An Update from OPUS Archives and Invitation to Engage
As an intermission to our Gimbutas and Goddesses series, an offering of updates from OPUS Archives and an open invitation to engage with our collections, programs, and ongoing work.
Dear Friends,
On behalf of OPUS Archives, we are honored to share a number of updates from OPUS Archives as we continue our collective stewardship of depth psychological legacies and archival collections. With your support, we’ve made meaningful progress this spring, and there are many opportunities for deeper engagement as we head into summer.
Field Trips to OPUS Archives – Classes Welcome!
We invite Pacifica faculty to schedule on-site class visits to OPUS Archives. These sessions offer guided introductions to research using primary source materials and explore the wealth of archival holdings related to depth psychology, mythology, the arts, and more. Please reach out to coordinate visits for your classes or student groups. Email us at info@opusarchives.org
Gimbutas and Goddesses Editorial Series
OPUS Archives is currently featuring Gimbutas and Goddesses, a series of essays, reflections, and scholarship on the legacy and life work of Dr. Marija Gimbutas. The first “series-within-a-series” of 3 issues by Mariagrazia Pelaia are now live. The series continues with contributions coming from Pacifica graduates and culminating in pieces from Drs. Charlene Spretnak, Joan Marler, among others.
Read and subscribe here: OPUS Archives
Call for Submissions – Woodman, Mellick, Downing Series
We are now accepting submissions for upcoming series at OPUS Archives (our new publication on Substack) focused on the legacies, lives and work of Marion Woodman, Jill Mellick, and Christine Downing. If you have a reflection, paper, excerpt, or creative response inspired by their work, we invite you to contribute. Please reach out to us at info@opusarchives.org with questions, proposals and to submit your voice!
Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship (CDDF)
We announced the 2025-2026 Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship recipients recently. This year’s fellows, Jacklyn Kalkhurst and Jodi Casperite, continue the tradition of deep, rigorous, and creative scholarship inspired by Dr. Downing’s legacy. You can read more about the program and its origins at OPUS Archives:
The Story Behind the Christine Downing Dissertation Fellowship
Marija Gimbutas Collection – Arrangement and Description Updates
We’ve undertaken a major update to the Marija Gimbutas Collection, including revised and expanded finding aid, and survey and updated physical arrangement of the collection in OPUS Archives stacks. Materials are now arranged in series by media type (documents, audio, visual, artifacts, etc.) and are being renumbered for enhanced clarity, and improved search and discoverability to promote access and use. This is a foundational step to secure its long-term preventive-conservation and interpretive curation.
OPUS Archives Curator Dr. Devon Deimler installed the exhibit, Marija Gimbutas Archeomythology of a Goddess in the display case next to the Woodman Library in the Administration building at the Ladera Lane campus of Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Pacifica Graduate Volunteers at OPUS
We are deeply grateful for the contributions of Pacifica graduate volunteers who have joined us during a 3-month pilot program. Their invaluable time and energy have been instrumental in processing the Jill Mellick Collection and supporting descriptive work on the Gimbutas papers. With their presence, we are able to deepen the educational spirit of OPUS Archives, bringing lived engagement to these scholarly legacies.
Joseph Campbell Foundation Film and Video Digitization
In collaboration and coordination with the Joseph Campbell Foundation, original never seen film reels and video tapes of Joseph Campbell lectures, interviews, and archival footage are being digitized. We welcome JCF’s Executive Director John Bucher and Scanning Technician Theodor (Teddy) Hamstra to campus over the next two months when they visit to collect materials for this phase of the project.
Recent Visit – Lithuanian Documentary Film Crew
On June 5, OPUS Archives welcomed a visiting documentary team from Lithuania’s national television network (LRT) filming for The Architecture of Transformation and Freedom: Lithuanian Heritage in Emigration. The crew interviewed Drs. Joan Marler and Susan Moulton and Special Collections Librarian Richard Buchen, and filmed in the Gimbutas collection as part of a series highlighting Lithuanian diasporic cultural heritage.
Research With Us – Extended Researcher-in-Residence Option
OPUS continues to welcome researchers to engage with our collections through standard appointments or extended stays. Our Researcher-in-Residence option provides a flexible model for Pacifica community members who wish to spend more immersive time in the archive for dissertation work, projects, or personal inquiry, which provides a dedicated office desk to create a mini Research-in-Residence to conduct your research and work. Requests and questions can also be emailed to us at: info@opusarchives.org.
OPUS Archives collections are searchable at the OAC database. Stay tuned for an announcement about our new enhanced user friendly online browse and search page available soon!
Legacy Digital Lab – Audio Access
Our on-site listening station in the Legacy Digital Lab is available by appointment. Researchers can listen to archival recordings from Marion Woodman, James Hillman, Joseph Campbell, and others. Recent requests include rare lecture series such as The Soul in Exile and Rolling Away the Stone. Contact us info@opusarchives.org to schedule access.
Extended Hours During Class Sessions
Evening and weekend research appointments are available during Pacifica class sessions. To schedule a visit, please email info@opusarchives.org in advance so we can prepare materials and coordinate access.
Support OPUS Archives
As always, we welcome your support to continue this work. Contributions help fund ongoing digitization, processing, and public programming. Tax-deductible donations may be made through our new donation page here.
Thank you for your continued presence and partnership.
On behalf of OPUS Archives,
Jennifer Frémont, MA, MLS
Archivist and Administrative Director
OPUS Archives and Research Center
on the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute
801 Ladera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93108