Recently, Elizabethtown College senior, Hannah Ciocco, received the College’s Inspiration Award in Art History in recognition of her documentary on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. 
Hannah, who is a History major with minors in Art History and Religious Studies, wrote, filmed and edited the 40-minute video, Remembering King: A Dispute in Collective Public Memory, for her honors in the Discipline project in History.
“My documentary emphasized the idea that the enduring nature of memorials ensures that they have significant influence on public memory,” Hannah said. “For these reasons, memorials often elicit serious debate.”
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, a four-acre complex in West Potomac Park next to the National Mall, sparked controversy when it opened in 2011.
“Upon completion, however, memorials often become accepted and beloved landmarks that influence public memory for years and even generations,” Hannah said. “I decided to go to the MLK Jr. Memorial and interview visitors myself.”
Hannah’s mentor for the documentary was Elizabethtown College History Professor David Kenley, with whom she previously studied Digital Humanities.
After graduation, Hannah will continue her education at John Hopkins University where she has been accepted to the Master’s program in Museum Studies with a certificate in digital curation.