period and what this can tell us about the effects of state transitions. I will be pulling heavily on postcolonial and postsocialist studies for this, using this literature as a framework to interrogate the effects of the collapse. My I.S. will focus on 3 ways in which identity was renegotiated in art: looking back to the historic past (Tsarist and folk), reflections on the Soviet period to assert difference, and on the contemporary experience of the 1990s as a means to define emerging identity.
What is your favorite Wooster memory?
One time, first semester of my freshman year, I had gotten into an argument with my parents and went on a late-night walk. I ended up stumbling into a disco party when someone I had a class with called me over. I didn’t know anyone, but it didn’t matter. I just let myself have fun, dance and look stupid. Also, last fall my partner and I spent a lot of time searching for mushrooms on campus, which was so much fun.
Do you have any advice for the first years reading this?
It is easy to get bogged down by the stress of college and neglect your social life. Your work will be better if you give yourself time to be happy. I wish I had put myself “out there” more and embraced myself and had fun. College is a lot more fun when you don’t just sit in your dorm room.
Anything you want to plug?
Come to the WOO91 cookout this Saturday, Oct. 2nd, from 5:00pm-7:30pm at the Armington patio. Meat and meatless options will be provided as well as music!
