The University Library is thrilled to introduce Annika Berry as the recipient of the 2024-2025 Fellowship in the Center for Archival Research and Training (CART).

Annika is a PhD student in the Creative/Critical Writing program of the Literature department. Originally from Portland, Oregon, they previously completed an MFA in Environmental Art and Social Practice at UC Santa Cruz, and also hold a BFA in Film, Animation, and Video from the Rhode Island School of Design. Annika is both a visual artist and writer, having exhibited in galleries and museums nationwide. Her archival experience includes collecting oral histories for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and managing projects and exhibitions for artists in New Mexico and New York.

When she begins her fellowship in Fall 2024, Annika will be immersed in Special Collections & Archives for a full academic year, devoting 20 hours per week to archives and public projects in the library. Annika will process and make available the papers of Donna Haraway, UCSC Distinguished Professor Emerita in History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies. Annika will then curate a public exhibition showcasing archival collections, opening in Spring 2025.

Stay tuned for more information on Annika’s work throughout the year!

Meet Annika Berry

Tell us a little bit about your background. How did you decide to come to UCSC for your graduate studies?

I arrived as part of the first cohort of the Environmental Art & Social Practice MFA program. I was drawn by so many things… the legacy of social and environmental justice and activism on campus, the interdisciplinary scholarship that emerges here, the location, the ocean. Less than a year in, I had the opportunity to take courses with faculty in the creative writing program and fell in love with working at that intersection between writing and visual art. And also (I was living across the country at the time in the midst of deep pandemic) I Googled the campus, audibly swooned, etc.

You’ve been working on an archival project for a while on the author S. Paige Baty. What are some of the most interesting aspects you’ve found so far in this work?

About six months after moving here, I stumbled across one of Baty’s books at Bad Animal (that used bookstore in town) and was intrigued by her written voice. I wanted to learn more about her, but could hardly find any information online. I ended up learning that Baty had been a student in the History of Consciousness program in the 1980s, so I began curiously reaching out to people who I thought might have known her. That search began to reveal a vast and complicated archive. One of the most interesting aspects of the work has been the problem of how to make legible the things that are so often absent from institutional archives: ephemeral elements like emotions, feelings, half-forgotten memories, lost and missing texts… I suppose I’m obsessed with how to make space in an archive for everything it “can’t” contain.

How did you hear about CART, and what attracted you to the fellowship?

I first heard about CART a year or so ago and recognized it as a really unique opportunity to deep-dive into archival theory and practice. When the call emerged for someone to work on the Haraway papers, I was so excited. Overall, I really value CART’s commitment to accessibility, and seeking out new ways to invite broad community and student engagement with archives in general. These collections can feel intimidating to approach, but I really believe there’s so much creative work waiting to happen in and around these sites.

What are some of your favorite things to do outside of your studies and work?

Santa Cruz has taught me how to slow down! But admittedly, the things I love doing here are probably familiar: swimming in the ocean, walking around the arboretum, cooking with insane year-round produce. Over the past year, I’ve been exploring the UC Natural Reserve System, getting away for little weekend writing retreats with friends and seeing more of the Central Coast. It sounds silly but I also love e-mail — not for school or work, but as a correspondence platform. I really love to write and receive letters.

The Elisabeth Remak-Honnef Center for Archival Research and Training (CART), established in 2014 at the UC Santa Cruz University Library, has trained dozens of graduate students in archives and exhibition work since its inception. In cultivating impactful learning experiences, CART develops students' archival research skills to support their career success, and increases access to unique Library resources for all.

Learn more about CART on our website.