Oral Histories: Let the Sunshine In

Walter McDonald, Chelwood Park Boulevard NE, November 1969, Digital reproduction of a 35mm slide, Albuquerque Museum

Oral Histories Shine a Light on the Past

THE CURRENT COMMUNITY HISTORY EXHIBITION, Let the Sunshine In, opened December 21, 2019. The project was a collaboration between the Museum’s Digital Archivist Jill Hartke and Assistant History Curator Rebecca Prinster. The exhibition is a departure from the usual exhibitions that circulate through the Keleher gallery because it was conceived of and developed by Museum staff, not by an outside community group. It was important to the curators though that the exhibition incorporate local voices. To that end, Hartke and Prinster conducted oral history interviews of local residents in order to gain important insights into Albuquerque’s past.

Interviewee Jim Kubie, former president of Kurt’s Camera Corral, discussed the civil unrest that occurred around Roosevelt Park June 13–15, 1971. He was at the park June 13 to photograph the day’s goings-on, as was typical for him on a Sunday. Little did he know the peace would quickly turn. He was on hand for the unrest, and his photographs of that day are in the Museum’s Photo Archives.

In the interview, he reflected on the chaos of that day: “I think that was part of the dilemma for the cops too. Say, these aren’t criminals. They’re not carrying side arms and ready to, you know—these are folk. Even to the point where you say, ‘Hey I know you, didn’t we go to high school together?’ kind of thing. So it was not something that [the cops] were used to.” Other stories in Let the Sunshine In in

Jim Kubie. Police officers and spectators at Roosevelt Park, June 13, 1971. Digital reproduction of a gelatin silver print, Albuquerque Museum, gift of Jim Kubie

Jim Kubie. Police officers at Roosevelt Park, June 13, 1971. Digital reproduction of a gelatin silver print, Albuquerque Museum, gift of Jim Kubie

clude urban renewal and the birth of the Albuquerque Museum, both major city events in the late 1960s. Thanks to interviews with Kathleen Schwartzman and Bill Keleher, the curators were able to tell a richer story of how these parallel events developed.

Schwartzman, who was Albuquerque Museum Association president from 1978- 1980, talked about the founding of the Museum and the city’s role: “It was very personal to a lot of people because there were a lot of historians in this city. And there were a lot of archivists in this city. And collectors…and authors—and they respected the history. Whereas some people here only thought of shopping malls and housing developments and things. …[Culture] was all around, but nobody really created the focus for it. And so the City had to step in.” Oral history interviews differ from regular interviews in that they delve more deeply into the interviewee’s life and cover a broad range of topics. Historians use the information garnered from these interviews to stitch together a better picture of the past. For example, oral historians use interviews for historic preservation of buildings, or they can be used to capture institutional and cultural history.

Typically, the interviewer allows the interviewee to speak expansively about their life and experiences but will interject at times to move the story forward. These sessions can take surprising turns, and unexpected emotions can arise. They require exceptional listening skills on the part of the interviewer. The Museum hopes to continue collecting oral histories, as funds and staffing allow.