From creating award-winning exhibitions to implementing informational analysis programs such as R25, the effective organization, access to, analysis and interpretation of information unites all of Jason's work.
Exhibits, archives and management software all relate to the same core principle: making sense of information. The records of communities, companies and private individuals have much to teach us. However, wrapping our heads around the massive amounts of information can be overwhelming. Organizing and analyzing the information allows you to harness its power, alleviate stress and use the past as a resource to help you grow as an institution. This tenet drives Jason's professional philosophy.
As a curator, researcher and exhibit planner, Jason has been a part of several groundbreaking history exhibitions. Recently, he has joined forces with the American History Workshop, one of the country's leading interpretive exhibition developers. Whether it be interpretive planning, research, design, coordination or project or management, Jason has ensured that numerous exhibitions have probed content interpretively, effectively used new media to engage audiences, opened on-time and on-budget.
Jason is also a certified archivist, specializing in the creation of new archival management systems that preserve historical records at the same time making them accessible. He created the archive of the Museo Judio de Sosua, in Sosua, Dominican Republic, consulted in the development of the archive of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, and developed the records management policies for Yeshiva University's Office of Communications and Public Affairs.
Jason has parlayed his archival management expertise into the integration of new information analysis software into business practices. He has directed Yeshiva University's integration of two new asset managements programs: Vocus and R25. Jason built an archive of information, led training of staff, defined work flow patterns, analyzed the work environment and staff responsibilities and implemented changes in information storage and analysis. He improved the access, storage and efficient use of information, impacting the entire university.
Before his career as a consultant, Jason worked at the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Lower Manhattan. Jason distinguished himself as a member of the curatorial team behind the award-winning exhibition Ours To Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War. This exhibit won the Grand Prize for Excellence in Exhibitions from the American Association of Museums in 2003. Relying exclusively on oral history testimony, the show told the story of Jewish soldiers in WWII in their own words, centered on 12 original documentary films that Jason researched and directed.
His work on Ours to Fight For earned him the opportunity to curate and manage the museum's next major special exhibition and oral history project, New York: City of Refuge - Stories from the Last 60 Years. The first museum exhibit to explore the lives of modern Jewish refugees in New York, Jason brought the insular communities of Syrian, Russian, Bukharian and Iraqi Jews in partnership with the museum, gathering oral histories and artifacts and examining the role New York has played in the rejuvenation of these persecuted ethnic groups. The resulting exhibit and film were celebrated as an integral part of the nationwide celebration of the 350th anniversary of Jewish life in America and received media coverage from several New York news outlets, including NY1 and The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Outside of his consulting work, Jason is a published writer and fronts the indie rock band Studio E. Jason earned his B.A. in American Studies from The George Washington University in 2002 and graduated Summa Cum Laude. He earned his M.A., in History and Archivist's Certificate from New York University in 2007. He is originally from White Plains, New York.
Awards:
Grand Prize for Excellence in Exhibitions for Ours to Fight For from the American Association of Museums
Southeast Florida Library Information Network Innovation Award for his work with the Archbishop John C. Favalora Museum at St. Thomas University.
Lectures / Speaking Appearances:
Oral History of the Mid-Atlantic Conference at the Library of Congress
Conference to Celebrate 350 Years of Jewish Life in America at CUNY Graduate Center
Diplomatic Luncheon at the American Jewish Committee
Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York.
NY1 television
Jewish Historical Society of New York
High schools, colleges, etc.
American History Workshop
American Sephardi Federation
Barbara Goldsmith
Museo Judio de Sosua
Museum of Chinese in the Americas
Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
New-York Historical Society
New York Public Library Manuscripts Division
Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Foundation
St Thomas University
Yeshiva University Office of Communications and Public Affairs
Contact
Jason Steinhauer
914.393.9573
jason@jasonsteinhauer.com
In partnership with the New York Public Library Manuscripts Division
Project Dates: January 2008 - Present
Learn more about author, journalist and philanthropist Barbara Goldsmith
In 2008, author, journalist and philanthropist Barbara Goldsmith approached the New York Public Library with a problem. Over the course of 50 years the best selling author had accumulated hundreds of boxes of records containing thousands of manuscripts, correspondence, reviews, and personal papers. As a Library board member she believed the records had value to the Library, if someone could get a handle on what they comprised. And her for personally, how could she make some sense of this large cache of records? To find important documents she still needed and to know what should be donated to the Library and what should remain in her personal archive?
The Library contracted Jason to manage what would become the Barbara Goldsmith Collection. Jason approached this project as two distinct archival tasks - to create the framework for a public collection at the New York Public Library that would be accessed in the future, and to create a working personal archive for Ms. Goldsmith in the present. The first task was to research Ms. Goldsmith's life, to realize what she had accomplished and how the records documented it. Working closely with Ms. Goldsmith, we developed a plan for each type of record: was it appropriate for the Library? If so, when should it be donated? How would she best be able to gain access to documents she needed? No records were overlooked in this comprehensive process.
The resulting catalog of approximately 8,000 records now belongs to the Library. Numerous boxes of records have already been transferred there along with analysis of what they contain and how they are of benefit to the Library in the future. In addition, a private archive has been organized for Ms. Goldsmith to allow her to find what she needs from her personal papers. The working relationship has been so strong that Ms. Goldsmith now employs Jason as her personal archivist.
Testimonial from Ms. Barbara Goldsmith:
Dear Jason, I don't know how you found those contracts so quickly and got them to me. I want you to know I appreciate it very much. Without them it would have been hard to prove I own my own electronic rights. I just wanted to thank you very much.
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Prior Archival Management Projects
Jason has worked on several other archival management projects that have turned large caches of records into valuable resources for institutions, as well as brought peace of mind to clients. Jason's roles in the projects and some information is below. For more, please contact.
Department of Communications and Public Affairs, Yeshiva University
New York, NY - 2007
Developed an archival and records management plan for Yeshiva University's Department of Communications and Public Affairs. Department holds Yeshiva publications dating back to the 1930's; work created records retention policy to eliminate clutter and enabled documents to be used for research and reference.
Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame Archive and Library
New York, NY - 2006-2007
Worked with the New York-based curator of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame to build the basis of the future Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Archive and Library. Collected, appraised, cataloged and assessed preservation needs of material from musicians, record executives, recording studios and rock journalists in the New York area.
Museo Judio de Sosua
Sosua, Dominican Republic - 2006
Created the archive of the Museo Judio de Sosua in Sosua, Dominican Republic. This museum owns documents related to Jewish presence in the Dominican, a collection that had not been looked at for close to 60 years. Through grant funding I was sent to preserve, organize and save these documents.
New-York Historical Society Prints, Photographs & Architectural Collections
New York, NY - 2006
Processed the John Albok Collection for the New-York Historical Society. Albok photographed street scenes in Manhattan for over 50 years, but his work had never been accessible at NYHS before I created the finding aid.
In partnership with the American History Workshop and New-York Historical Society
October 2009 - March 2010
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West at 77th Street
New York Times review
A new exhibition on Abraham Lincoln poses several difficulties. An estimated 15,000 books on Lincoln have already been written, and with the bicentennial of his birth in 2009, dozens of museums across the country held exhibits that detailed all aspects of his life. How to present something new about the President the entire country knows so well?
The American History Workshop approached the project as an opportunity to deviate from recapitulations of Lincoln's life and speeches, and analyze his complicated relationship with the nation's most important city, New York. Lincoln only visited New York six times in his life, and never for more than two days at a time. Yet New York made Abraham Lincoln the man we know today. New York's media power brokers elevated him to the Presidency, the newspapers and businessmen influenced his policy while in office, and its citizens led the apotheosis of him in death. New York defined the Lincoln of public consciousness and American memory.
The resulting exhibition has not only pushed the boundaries of Lincoln scholarship, but also revolutionized the public's understanding of New York during the Civil War. The city contested Lincoln in every manner possible: decrying his qualifications, debating his policies, even spilling into the streets in anger over his actions. In the course of his controversial Presidency, Lincoln's policies influenced the social and industrial landscape of the city. Through artifacts, imagery, text, interactive kiosks, film and audio, the exhibition has educated and inspired visitors, and received critical and popular acclaim.
Jason Steinhauer served as Research Historian and Assistant Curator on the project. The exhibition was curated by the American History Workshop President Richard Rabinowitz and overseen by Harold Holzer, author of nearly 30 books on Lincoln and one of the nation's foremost Lincoln scholars.
Reviews:
"Compellingly informative" - New York Times
"Immersive" - AP
"Well worth a visit" - NBC
"Ambitious and generally excellent" - New York Observer"Abraham Lincoln may have loved New York...but New York wasn't wild about him" - New York Post
]]> Prior Exhibitions
Jason has worked on several other innovative and successful exhibitions that have received critical acclaim. Exhibits that are interpretive and creative drive visitors into the doors of institutions and imbue them with new understandings of history. Jason's roles in the exhibits and some information is below. For more, please contact.
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Exhibit Coordinator The Holocaust By Bullets: The Mass Shootings of Jews in the Ukraine 1941-1944 2008, Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York Adapted from the successful exhibit at the Memorial de la Shoah in Paris, this exhibit uncovers the horrific details of massacres in the Ukraine by Nazi forces. Born out of research done by Father Pierre Desbois, the exhibit text was re-written and furniture re-fabricated for display in New York. |
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Film Director The 50th Anniversary of the Archdiocese of Miami 2008, St. Thomas University Library & Museum, Miami Gardens, Florida A small facility on the grounds of St. Thomas University, this museum celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Miami with an exhibition and film, which I directed. |
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Curator Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War, Travel version 2007-2008, Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York The award-winning installation at the Museum of Jewish Heritage was reduced by me from 6,000 sq. ft. to 2,000 sq. ft. and installed at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, Baltimore, for its first stop on a nationwide tour. See below for more on the original exhibit. |
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Curator Baghdad Revisited: Iraqi Jewish Artifacts from Private Collections 2006, American Sephardi Federation, New York Displayed at the Center for Jewish History, NY, "Baghdad Revisited" introduced visitors to Iraqi-Jewish culture and recalled Baghdad as a nexus of Jewish life, before Iraq's Jews were forced into exile over the course of the 20th century. For more information, visit the American Sephardi Federation Website and click on the Back to Babylon graphic. |
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Project Registrar Have You Eaten Yet? The Chinese Restaurant in America 2006, Museum of Chinese in the Americas, New York Built largely from the menu and ephemera collection of Harley Spiller, this exhibit traced the evolution of the Chinese restaurant in America and what representations of Chinese in the food industry revealed about contemporary attitudes towards Chinese-Americans. The exhibit traveled from New York to the Atwater Kent Museum in Philadelphia, where it ran from April 5 - September 10, 2006. Learn more here. |
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Curator New York: City of Refuge — Stories from the Last 60 Years 2004-2005, Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York Using the inherent power of oral history testimony to explore complicated historical topics "New York: City of Refuge" introduced visitors to New York's most recent wave of Jewish immigrants-- from Europe, the Middle East & Former Soviet Union-- and examined issues of exile, refuge, identity and citizenship. |
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Assistant Curator Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War 2002-2005, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York *Awarded Grand Prize for Excellence in Exhibitions from American Association of Museums The award-winning exhibition "Ours to Fight For" was a groundbreaking exhibition in both approach and design. The show used eleven original films and over 400 artifacts to reconstruct the experience of being a Jewish American soldier in the war against the Axis. Visit the exhibit's companion Web page, OurstoFightFor.org to see testimony and artifacts. |
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In partnership with Yeshiva University Office of Communications and Public Affairs
Project Dates: March 2009 - Present
Learn more about R25
In 2006, Yeshiva University purchased Resource 25 (R25), a space analysis and scheduling software created by CollegeNet. The program allowed Yeshiva to build an archive of campus space and then run analytics to determine how best to schedule classes and events in those spaces. However, with every new software comes challenges on use and integration. At Yeshiva, a highly decentralized university with four campuses in the New York area, the plan to use R25 collapsed soon after it began. Institutional reluctance to change and lack of understanding of the software's potential left it virtually unused for three years.
In 2009, Jason was approached by Yeshiva's Office of Communications and Public Affairs to revive the R25 project. The mandate was clear: implement this software and make sure it was used to its best capacity to help save time, effort, money, and resources. Jason applied his archival management skills and project management experience to the task. He immediately identified the core problem at the University: lack of trust in the system. Without fully trusting that the database was clean, how could schedulers trust they were assigning the right room and resources to the right events? If the database was incomplete, then it would not eliminate double-bookings like it was supposed to? Users fell back on relying on pen, paper and phone calls instead of using the system.
Jason led a task force to build a comprehensive index of University spaces and resources in R25. He laid out a project timeline for building the spaces in the system, training staff, building new workflow that incorporated the program, identifying what aspects of the program could best suit Yeshiva's needs, and the creation of a centralized public university events calendar gives students, faculty and staff a more comprehensive picture of university events and space usage. In the process he has led the creation of a revamped Office of Campus Events that operates exclusively in R25. And now he is staying on at Yeshiva in a consulting role to lead the University as it upgrades to newer versions of R25 and integrates more users into the system.
Testimonial from Yeshiva University:
Jason has been an incredible asset to the University. His vision, analysis, decision-making and leadership have been instrumental to the implementation of R25 at Yeshiva. Without his skills, this project would never succeed.
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Check back soon for previous information management projects.
]]>Publications include:
- Yeshiva University
- National Park Service Website
- Epicurious.com
- The White Plains Watch
- Fiction and poetry
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference
- Diplomatic Luncheon at the American Jewish Committee
- Oral History of the Mid-Atlantic Conference
- The Metropolitan Transit Authority
- The Jewish Historical Society of New York
For graduates, undergraduates and high school
- Thesis editing
- American History AP
- European History AP
- SAT II - American History
- Writing
Real testimonial from a parent
"Jason, I wanted to thank you for truly impacting Rebecca's writing skills. Her confidence and work have improved dramatically since she began working with you. You have given her powerful tools and a very focused methodology that allow her to more clearly and concisely express herself and to assess her own and others writing."]]>