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This is an oral history from Nancy Shaver, artist and proprietor of Henry, a shop of antiques and curios located at 348 Warren Street. Nancy has lived in Jefferson, NY (Schoharie County) and worked in Hudson, NY for over 30 years. The shop is known for its eclectic objects and vintage textiles. We learn of Nancy's life with objects from her youth to today. We learn of her life in Jefferson, NY where she works on her own artworks in her studio with her husband, sculptor John Jackson, nearby. She speaks of the changes to Warren Street/Hudson over the years and ways she has done art projects in the community, notably a series called Incident Reports in the adjacent storefront. She describes people who were or are important to her, notably the photographer Walker Evans, her peripheral friendships with people she regularly interacts with in Hudson (Moto Coffee) and other artists. She speaks at length about the artist George Liu who has become a very close friend and co-conspirator in shopkeeping at Henry.
Addendum to interview (post recording; by request): Nancy wanted to add that she believes that people who spend time at Henry purchase something that is important to them that fills a personal need that is not commercial and thus, the object goes to the right place.
Oral history is an iterative process. In keeping with oral history values of anti-fixity, interviewees will have an opportunity to add, annotate and reflect upon their lives and interviews in perpetuity. Talking back to the archive is a form of “shared authority.”