Southern Futures: An Activated Archive
Carolina Performing Arts (CPA) was founded in 2005 and works with vibrant artists from around the world to develop innovative, mission-focused performing arts experiences in collaboration with the community. Southern Futures is a collaborative initiative that connects students, scholars, creators, and community leaders who are making significant contributions to rethinking the American South. This initiative aims to promote equity, justice, and potential by leveraging the arts and humanities to inspire positive transformation in Carolina's local region. CPA required a digital archive for Southern Futures, so we created a platform using WordPress to showcase its projects and artists while offering resources for educational purposes. We brought these engaging narratives to life with a unified design that includes thoughtful animations, promoting ongoing exploration. The success of this project stemmed from several factors: we emphasized discovery sessions to effectively organize and structure the diverse network of information; we built a custom WordPress CMS for ease of use and flexibility for administrators; and we incorporated thoughtful animations to enhance user navigation and emphasize CPA's impactful content.