August 2024, Bogotá, Colombia – The MAMBO Research Centre is excited to announce the launch of the “Un-Archiving MAMBO” project, supported by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund. The project is coordinated by Susana Vargas, the Research Centre Coordinator, and led by Juanita Bayona and Sol Caro, undergraduate students from the University of the Andes in Bogotá. Juanita began working on the project in June 2024, with Sol coming on board in August 2024. This initiative is dedicated to digitising the Museum’s analogue photo archive to improve public access and integrate it with MAMBO’s digital platform.

Juanita and Sol, who are currently interning at the Research Centre, are leading the project by documenting, cataloguing, and digitising the Museum’s photographic collection. Their role includes creating a detailed Excel sheet to record each photograph’s description, photographic details, and conservation status. By 29 July, Juanita had reviewed 97 folders and 747 documents, all of which have been photographed and stored for internal use.

In addition to their practical work, Juanita is researching the importance of digitisation in cultural institutions, drawing on case studies from Latin American museums and broader publications on digital archiving practices. This research informs her work and contributes to the project’s development. Meanwhile, both Sol and Juanita are also involved in writing and creating digital content for the Museum, based on their findings from the photo archive.

The “Un-Archiving MAMBO” project not only advances our archival work but also provides invaluable hands-on experience for students. Juanita and Sol are gaining practical skills in documenting, cataloguing, and managing digital archives, bridging theoretical knowledge with real-world application. This experience is essential for their professional development as researchers, helping to shape their future careers.

Photo by Gregorio Diaz. Courtesy of the Bogota Museum of Modern Art.