Allison Elliott

(she/her/hers)

Archivist of feminist and queer history

Allison Elliott is an archivist who explores the archive as a creative medium and information activism. As the Archives and Programs Manager at The Feminist Institute, she curates digital collections and spearheads TFI’s annual Pop-Up Memory Lab. Allison has contributed to the re-presentation of The Dyke Show with Joan E. Biren, conducting essential release work. Allison’s research interests span feminist and queer information networks, feminist citationality, HIV/AIDS activism, and community archives.

Education

  • Interactive Technology and Pedagogy, Certificate (December 2023)
    CUNY Graduate Center, New York, NY
    Independent Study Project:  Memory Labs as Participatory Archival Spaces: A Feminist Perspective, workshop and digital resource
  • Master of Arts, Media Studies (May 2023)
    CUNY Queens College, New York, NY
    Thesis: Queer Personal Digital Archiving: A Reader, publication forthcoming
  • Bachelor of Arts, Gender Studies (May 2018)
    Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA

Positions

Manager of Archives and Programs, June 2023-Present
Previously: Archives and Special Projects Coordinator, May 2022-May 2023
The Feminist Institute
Hybrid- based in New York, NY
-Curate, catalog, edit and preserve digital multimedia objects in TFI’s digital archive.
-Design and execute TFI’s annual Pop-Up Memory Lab, where over 3200  materials have been digitized to date. 
-Produce events to highlight creative uses of archival materials; most recently, a showcase evening of four short films.
-Develop educational materials on personal digital archiving, feminist legacy building, and best digitization practices. 
-Create strategic, mission-aligned digital content and blog series in collaboration with the communications team.

Archival Producer, March 2025-June 2025
The New Yorker
Hybrid- based in New York, NY
-Performing digital archival research to locate and verify materials for Notice of Use forms. Compiling and organizing licensing logistics.
-Maintaining and regularly updating the cue sheet to reflect rights status and ongoing communications. Ensuring accuracy in all archival credit lines.

Project Administrator, February 2022-October 2022
Previously: Archives and Programs Intern, September 2021-August 2022
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art (LLMA)
Hybrid- based in New York, NY
-Conducted archival research for the exhibition, Images on which to build. Built content databases to track key releases. 
-Acted as liaison for Spring 2022 LLMA Artist Fellows. Held virtual dress rehearsals with fellows and workshopped presentations. Hosted fellowship multimedia presentations via Zoom to large audiences. Organized and preserved recordings of presentations.
-Updated and created accessibility materials, such as audio guides, transcriptions, and alt-text.
-Created social media content through collaborating with associated artists. 

Non-Teaching Adjunct, Workshop Facilitator,    September 2021-May 2022
CUNY Queens College
Hybrid- based in New York, NY
-Facilitated monthly workshop, Living History, on archival skills for first-year undergraduate students through interactive research activities using the CUNY Digital History Archive. “
-Adapted the existing curriculum to student needs and interests.

Projects

Academic Interests

Multimedia Storytelling                          Digital Pedagogy

Counter-Archives                                    NYC Queer History, 1960s-Present

Public Memory                                        Digitization Practices