The following materials, selected from the Thomas Lamb fonds, demonstrate the strong relationship between Lamb’s works and the natural world. I am grateful to my experiences as an xDx intern for expanding my knowledge of Canadian design, providing further opportunities for curation, increasing my knowledge of archival practices and governmental positions related to community outreach.

Over the course of the xDS internship, I also had the privilege of collaborating with numerous team members across different departments of the Archives of Ontario. While assisting archivists, I had the opportunity to process and organize an acquisition of primary records from the fonds of Canadian educator, author, sculptor and designer Stephen Hogbin. Hogbin’s fonds revealed the conceptualizations, inspirations and skills of an artist passionate about design as an environmentally conscious practice of craftsmanship. Working on Hogbin’s fond granted me insight into the multitude of processes involved in accessioning fonds of value to the Ontario government and governmental actions to preserve legacies of Canadian artists. 

Collaboration with the Outreach and Education team provided me with in depth understanding regarding active efforts of the Archives of Ontario to foster reconciliation, through culturally sensitive and inclusive programming. It was a privilege to be a part of educational workshops that prioritized increasing archive access to underrepresented communities. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work closely with team leaders in developing both a virtual and in person educational program aimed at school groups, on topics of Canadian Black History and War Propaganda.

Aliyah Clarke, xDX/AO Summer Intern