Preserving the international museum of women: an interview with Marie Williams Chant

Abstract

In the early days of the Web, the International Museum of Women emerged with the mission to highlight the achievements of women throughout history. Headquartered in San Francisco, the museum experimented with the rise of new digital technologies and evolved into a virtual museum with global outreach. Through innovative online approaches, they actively engaged communities around the world and gathered perspectives from a wide spectrum of visitors, whose voices were included in the exhibition narratives. In order to safeguard the museum’s legacy and its groundbreaking digital exhibitions, The Feminist Institute in New York launched a digital preservation initiative, working closely with the Global Fund for Women, a non-profit foundation that merged with the International Museum of Women in 2014. On July 31, 2023, we conducted an interview with Marie Williams Chant, Director of Archives and Special Projects, to delve into the museum’s historical significance. We also discussed their archival strategies and procedures, along with its potential impact on the museum’s legacies.