About


I’m a metadata expert committed to transforming our cultural landscape into one that is more equitable, just, and representative.

I have over ten years of experience creating and managing metadata for arts and culture organizations, always with an eye for respectful and accurate representation of artists and communities. 

I have developed metadata schemas, content guidelines, custom taxonomies, and workflows that rectify the ways in which marginalized peoples have been misrepresented or completely invisible in archival records. 

 

Project experience

For the open access cultural heritage portal, Curationist.org, I designed a schema that layers metadata contributed by community members on top of that sourced from cultural institutions. I also developed socially conscious guidelines for using Wikidata as an open, controlled vocabulary.

At the Motion Picture Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library, I developed culturally sensitive guidelines for assigning subject terms for race and ethnicity to visual arts collections, and co-curated an exhibition of kung fu movie posters that examined the intersections of race, gender, and power.

For the Walt Disney Animation Research Library, I helped create a custom subject taxonomy, and initiated a local name authority resource for hundreds of artists not represented in traditional sources. This project was the inspiration for a series of biographies highlighting the contributions of women and people of color from throughout the company’s history.

 

Communication style

As a collaborative and inclusive project leader, I listen, analyze, and communicate transparently and respectfully. I like to learn new things, and will never pretend to know something I don’t. If I don’t know the answer right away, I do my best to return to the table with a solution.

I look forward to learning how I can help with your next metadata project.

 

Contact Me

Portrait of Sharon Mizota
Photo: Oliver Wang