Alexandra Chan
Education
n Ph.D., 2003, Historical Archaeology, from Boston University. Dissertation Title: The Slaves of Colonial New England: Discourses of Colonialism and Identity at the Isaac Royall House, Medford, MA, 1732-1775.
n Double B.A., 1996, Anthropology and German Language (Departmental Honors, General Honors, Phi Beta Kappa), from Vassar College.
Professional Affiliations, Expertise & Certifications
n Society for Historical Archaeology, 1998-2016
n Council for Northeast Historical Archaeology, 1997-2016
n Management of all aspects of cultural resource projects, including proposal preparation, budget development, writing and review of archaeological reports and other technical documents, onitoring and quality control of fieldwork procedures, and development and execution of archaeological research designs
n Level 2 Certified Historical Archaeologist by the Maine Historic Preservation Commissionto lead projects in the State of Maine.
n Able to interface with federal, state, and local agencies, private construction and engineering firms, clients, descendant communities, and other interested parties.
n Possess firm understanding of NEPA, NHPA, and NAGPRA, as well as requirements of the New Hampshire state-level agencies of the DES and NHDHR.
n Engage in public lectures, outreach, and education; staff training; and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Recent Appointments
June 2016 - present Rising Phoenix Arts Portsmouth, NH
Founder & Sole Proprietor
n custom Chinese calligraphy and brush painting for home and office.
n fine art prints, original artworks, and elegant silk brocade wall scrolls painted to order.
October 2010 – present Alexandra Chan Photography Portsmouth, NH
Founder & Sole Proprietor
n Fresh, candid and unique family photography; premier headshots; and lifestyle photography for all business and branding needs.
n Creative business and branding for companies, small business owners, independent consultants and entrepreneurs, entertainers, etc.
Nov. 2006 – present Monadnock Archaeological Consulting, LLC Stoddard, NH
Principal Investigator
n Senior-level supervisor for historical archaeological projects
n Responsible for scoping work; creating budgets; hiring personnel; research design and execution; conducting or overseeing all background historical and archival research, fieldwork, laboratory processing, and analysis; and writing technical reports.
Sept. 2006 – present Royall House & Slave Quarters Medford, MA
Academic Advisory Council Member
n Resident archaeological consultant for program and exhibit development
n Responsible for the construction and oversight of an archaeological exhibit aimed at bringing the findings of the 1999-2001 excavations to school groups and the general public.
June 2004 – Sept. 2006 IAC, LLC Portsmouth, NH
Project Archaeologist
n Senior-level supervisor, involved in the management of all aspects of cultural resource projects, including proposal preparation, budget development, writing and review of archaeological reports and other technical documents, monitoring and quality control of fieldwork procedures, and development and execution of archaeological research designs.
Sept. 2001 – June 2004 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Teaching as well as mentoring duties for Anthropology majors and correlates. Developed and implemented nine new courses, including but not limited to: Postmodernist Perspectives in Archaeological Method and Theory (Research Design and Evaluation); New World Historical Archaeology; Archaeology of Early African America; Cultures in Contact: Comparative Colonialism in the Age of Exploration; and Politics of the Past: Archaeological Ethics and the Law
May 2000 – Aug. 2001 Royall House & Slave Quarters Medford, MA
Co-Principal Investigator and Project Director
n Director of excavations during 2000 and 2001 field seasons, and continuing in a PR, public outreach and educational capacity at the Isaac Royall House Museum’s slave quarters.
n Lab coordinator and supervisor for laboratory work taking place in conjunction with the excavations.
n Liaison and consultant for the Royall House Association in its efforts to overhaul its interpretive plan for the site.
n Co-organizer of “The Forgotten Royalls” family/community day, August 2001, aimed at interpreting the daily experiences of the enslaved inhabitants of the site, and incorporating the results of the archaeological investigations into the interpretations for the public.
Recent Lectures, Papers, Interviews
2018 "Meet Alexandra Chan of Alexandra Chan Photography." In-depth interview and feature at Boston Voyager Magazine. Some of my thoughts on the meaning of success and a retrospective on the road I have traveled to here, April 2018.
2016 "The Archaeology of Northern Slavery: Written in Stone and Bone." Keynote speaker at two NEH teachers’ workshops held at the Isaac Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford, MA, July 15 and 25.
2015 "Discourses of Colonialism: The Archaeology of Race and Racialization at the Isaac Royall House, an 18th-Century New England Slave-Holding Estate." Keynote Address for the inauguration of the Center for Atlantic & Global Studies, Leibnitz University, Hanover, Germany, May 20, 2015
2015 “What’s the 411? With Sharon Kay.” A 1-hour radio broadcast and live interview from WFSK Fiske University, April 15, 2015. Discussion topics included Slavery in the Age of Reason (University of Tennessee Press 2007), and the archaeology of slavery and early African Americans in New England.
2012 The Emerging Face of Northern Bondage: An Archaeological Perspective, from the Isaac Royall House in Medford, MA, 1737-1775. Historic Deerfield, Summer Lecture Series entitled “Digging for Truth: Uncovering Early African-American Presence and Experience in the North,” July 19, Deerfield Community Center, Deerfield, MA.
2011 Translating Archaeology for the Public. Teacher Workshop series sponsored by the NEH, presented to the Rhode Island Historical Society; Boston University Dept. of African American Studies; and the Tracing Center of Boston.
2009 “Lost in Translation: Possibilities and Pitfalls in Bringing Archaeology to the Public.”African Americans in Boston: From Slavery to Today. Symposium in Honor of Adelaide Cromwell and the 40th Anniversary of the Founding of African American Studies at Boston University Co-sponsored by the Humanities Foundation, the African Studies Program, and the African Presidential Archives and Research Center. April 24-26, 2009
2007 “Doing History.” Keynote Speaker, hired by Project LOCAL to develop and lead an interactive history teachers’ and graduate students’ workshop on the historical archaeological process. Themes included: “Reading a Landscape,” “Reading an Artifact,” and “Reading a Document.” The Isaac Royall House, Medford, MA, May 31.
2007 “Garbage, Shreds, Shavings, and Filth: Yard Deposits as Artifact at the 19th-century Amoskeag Mill Tenements.” Paper developed and expanded from prior research (see 2005) and presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology in Williamsburg, VA, January 11.
Recent Publications
2018 "Bounty and Bondage," The Atlantic Slave Trade, special issue of Dig Into History Magazine. Cricket Media, May-June Issue.
2018 "The Thing about Family and Lifestyle Photography." Featured photographer at the Basic Invite Blog, Basic Invite Invitation Company, January.
2016 Book review of The Archaeology of Race in the Northeast. (Edited by Christopher N. Matthews and Allison Manfra McGovern Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida). The Journal for Northeast Historical Archaeology).
2015 Discourses of Colonialism: The Archaeology of Race and Racialization at the Isaac Royall House, an 18th-Century New England Slave-Holding Estate. African Diaspora Archaeology in New England. In press, Gainesville: University Press of Florida.
2014 Book review of Slavery Before Race: Europeans, Africans, and Indians at Long Island’s Sylvester Manor Plantation, 1651-1884. (By Katerhine Howlett Hayes; New York: New York University Press, 2013). Published in Journal of American History Vol 101 (1): p. 236.
2011 Translating archaeology for the public: empowering and engaging museum goers with the past. International Journal of Heritage Studies 17(2): 169-189.
2009 Review of the book Ten Hills Farm: the Forgotten History of Slavery in the North. (By C.S. Manegold. Princeton: Princeton University Press). Published in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society Vol. 107: 3, pp. 432-434.
2007 Slavery in the Age of Reason: Archaeology at a New England Farm. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.
2007 “Bringing the Out Kitchen in? Experiential Landscapes of Black and White New England.” In Archaeology of Atlantic Africa and African Diaspora, ed. by Toyin Falola and Akin Ogundiran. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
2005 North was Active Partner in Slave Trade. Op-ed piece, Sunday Opinion Page, Portsmouth Herald, April 25.
2001 “The Emerging Face of Northern Bondage.” Context 15 (2): 10-12.
1999 “Exploring Northern Slavery at the Royall House of Medford.” Marni Blake and Alexandra Chan, Context 14 (2): 6-10.
1998 “A Treasure Hunter’s Mad Obsessions.” Letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal, August 6: A15.