Albany Institute of History and Art

The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) will create an online resource of one hundred digitized items from the museum's collection exploring the Black experience in Albany, New York, from 1650 to 1877. AIHA's project team will identify, contextualize, digitize, and upload collection items highlighting Albany's African American history as the first part of the much larger Albany African American History Project, which seeks to expand the limited scholarship and research about African American lives in Albany during this period. The project pairs seasoned museum professionals with emerging museum and library/archives professionals in a collaborative mentorship model to grow the pipeline of underrepresented professionals in the field. The project will help with COVID-19 pandemic recovery by creating more online resources, building staff capacity through mentorship, and establishing a framework for future online projects.