
‘Philadelphia Weekly’ Spotlights Institute’s Oral History Program, ‘Between Us and Catastrophe’ Exhibition
Staff members share why recording history is so important, especially during a pandemic.
The Science History Institute’s oral history program and recent Between Us and Catastrophe outdoor exhibition are featured in Philadelphia Weekly, the city’s leading alternative news source.
Several staff members contributed short pieces to the recently relaunched publication, including David Caruso, director of the Institute’s Center for Oral History, who discusses the importance of preserving stories from the past. He shares how he laments that no one recorded the life stories of his “GPa” before he passed away and offers tips on how to prepare and conduct an oral history interview like we do here at the Institute.
Saving Stories: An Oral History Primer >>
Other contributors include research curator and museum experience strategist Lisa Berry Drago, who explains why the Institute decided to launch Between Us and Catastrophe, an outdoor exhibition that featured large-scale portraits of the pandemic’s essential workers created by Philadelphia photographer Kyle Cassidy. Installed on the exterior of our building from October 2020 through August 2021, Between Us and Catastrophe also included exclusive interviews with Cassidy and the essential workers from the portrait series produced by our Distillations podcast team that can now be experienced as a video tour.
‘No One Does Anything Alone’: An Oral History of ‘Between Us and Catastrophe’ >>
Cassidy is also featured in Philadelphia Weekly, where he gives a personal account of his Between Us and Catastrophe project two years after its launch in March 2020.
More News
Explore the History and Science of Minerals with Institute’s New ‘Earthly Matters’ Exhibition Opening October 8
Join us in Old City for a ribbon cutting, curator’s talk, and light refreshments.
Science History Institute Launches New Season of ‘Distillations’ Podcast
Take a deep dive into the fascinating history of genetic engineering and the birth of the biotech industry with weekly episodes starting August 5.
Science History Institute Welcomes 2025–2026 Beckman Center Fellows
Scholars from around the world will study a wide range of topics in the history and social studies of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.