Urban Memory Project

Founded in 2005 by educator Rebecca Krucoff and playwright Ain Gordon, the Urban Memory Project is a non-profit organization that encourages city residents to explore the vital relationship between their personal histories and their city's history. We believe that examining our communities’ histories, changes and issues is an immediately relevant approach to stimulating a lifelong curiosity in people of all ages and backgrounds, and encouraging meaningful action. Participants study city trends and issues while mastering practices modeled by historians and artists: documentation, research, analysis and formal presentation. UMP projects are collaborations between our organization and schools, arts and cultural centers, community organizations, artists and scholars. Together we use best practices in education to examine the social, political and economic forces that have shaped where we live, consider questions of the greater good, and form opinions about where we think our communities should be heading. UMP projects result in a culminating presentation that rigorously codifies knowledge gained and shares it with the larger community. These presentations take the form of exhibitions, oral presentations, films, books, theatrical performances, public programs, and academic discussions.