Michael and Linda Doochin Collection
odd: label: Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns
content: The National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) acknowledges and respects the right of artists, community members, cultural groups, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage located in the collections cared for by the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives (EEPA). Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the EEPA's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To learn more about NMAfA's Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy, please visit the website. We welcome all inquiries and requests for shared stewardship or the ethical return of items. Requests can be made by emailing NMAfA-SSER@si.edu.
name: label: Photographer
content: Doochin, Michael D.
label: Creator
content: Kartoz-Doochin, Linda
place: label: Place
content: Ghana
label: Place
content: Togo
label: Place
content: Mali
label: Place
content: Uganda
label: Place
content: Ivory Coast
label: Place
content: Seychelles
label: Place
content: Ethiopia
label: Place
content: Madagascar
label: Place
content: Burkina Faso
label: Place
content: Benin
label: Place
content: Southern Rhodesia
label: Place
content: Cape Town (South Africa)
label: Place
content: Malawi
label: Place
content: Kenya
label: Place
content: Zimbabwe
label: Place
content: Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania)
label: Place
content: Serengeti
label: Place
content: Gabon
topic: label: Topic
content: Tourism
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated by Michael and Linda Doochin, 2020.
creator: label: Photographer
content: Doochin, Michael D.
label: Creator
content: Kartoz-Doochin, Linda
setName: label: See more items in
content: Michael and Linda Doochin Collection
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Over a span of more than 40 years, Linda Kartoz-Doochin and Michael Doochin have pursued a lifelong passion for learning about diverse peoples, cultures, and customs during their international travels, including trips to Africa, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), China, New Guinea, several Oceanian countries, and numerous other locations. Between 1977 and 2019, the Doochins traveled to nineteen African countries on excursions organized and led by various local guides, zoologists, archeologists, and anthropologists. During each trip, they documented their experiences through photographs and video. 

An entrepreneur and community leader, Linda received a BA from Barnard College – where she developed an early interest in cultural anthropology as a student of noted anthropologist Margaret Mead – and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate school of Business. During her business career, she has been recognized in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Industry and Finance, and honored for her leadership in the National Society of Plastic Engineers. Linda has served on the Board of Trustees for the Nashville Public Education Foundation, and numerous other Boards of Directors and varied educational and social service endeavors, including the YWCA, YWCA Shelter and Domestic Violence Program, Oasis Center, Jewish Federation of Nashville, and the Harvard Alumni Association. A strong advocate for families and education, Linda was instrumental in starting the first shelter for victims of domestic violence in Nashville and has long been involved with programs dealing with families, teens, education and social issues.  

An accomplished photographer, painter, and author, Michael has a BA in Economics from Williams College and an MBA in Economics from Harvard Business School, institutions where he explored his interest in the growth of developing countries. Michael is an owner and manager of a packaging and label manufacturer. He maintains a strong interest in natural history and healing energy. He is a Certified Tennessee Naturalist and maintains a certified arboretum on the grounds of his business. He has served on numerous nonprofit boards, often in officer roles, including chair of The American Chestnut Association and at the Tennessee Naturalist Program.  Michael is also a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and the author of two published books, The Tzaddik (2010) and The Mystical Naturalist (2017). 

Influenced by the natural holistic approaches to well-being and health that they witnessed during their travels, Linda and Michael embarked on a path to study holistic energy healing and became Certified Healing Touch* Practitioners in 2006. They have studied with energy medicine luminaries, Donna Eden, Rosalyn Bruyere, James Oschman, and Bonnie Johnson. As a composer of music and lyrics, Linda endeavors to infuse all of her compositions with uplifting healing energy. As an abstract and realist oil painter, Michael has painted scenes from his trips. Exhibits of his paintings and photographs include shows at Cheekwood Museum of Art, Centennial Art Center, Alive Hospice, the Gordon Jewish Community Center, and University School in Nashville.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 6539 Slides (photographs) (color, 35mm)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1977-2019
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: EEPA.2020-001
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Slides (photographs)
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is physically organized to reflect the creator's original organization into slide carousels. The collection is digitally arranged alphabetically by country, ensuring that users can easily locate slides based on geographic location. This dual arrangement preserves the original context and order of the physical materials while enhancing digital accessibility and searchability for researchers.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Michael and Linda Doochin collection contains materials related to the Doochin's photographic travels between 1977 and 2019, including following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Rhodesia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. The collection formats include 35mm slides and 6 videos recorded with Sony 120 video Hi8 60 Digital8.