The Tattooed Historian Show

Did you know that Harriet Tubman lived for nearly a decade in Ontario, Canada? Tubman's great-great-grandnephew, Douglas Mitchell, is hot on the trail of Harriet's time here through archival research and walking the same fields that she did so long ago.

AI bots have been swarming the websites of archives, libraries, and museums in an attempt to train large language models (LLM). In June, Michael Weinberg released a report about this entitled "Are AI Bots Knocking Cultural Heritage Offline?" We discuss this and more in this episode.

Michael Weinberg is a leading voice at the intersection of law, tech, and cultural access. As Executive Director of the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy at NYU Law and Co-Director of the GLAM-E Lab, he works hands-on with museums, libraries, and archives to build resilient, open access programs. His latest research dives into the rising impact of AI bots on cultural heritage infrastructure—and what institutions can do about it.

Local history is quickly becoming the front line of a battle to protect historical sites, jobs, stories and more. Ramin Ganeshram, Executive Director at the Westport Museum for History & Culture, joined me to chat about what local history sites can do to highlight the importance of their mission, and what community members can do to help out. We also discussed what the Westport Museum is doing to become a responsible and dedicated voice for the past. The next time you're in New England, stop in and show them some love.

You don't want to miss this important discussion!

What would it be like to get a postcard in the mail that tells you that someone who died in the Second World War resided in your home? That's what happened to Sara Nixon and I had to talk with her about it!

The "He Lived Where You Live" postcard campaign was an effort by the Juno Beach Centre to bring history to the doorstep of 1,945 Canadian homes. I asked Alexander Fitzgerald-Black, Executive Director of the Juno Beach Centre Association, to join us to give some background on the effort!

It was great to sit down with Sean Colgrave, a UK-based tattoo artist and art historian. Sean has been developing exhibitions at museums where the public can become more aware of tattoo history and the amazing art that comes out of the industry. This is how you introduce people to new things in a meaningful way!

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum is located just 20km north of Niagara Falls and has one of the best collections on local history that I have ever seen. Artefacts from Indigenous settlements to the present fill this museum and the staff is doing amazing work getting history out into the community. Tune into my conversation with Sarah Kaufman (CEO/Curator) and Shawna Jarman (Assistant Curator) as we explore the museum's initiatives and its impact on public perception.

I was so pleased to be joined by Dr. Anne Fertig, creator and host of a new podcast series entitled Finding Jane Austen, produced by R2 Studios. Anne has an amazing background with all things Jane Austen including being one of the founders of Jane Austen & Co., which you can find online and listen in on some amazing conversations!

Anne stopped by to talk about podcasting, hosting in-person and live stream events, and more. You're going to learn a lot in this episode about her journey and why Jane Austen brings in the crowds to this day!

It was great to sit down and chat with Dr. Kate Steir, Senior Curator and Head of Collections at George Mason's Gunston Hall. They are preparing for an amazing 2025 and I wanted Kate to fill us in on her day-to-day work as well as some of her favourite stories from her time as a public historian.

Tune in now and don't forget to hit that subscribe button!

Do you like hearing stories about young, ambitious Historians? Then you're going to love this episode! I was pleased to be joined by Cody Youngblood, Director of Historic Preservation & Collections at Patrick Henry’s Red Hill, located in Brookneal, Virginia.

Cody started making his mark in Public History in his mid-teens and hasn't stopped. From being the Museum Director of the home of George C. Marshall, to being a Collections Manager at Oatlands Historic House & Gardens, to his current role at Red Hill, Cody has provided a blueprint for how up-and-coming Historians can be an asset for a field that needs new voices.

Tune in now!

How does the dark history of eugenics intersect with today's tech industry and the rise of "predatory data"? Tune in for a fascinating and crucial conversation with Anita Say Chan, author of Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future, as we delve into the connections between historical discriminatory practices and the algorithms that shape our lives. We explore how data exploitation echoes past injustices, and what we can do to challenge these harmful patterns.The University of California Press has an open access version of the book available on their website! Go read it for free!