What DH Means to Me: Max Evjen
I learned about Digital Humanities when I was working as Performance and Digital Engagement Specialist at the MSU Museum (2015-2019), and increasingly I’ve seen how Digital Humanities happens in the museum context while I’ve been involved by presenting at Museum Computer Network Conferences and volunteering for that organization. When someone is using a digital tool to analyze collections, or make them more accessible through digital means I see that as digital humanities. Projects such as the Pink Art project at Williams College Museum of Art or the Open API at the Art Institute of Chicago, I see as digital humanities projects born in museum work, among many others. But I think I got the best sense of what digital humanities is by going to the Global Digital Humanities Symposium (for which I am on the planning committee), and seeing the wide array of projects and most importantly, stories that are being told that can’t be told any other way, or that would be exceedingly difficulty to unearth without the assistance of some digital technology. It also involves being critical about digital technologies, and the ethical considerations we must address in the use of the tools. Now I work in Digital Humanities at MSU as the Digital Humanities Coordinator, working on digital communication through web, social, and newsletter, and I chair the Engagement and Outreach Committee. Digital Humanities includes a really rich and dynamic community, and there’s always something new to learn about it. I welcome all to find out what DH means to them!
–Max Evjen (Assistant Professor)
Core Faculty: Digital Humanities, Arts Cultural Management and Museum Studies
Affiliate Faculty: CIRCLE (Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement)
The following piece was originally created for the DH@MSU Newsletter and was featured in the September 16, 2024 issue. Subscribe to the Newsletter here.
