Our Team

Collections and Archives

  • Julianna Barrera-Gomez – Digital Archivist, UTSA Libraries Special Collections
  • Adrianna Christian – Museum Collections Manager, The Institute of Texan Cultures
  • Alyssa Franklin – Digitization Specialist, UTSA Libraries Special Collections
  • Amy Rushing – Assistant Dean of Special Collections, UTSA Libraries Special Collections

Virtual Reality, Exhibit and Web Design

  • George Marez – Web Developer/Designer, UTSA Libraries
  • Joe Vasquez – Web Developer, UTSA Libraries
  • Cristina Winston – Exhibit Coordinator, The Institute of Texan Cultures

Research and Writing

  • Kirstin Cutts – Library Services Assistant IV, The Institute of Texan Cultures
  • Nansy Lopez Gutierrez – Curator of Education, The Institute of Texan Cultures
  • Georgie Riggs – Library Services Assistant III, The Institute of Texan Cultures

Project Management and Grant Administration

  • Jan Kemp – Assistant Dean for Extramural Funding, UTSA Libraries and The Institute of Texan Cultures
  • Kim McMahon – Administrative Analyst, UTSA Libraries
  • Veronica Garcia Rodriguez – Head of Web and User Experience, UTSA Libraries
    Interim Head Curator, The Institute of Texan Cultures

Acknowledgments

The Tending of the Soil project team gives special thanks to Tom Shelton, Carlos Cortez and Dr. Phil Hewitt. Tom, Senior Curator with UTSA Libraries Special Collections, opened the gates to the initial research of this project thanks to his knowledge of the ITC Library and Special Collections’ photograph collection. Carlos Cortez, Library Assistant III in UTSA Libraries Special Collections, fielded multiple requests for digital images that are utilized within the project website. Phil Hewitt, former ITC Director of Exhibitions, shared his recollections of developing the original Sharecropper Cabin exhibition and of working at the Institute from the very beginning. Their time and insights deepened our appreciation of the cabin, its stories, and how we can tell them. Additional thanks go out to UTSA Libraries Music Librarian, William Glenn, for his thoughtful curation of a Texas Blues playlist inspired by sharecropping in Texas. We are sincerely grateful.