As Vilcek Foundation Archivist, Mark Toepfer leads the development of the Vilcek Foundation Archives, a project launched in early 2022. The purpose of the archives is to preserve the legacy of cofounders Jan and Marica Vilcek and to catalog documents and materials related to the development of programs over the organization’s history by Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel and the board of directors.

The archive will also serve as reference for Vilcek Foundation staff and board members, preserving the history, outputs, and impact of the organization through its prizes, exhibitions, grant-making, and publications.

Toepfer specializes in the customization and management of archival systems. He is passionate about the roles that archives play in providing a window into history, in storytelling, and as a means to capture the span and impact of collected work.

Prior to joining the Vilcek Foundation, Toepfer was the archivist specialist for the Madison Square Garden Company, where he digitized and cataloged the MSG and Radio City Music Hall’s archival collections, managed the digital asset management system for the entire company, and worked on exhibits for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the New York Knicks, and the National Hockey League. Toepfer has also managed projects in archives management and development with the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the Onassis Foundation, and the New York City Department of Records. At BAM, Toepfer arranged and cataloged the Harvey Lichtenstein President’s records, spanning over four decades of material, and cataloged production related material from the 19th century.

Toepfer earned his Master’s of Library Science at Queens College, and his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Outside of his work as an archivist, Toepfer is a photographer and musician, and is working on his first animated short.