#CPLStaffSpotlight | Chapter 4
Meet Chas Cassidy, Senior Archival Specialist at Harold Washington Library Center!
How long have you worked at CPL and did you grow up in Chicago?
I just hit my 3rd anniversary at Chicago Public Library (CPL) in May! I didn’t grow up in Chicago; I was born in southern California and grew up in Eugene, Oregon. I’ve lived here since 2016. The first time I rode CTA, I was like, ‘this is it, this is the place.’ I live in Rogers Park and I love it because it’s close to the lake and the neighbors care about each other. I live down the street from my sibling and their family. Many different kinds of people from all over the world, at all stages of life, use and share the same spaces. It is super queer-friendly. I lovingly call Rogers Park “the backup gayborhood,” because it is less well-known than Northalsted or Andersonville, but I would never want to live anywhere else.
What did you study in college and how did it shape your path to working in the exhibits space?
I studied Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Oregon in my hometown and my work-study was in the Special Collections and University Archives. I wanted to move to Chicago for years, so I came here for grad school in Slavic literature rather than going to library school somewhere else. Eventually, I left my program – in part because working and conducting research in Russia as a queer person would be increasingly dangerous, in part because I wanted to explore the patterns and themes of human life through broader geographic lenses. For me, literature is about communicating across space and time to other people and I was ready to hear different conversations. I started my Master of Library and Information Services (MLIS) through the iSchool at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign two weeks before the pandemic. I lived in Chicago the entire time and worked for Special Collections at UIC and in landscape plant sales. I thought I would be a university archivist or area studies librarian, so being head of exhibits at a public library has been a lovely surprise. I learn new things all the time.
What is your favorite part about working at Harold Washington Library Center?
My favorite part about working at Harold Washington Library Center is being in a beautiful building that is open and free to people from all walks of life. It's nice to be close to the action! However, one of my favorite parts of my job is leaving Harold Washington and visiting other branches across Chicago. I might take the team on a site visit, set up an exhibit, or oversee a program. It’s super fun to see what my colleagues and their patrons are up to in all the different neighborhoods.
What does a day as an archival specialist/exhibit developer look like?
Every day is different. One day, my team and I might pick up exhibit materials at several branch locations and install them in others or spend time engaging with and listening to patrons share how the exhibit relates to their lives. Another day might consist of communicating with various partners and vendors for a gallery show and co-leading the Rainbow Committee. Another day, I might be doing outreach with my amazing Archives and Special Collections Division colleagues. I try to show up and be ready for anything.
What’s a memorable story or reaction you’ve heard from someone who visited one of your exhibits?
It’s impossible to overstate how much love and emotion came out of the Archives and Special Collections Department’s 2024 Akito Tsuda: Pilsen Days, opens a new window exhibit, which was part of the Terra Foundation’s Art/Design Chicago grant cycle.
Akito Tsuda: Pilsen Days was a captivating and immersive black-and-white photo exhibition that was held at the Harold Washington Library Center, showcasing Pilsen in the early 1990s as captured by Japanese photographer, then student and resident of the Pilsen community, Akito Tsuda. So many people came to the opening, many who grew up in Pilsen in the 90s and Akito, who was visiting from Japan, legitimately remembered every single one of them! People would come up like, “Do you remember taking my picture?” and he would not only remember them, but also recollect meaningful memories like who their mutual friends were, the kind of day it was, what they were doing, even though it had been 30 years. One day, he was supposed to come back to HWLC after an event in Pilsen and instead, he ended up accepting an impromptu invitation to a birthday party. I have never met anyone so kind and humble. That project was an incredible gift and an honor to work on.
Are there any exhibits that you were most proud of working on?
Oh, there are so many! Pilsen Days was heartwarming and technically challenging, so that’s up there. I also loved working with the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab, opens a new window to share the Photovoice component of their guaranteed income research. CPL collaborated in creating programming that facilitated the Photovoice participatory research method, centered on participants as photographers using the medium to capture stories and understand the impact of a guaranteed income program. We are currently in the midst of a ten-location run of Local Legends: African American Steelworkers of the Calumet Region, opens a new window, a history exhibit we wrote and curated alongside the African American Heritage Committee. We have been circulating the exhibit throughout the Southeast Side and every time we set it up at a new branch, patrons tell us about their personal relationships with the steel mills. Making people feel seen is a huge part of our work, so getting that feedback is great.
Can you tell us about the next project you are working on?
We just launched All for Print. Print for All. Archiving 16 Years of the Chicago Printers Guild, opens a new window on the 9th floor of Harold Washington Library Center. The exhibit draws from the Guild’s records in the Special Collections and showcases the many diverse interpretations of “print.” It’s really colorful! And it includes so many different aesthetics, viewpoints and sensibilities. There’s something for everyone. In October, we’ll be hosting Halo Halo, an exhibit of Filipino American artwork and the opening program of that will be one of the centerpieces of Filipino American History Month. Programming is usually a secondary focus for us, so this is an exciting change of pace.
How long have you been part of the Pride Month committee and what is your favorite part about planning for Pride Month programming at CPL?
I have been on the Pride Committee for about six months. I volunteered to be chair with a touch of irony, but then my now-co-chair Dannie said, “I’ll do it if you do it.” How could I resist such a persuasive suggestion? I’m so lucky to serve with them; we make a great team. My favorite part of planning Pride programming and being on the committee generally is meeting all the other folks at CPL out here swinging for gay justice.
What is one thing you wish people knew about the Library that they might not know?
People don’t know about all the incredible art we have throughout the system! We have some pretty big names – I am thinking of Faith Ringgold’s The Winner and Marisol’s Women Leaning at Harold Washington Library Center, Kerry James Marshall’s Knowledge and Wonder and Elizabeth Catlett's Floating Family at Legler Regional Library, the Laverne Brackens quilts at South Shore and Bessie Coleman, branch and Jacob’s Ladder by Richard Hunt at Woodson Regional Library. There are so many other pieces, though, that exist because the City prioritized the funds to create and steward that artwork through grants and the Percent for Art program. Next time you are at your local branch, look at the walls!
What advice would you give someone interested in working in the intersection of libraries, archives and exhibition design?
Give your exhibits a strong thesis and a quippy title. Be tenacious. Make connections wherever you can, because you never know what small project will bubble up into a long-term collaboration until it happens. Experiment and then when you find something that works, do it repeatedly. Always read the footnotes, because that’s where the drama is. Know your audience, tell the whole truth and appreciate the importance of making history visible for the people who need it most.
What are some of your favorite hobbies or interests?
I have way too many hobbies! The most developed ones are cooking, collecting houseplants, freshwater fishkeeping and printmaking in linocut and cyanotype. I am also a devoted cat and snake mom to Stokely Carmichael, Angelo and Pygmalion.
What are you currently reading?
I am making my way through How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures, opens a new window by Sabrina Imbler, but I am taking a break to explore more books by Susan Sontag, opens a new window. I took a little break to re-read Sontag’s Against Interpretation and Other Essays, opens a new window, which includes Notes on Camp, a very important piece of literature to the gay community. Happy Pride, y’all!
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