revisiting long-lost pieces of chicago's past for future exhibits

i've finally made time to meticulously catalog long forgotten remnants (largely in the form of ephemera) i've collected over the years from 19th and early 20th century structures undergoing extensive renovation or demolition. discovering and recording historically important material formerly sealed off and forgotten provides a portal to the past where "snapshots" from a different time can be reconstructed and integrated with the collective memory of a building, its neighborhood, and city.

although i'm always eagerly awaiting future opportunities to engage these coveted spaces and seek out anything and everything left behind by people of the past, i must take a step back and thoroughly piece together what i've collected thus far. there are too many stories that need to be told - espeically from demolished buildings that live on through rescued fragments, photographic images and the remnants of forgotten lives found buried in their walls. recording these finds will greatly enhance existing narratives i've already assembled, by including the critical element of personification.