Address cover letter to Katie Mckay, Park Ranger
Submit application by Wednesday, June 3, via OC Parks Google Form
The mission of Orange County Parks is to preserve and enhance Orange County’s natural and cultural resources for recreation, education and exploration. In collaboration with the Orange County Historical Commission, OC Parks is responsible for the acquisition, planning and management of Orange County historical parks, including: Heritage Hill, Irvine Ranch Headquarters, Key Ranch, Modjeska House and Gardens, Peralta Adobe, and Yorba Cemetery. The Public Fellow will be able to choose one of two projects:
Helena Modjeska Digital Map Project
The Public Fellow will work with OC Parks Historic Curators to research the American touring career of Polish-born Victorian-era Shakespearean actress Helena Modjeska. Using a tour route map currently on display at Arden: Helena Modjeska Historic House & Gardens as a starting point, the Fellow will utilize UCI research resources, including the Helena Modjeska Collection at UCI Special Collections, to begin gathering historic photos, newspaper articles, playbills, posters, and correspondence from Modjeska’s performances across the U.S. from 1877-1907. In conjunction with the historical research component, the Public Fellow will examine digital humanities best practices to create a plan for how this historical tour map could be implemented in a digital platform, (i.e. downloadable interactive GIS map, online exhibit, kiosk at historic house site), and compile a list of potential grant opportunities to fund the digital performance map project’s completion. Examples and potential project platforms:
o StoryMaps by ArcGIS
o Timelooper
o historypin – This is a crowdsourced mapping tool. Could be another potential avenue for this project, since Modjeska performed across the country. Could not only aid in finding more Modjeska resources and collating them in one place, but could also help promote Arden.
Historic Irvine Ranch Tour and Curriculum Standards
The Public Fellow will take the lead in analyzing the current basic tour information for the Irvine Ranch Historic Park and further developing the content. They will also work with OC Park Historic Curators on a plan for school field trips to be operated by OC Parks that will ensure current curriculum standards are met with the on-site interpretation. Where lacking, the Fellow will develop themes and points to cover within tours which align with the curriculum of primary and secondary education. Additionally, the Fellow will create educational packets for teachers to orientate their students on these historic sites and resources which can be used in conjunction with the tours, or in the classroom. Previous experience with historic interpretation and early education would be helpful, but not required.
