Activism, Music, and the Rosetta Reitz Archive (2026-2027)

Background

The archive of activist, writer and record producer Rosetta Reitz (1924-2008) offers a rare window into feminist cultural production, archival ethics and the erasure of women in the music industry. Reitz founded Rosetta Records in 1979, the only label at the time dedicated to reissuing jazz and blues recordings by women. She searched for lost 78s, wrote extensive liner notes and designed album covers, creating a body of work that revived musicians who had long been overlooked.

Yet, much like the artists she championed, Rosetta Records eventually faded from public view and remains absent from many digital platforms today. Reitz’s papers, which are filled with correspondence, drafts, annotations, posters and ephemera, reveal patterns of exclusion that persist in the contemporary music industry. They also illuminate the do-it-yourself (DIY) methods, feminist networks and cultural activism that shaped second-wave feminism.

This project asks what Reitz’s legacy can teach us about archival care, feminist entrepreneurship, the visibility of cultural labor and the politics of storytelling.

Project Description

Building on three years of work with the Rosetta Reitz archive, this project team will continue exploring Reitz’s contributions through archival research, creative production and public programming.

Students will work with objects from the Reitz collection at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, examining letters, contracts, marginalia and promo materials. These materials will form the basis of interpretive writing, creative outputs and digital or print publications. Students will also study the networks surrounding Reitz and the musicians she uplifted, using spreadsheets, mapping tools and reflective writing to analyze patterns of connection and erasure.

The project incorporates feminist theory, data feminism, material culture studies, ethics of care and archival empathy. Students will experiment with creative research methods including visual storytelling, collaborative annotation and autoethnographic reflections. The team will curate artifacts, develop interpretive texts and build an educational exhibit featuring 100 selected objects from the archive.

In the spring, the team will organize a workshop and public events on feminist cultural entrepreneurship, including a letter-writing event and a performance or conversation with artists and scholars. These activities will highlight the materiality of feminist activism in the 1970s and 1980s and consider how these strategies resonate today.

Anticipated Outputs

Archival “finding aid” development and refinement
Oral histories and interviews with Reitz’s family, friends and collaborators
Curated letters and materials exploring Reitz’s legacy
Public events such as WXDU programming, letter-writing gatherings or discussions with arts journalists
Archival exhibit and accompanying workshop on feminist cultural production
Ongoing work toward digital and print publications

Student Opportunities

Ideally, this project team will include 2 graduate students and 6 undergraduate students. Students with interests in archival research, feminist studies, music history, the history of race and racism, queer studies, material culture, network analysis or media studies are encouraged to apply. The team seeks strong communicators who appreciate storytelling, creative exploration and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Students will learn to locate and interpret archival materials, evaluate their ethical use, analyze visual and textual documents and practice public-facing writing. They will gain experience in exhibit design, network analysis, event production, digital media preparation, high-quality scanning and photographic documentation. Students will also collaborate with music industry professionals, scholars and activists engaged in feminist cultural entrepreneurship.

A graduate project manager will support workflow coordination, team organization, multimedia data management and project communication.

Timing

Summer 2026 - Spring 2027

Summer 2026 (optional):

Summer reading group
Creative experimentation with archival materials
Administrative support for international working group

Fall 2026:

Introductions to the archive, Rosetta Reitz and Rosetta Records
Deep research on 100 selected objects
Creative methods workshops
Public letter-writing event
Public writing workshop and visit from arts writer

Spring 2027:

Build public exhibit from archival materials
Host conference and additional letter-writing event
Identify and pursue individual or group research needs
Deposit data and materials into team repository

Crediting

Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters

See earlier related team, Activism, Music, and the Rosetta Reitz Archive (2025-2026).