OJAC opens oral history project

SPOKEN: Ardon B. Judd Jr. Oral History Project opened to the public this Tuesday, and all visitors to the Old Jail Art Center can now view the recorded stories and life histories of several Albany residents anytime the museum is open, according to archivist Molly Sauder. 

“They can be found at the same location as our other documentary videos, along the back wall of the Stasney Center for Education,” said Sauder. “Thanks to a grant from the Summerlee Foundation, we were able to fund an upgrade to our audio/visual system, and visitors can choose any video they wish to view through an easy to use touch screen.”

There are a total of 12 films, each about 10 minutes long, that visitors can watch.

Each film focuses on one of the 12 people that have been interviewed for the project so far, including Shirley Caldwell, Palo Casey, Nancy Green, A.V. Jones Jr., Jon Rex Jones, Ardon and Rue Judd, John Matthews, Wilma Jo Mitchell, Betsy Parsons, Julia Putnam, Clifford Teinert, and Winifred Waller.

Future plans include making both the videos and the original full length interviews available online, as well as interviewing and recording more people. Researchers can already access transcripts of the completed interviews through the OJAC’s Robert E. Nail, Jr. Archives.

“The project was established in memory of former OJAC board member and archives supporter Ardon Judd,” said Sauder. “Our hope is that with the help of future donations, this project will endure for many years, with many additional interviews captured and video stories created. Topics will be as varied as the people telling their stories of local history, frontier times, ranching, oil and gas, ethnic influences, philanthropy, OJAC history, art and artists, and more.”

The local art museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, except for major holidays. 

Admission is always free during normal operating hours.