Digital Development of the Art of Ranching Project
College of Liberal Arts
History
Larimer
County
(Douglas, Elbert, Garfield, Routt)
- Community & Economic Development
- On-campus
Primary Topic:
Community & Economic Development
Other Topics:
4-H & Youth, Agriculture
Internship Overview:
The Art of Ranching project (AOR) is a collaborative community history project that works with 4-H youth and community members to research historical topics related to Colorado agriculture to make visible the agricultural labor and legacy of Colorado communities. Agricultural operations and agricultural work is an art form in itself and every operation and agriculturalist takes a unique approach. Capturing these stories and making visible the significant contributions of these operations in these communities reveals that art. Partners of this project include Colorado State University’s Office of Engagement and Extension Rural Engagement initiative – Vibrant Communities, Colorado State University Department of History, Public and Environmental History Center and History Colorado. The current project platform is hosted by Routt County (https://routt.extension.colostate.edu/art-of-ranching/) but is cumbersome and consists of a single page. Art of Ranching project seeks to build a publicly accessible digital platform for the project that serves as a repository for project resources and products, such as audio and video, images, interactive maps, and the project curricular materials. The project would benefit from the construction of a more intentional and robust digital platform housed within the larger CSU frame. The project is partnering with the Public and Environmental History Center and with the CLA Digital Hub to produce the platform.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
This Extension internship builds upon the existing work of the Art of Ranching Project, which is one of the Office of Engagement and Extension’s Rural Initiative projects, from previous summers. The overall goal of the internship is to A) provide the intern with opportunities to develop their digital history skills, including mapping, oral history production, and exhibition, and B) provide the intern with opportunities to build upon their public history and public communication skills. During the course of this internship, the intern will: 1) design and construct a website for the project; 2) create unique digital materials, such as audio clips, videos, image galleries, and maps for the project website; 3) link to state-wide digital history resources that support the project and liaise with History Colorado’s Centennial Farms and Ranches program; and 4) edit project narratives and liaise with Colorado Encyclopedia. Travel is expected to locations where interviews take place or have taken place.
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
The intern will be working with the project historian, lead mentor, and AOR leadership team and will liaise with representatives from History Colorado who work with the state’s Centennial Farm and Ranch program and Colorado Encyclopedia.
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
At the end of the internship, the intern will be able to 1) design and construct a digital history project built out of public history products, 2) create and produce specific digital products to portray the Art of Ranching project; and 3) contribute to a public/digital history project that involves community members, local historians and history institutions, and that accurately reflects the histories and interests of participants.
