Julie Sandy is the Archives Consultant for the Vilcek Foundation, and is the archivist/librarian at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). She was engaged as a consultant in 2021 to draft an initial vision statement and proposed scope for the development of the Vilcek Foundation Archives. She worked with the foundation’s digital and administrative teams to interview and ultimately hire Archivist Mark Toepfer. Sandy continues to be involved in an advisory role as the Vilcek Foundation Archives develop and grow in both the physical and digital space. 

As a member of a very small team with the NYSID, Sandy enjoys juggling a variety of projects including exhibition of archival material (both in NYSID’s Gallery and online), print book and archival collection development, instruction of graduate and undergraduate students, and advocacy for the use of primary sources in the curriculum. Similar to the Vilcek Archives, NYSID has recently acquired a new digital asset management system, so Sandy will be adding the role of digital archivist as she helps to build and customize the new platform.

Prior to her work with NYSID, Sandy was an associate with design historian and author Grace Jeffers. She was responsible for assembling corporate archives for Wilsonart and Arborite; curating images and writing content for design blogs, lectures, and white papers; co-designing and installing exhibits at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in NYC and NeoCon in Chicago; and researching and exhibiting innovative materials, among other things. She also worked as an archivist for Roundabout Theatre Company and for La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club; these roles were a natural progression from her previous decade’s worth of experience as a prop designer, shopper, and fabricator for Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Sandy’s theater background has informed her approach to archival theory and practice: Above all, she enjoys projects that involve collaboration and visual storytelling. She is passionate about making “hidden” collections accessible, helping others to discover new narratives and voices through engaging with the unique primary source material found only in the archives.

Sandy holds an MSLIS from Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University, and a BA from Williams College, where she majored in theater design and art history. In May 2023, she gave a talk to the METRO Library Council entitled “Storytelling with the Archives,” about her collaborative role in NYSID’s 2022 exhibition “Designing Duo: Tom Lee and Sarah Tomerlin Lee.” Sandy has also been a guest lecturer at Williams College, speaking on the topic of “Ephemera as Art.”