The microfilmed Allen Memorial Art Museum records contain general correspondence (1931-1958); business correspondence of the director (1916-1958), curators (circa 1929-1967), correspondence with dealers (1941-1953); and files of Clarence Ward, Director from 1917 until 1950, much of which relate to lectures. Also included are exhibition data (1929-1963) including correspondence and lists; financial ledgers (1938-1955); material related to a bequest from Elisabeth Severance Prentiss (Mrs. F. F. Prentiss); and miscellany. The Charles F. Olney file which includes correspondence, a catalog of the Olney collection, a list of art objects and furniture in the collection, and an index to the material; a photograph file showing the interior and exterior of the Museum, the staff, classrooms, studio, and others; and files on artists including Joseph Cornell, Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Morris, Claes Oldenburg, and William T. Wiley are also present.
Biographical / Historical:
The Allen Memorial Art Museum (founded 1917) is an academic art museum at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. The museum's collection contains over 15,000 works of art.
Provenance:
Lent for microfiliming in 1973 by the Allen Memorial Art Museum.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
American University (Washington, D.C.). Fine Arts Dept. Search this
Names:
Watkins Art Gallery (American University) Search this
Extent:
10 Microfilm reels (circa 9,000 items on 10 microfilm reels)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
1946-1980
Scope and Contents:
The microfilmed American University Fine Arts Department records contain departmental files on faculty, visiting artists, students, fundraising events, and building projects. Also included are files on exhibitions held in the Watkins Gallery; photographs of exhibitions; collection files on permanent acquisitions and memorial gifts, containing photographs and insurance records; five scrapbooks and four guestbooks; and a bound volume of Right Angle (1947-1949). Researchers should note that this finding aid does not include an entry for every name found in the collection and that reels 2217-2219 are not represented in the finding aid.
Biographical / Historical:
American University is a private university in Washington, D.C. The Fine Arts Department (now the Department of Art) is part of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1981 by American University Fine Arts Department.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- Washington (D.C.) Search this
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Washington (D.C.)
Universities and colleges -- Departments -- Washington (D.C.)
Citation:
American University Fine Arts Department records. Owned by the American University Fine Arts Department. Filmed by Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
The microfilmed Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery exhibition files contain 621 exhibition files (1948-1981) including biographical data on artists, correspondence, photographs, exhibition checklists, price and sales lists, loan agreements, condition reports, shipping orders and receipts, exhibition announcements, catalogs and invitations, press releases, and clippings.
Biographical / Historical:
The University Art Museum at the University of Texas at Austin was named the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery in 1980 in recognition of the art collector and philanthropist who donated land in support of an art museum. In 1998 the museum was renamed the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art in honor of the art patron and former chairman of the Board of Regents. It remains a primary art collection for the city of Austin and a resource for the arts and cultural education of students at the University of Texas at Austin.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the microfilmed Made in Texas exhibition records, 1978-1981.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1981-1984 by the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery. Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Texas -- Austin
2.8 Linear feet ((partially microfilmed on 3 reels))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1933-1977
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, reports, minutes of meetings, addresses by Sawyer and others, and printed material relating primarily to Sawyer's involvement in the areas of design and crafts, and committees which studied methods of teaching art and the arts in colleges and universities.
REELS 644-646: Files on the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Conference, 1946; the American Humanities Seminar, 1958; the Association of Art Museum Directors, 1941-1973; Design as a Function of Management conference, 1951; Ford Foundation Studies and Grants to the Arts, 1948-1963; the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, 1934-1956; the M.I.T. Study Committee for the Visual Arts, 1952-1954; the Museum Publishers Association, 1969-1970; the Salzburg seminar "The Visual Arts in American Life," 1955-1956; the Addison Gallery, 1940-1950; the Worcester Art Museum, 1940-1948; Columbia University Bicentennial; New York State Colleges and Universities; and the American Federation of Arts.
Included in the American Humanities seminar file are lists of participants (including Sawyer), correspondence, 8 p. of quotes from participants, texts of addresses, printed articles taken from papers, clippings, and correspondence of Maxwell Goldberg, chairman, requesting suggestions for participants in the 1959 seminar. The Addison Gallery file contains correspondence between Sawyer and Bartlett Hayes, director of the Gallery; a report of the activities of the Gallery during 1946-1947, 2 typescripts concerning its display of Edward Hopper's painting "Manhattan Bridge Loop," Feb. 1940, reports and minutes of the Visiting Committee, 1950-1951, and financial statements.
UNMICROFILMED: Files concerning Federal Art Projects in New England, 1933-1937; the Museum of Modern Art, 1940-1941; Andover Committee concerning the Phillips Academy, 1950-1956; "The Arts in Universities," 1955; Visual Art Programs of the Independent Schools Art Instructors' Association, 1946; the Addison Gallery, 1964-1970; the American Craftsmen Council, 1959-1963; the first through fourth Upper Peninsula Crafts and Native Industries exhibits, 1960-1963; and the Conference on Museum Training Programs, 1972.
Biographical / Historical:
Museum director; Ann Arbor, Michigan. Director, Addison Gallery of American Art, the Worcester Art Museum, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art; Professor of Art History at Yale University and member of many committees.
Provenance:
Material on reels 644-646 lent for microfilming 1973 by Sawyer. Unmicrofilmed material donated by Sawyer 1977 and 1985. The 1985 donation included material previously filmed on reel 644, fr. 509-1071.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Photocopies of letters to Wight from Charles Sheeler, Morris Graves, Nathan Oliveira and Hans Hofmann.
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, author, gallery director, art administrator; Los Angeles, Calif. Died 1986 Was director of the University of California, Los Angeles art gallery, now called the Frederick S. Wight Galleries.
Provenance:
Photocopies discarded after microfilming.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Occupation:
Arts administrators -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Gallery directors -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
KPAL (Radio station : Palm Springs, California) Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1966-1967
Citation:
Ralph C. Altman and Molly Saltman. Interview with Ralph Altman, 1966-1967. Molly Saltman "Art and Artists" interviews, 1966-1967. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Rhode Island School of Design. Museum of Art Search this
Sachs, Paul J. (Paul Joseph), 1878-1965 Search this
Extent:
4 Items (sound cassettes + 10 p. summary)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1992 Jan. 28 - Feb 26
Scope and Contents:
Interviews with Franklin W. Robinson conducted 1992 Jan. 28-Feb. 26 by George W. Goodwin. Also includes a ten page summary of the interviews by Goodwin. Robinson discusses his childhood in Providence, Rhode Island; years at Harvard where Paul Sachs was a role model; his career; various museum directors; and the Rhode Island School of Design.
Biographical / Historical:
Franklin W. Robinson () was a museum director and historian. He was the director at Williams College Museum of Art between 1975-1979; director at the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design between 1979-1992; director, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University between 1992-2011.
Provenance:
Donated by Franklin W. Robinson and George M. Goodwin in 1992.
Restrictions:
Untranscribed interview; use requires an appointment and is limited to AAA's Washington, D.C. office.
Topic:
Museum directors -- United States -- Interviews Search this
The microfilmed Made in Texas exhibition records include correspondence about the selection process and general correspondence; artists' files; budget and financial information; exhibition catalogs and announcements; clippings; and photographs of the artists, works of art, and installations.
Participating artists include: John Alexander, Jane Allensworth, Eric Anderson, Ed Blakburn, Jack Boynton, Nancy Chambers, John Chatmas, Lee Baxter Davis, David L. Deming, James Drake, David Elliott, Vincent Falsetta, Kelly Fearing, Keith Ferris, Vernon Fisher, George Green, Luis Guerra, Sam Gummelt, William Hall, Roberta Harris, Will Hipps, Ron Hoover, Jimmy Jalapeeno, David Jensen, Kenneth R. Jewesson, Luis Jimenez, Otis Jones, Bill Komodore, Michael Kostiuk, Dan Lomax, Jim Love, Jim Malone, Vincent Mariani, Mary Fielding McCleary, Mary Helen McFarlane, Mary McIntyre, David McManaway, Janet Newman, Gail Norfleet, Haynes Ownby, Gerald Patrick, Gilda Pervin, Bradley Peterson, Basilios Poulos, Philip Renteria, Dan Rizzi, Don Shaw, Earl Staley, Diane Stiglich, Barbara Sturgill, James Surls, Don Taylor, Linda Ridgway Taylor, Robert Tiemann, Patricia Tillman, Michael Tracy, Daniel Traverso, Jose F. Trevino, Bob Wade, Glenn Whitehead, Mac Whitney, Danny Williams, Bill Wiman, Ben Woitena, Nicholas Wood, James Woodson and Dick Wray.
Biographical / Historical:
Made in Texas was an exhibition, curated by Becky Duval Reese, at the University Art Museum at the University of Texas at Austin from 1978 to 1981. The museum was named the Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery in 1980 and renamed the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art in 1998.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the microfilmed Archer M. Huntington Art Gallery exhibition files, 1948-1981.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1981 by Becky Duval Reese, curator of the exhibition.
Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Papers concerning the Marguerite Wildenhain Retrospective Exhibition, 1980, including correspondence with Wildenhain, Gerhard Marcks, lenders to the exhibition and others; biographical essays by Gerhard Marcks and Terry Weihs, exhibition coordinator; lists of requested works; lender's files; loan agreement forms; slides and photographs of pottery by Wildenhain; and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Museum at Cornell University. Founded 1953. Formerly Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art.
Provenance:
Papers given through Gwendolyn Owens, Associate Curator, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Letters to Brauner, mainly from artists invited to participate in exhibitions arranged by Brauner at Cornell University. Prominent correspondents include: Giffford Beal, George Bellows, Frank Benson, Karl Bitter, Edith Burroughs, Emil Carlson, John Carlson, Charles Caffin, Arthur Crisp, Randall Davey, Paul Dougherty, Daniel Garber, Lillian Genth, William Glackens, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Charles Hopkinson, Henry Hubbell, John Johansen, William Sargent Kendall; Leon Kroll, Jonas Lie, William Macbeth, William Mason, Gari Melchers, Willard Metcalf, Leonard Ochtman, Bela Lyon Pratt, Maurice Prendergast, A. Phimister Proctor, Edward Redfield, William Ritschel, Walter Sargent, Eugene Speicher, Robert Spencer, D. W. Tryon, C. Howard Walker, Booker T. Washington, Frederick Judd Waugh, and others.
Arrangement:
Arranged chronologically.
Biographical / Historical:
Olaf Brauner (1869-1947) was a portrait painter, occasional sculptor, and first professor of art at Cornell University.
Provenance:
The donor, Erling Brauner, is Olaf Brauner's son.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
An interview of Jean Paul Slusser conducted 1973 March 14-July 26, by Dennis Barrie, for the Archives of American Art. In addition to other topics Slusser discusses his family history, chilhood, teaching at the University of Texas, his job as art critic for the Boston Herald, his studies, his painting, Diego Rivera's work in Michigan, and his position as museum director of University of Michigan museum.
Biographical / Historical:
Jean Paul Slusser (1886-1981) was a painter, educator, and museum director from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
General:
Originally recorded on 3 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 3 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 44 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Correspondence, 1867-1972, of Peabody Institute officials regarding gallery exhibitions, including artists' and museums' requests for exhibition space and gifts, loans, and purchases of works of art. Correspondents include Robert Aitken, Gaetano Cecere, F. Tolles Chamberlin, Isidore Konti, Albert Laessle, Paul Manship, Walter Pach, Leonce Rabillon, Saul Raskin, Hans Schuler, Charles Watson, Mahonri M. Young, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Charcoal Club, the Maryland Academy of Design, and the School Art League of Baltimore.
Also included is a 22 page letter from Frank Blackwell Mayer to George W. Dobbin, 1872, in which he enumerates the requisites for the establishment of an art school. Also includes Provost's reports, reports to the Trustees, submitted by Executive Secretary Louis H. Dielman, annual reports and Gallery of Art committee reports concerning gallery expenditures, acquisitions, and renovations; acquisition records and lists of works of art in the Institute; lists of works deposited at the Baltimore Museum of Art, undated & 1964; records concerning the Art Loan exhibition, 1879; ca. 100 exhibition catalogs and announcements, ca. 1879-1924; printed materials; photographs of the gallery and of works of art; and miscellany.
Biographical / Historical:
Established 1866, Baltimore, Md. Founded by George Peabody to improve "the moral and intellectual culture of the inhabitants of Baltimore and ...the State." The institute was to include a research library, lecture series, academy of music and gallery of art. Served as Baltimore's art school and museum until the opening of the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1914 and the Walters Gallery in 1934. To enlarge the space available to the expanding conservatory of music, much of the Peabody collection was transferred to these institutions. Works of art belonging to the Peabody are still exhibited regularly including occasional exhibitions at the Institute.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1984 by the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Topic:
Art patronage -- Maryland -- Baltimore Search this
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Maryland -- Baltimore
Rhode Island School of Design. Museum of Art Search this
Extent:
17 Microfilm reels
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Microfilm reels
Date:
[ca. 1877-1960]
Scope and Contents:
Correspondence, writings and notes, business records, scrapbooks and printed material.
"The Rhode Island School of Design: A Half Century Record (1879-1928)," by Elsie S. Bronson, A.M., 1928, providing historical information on the founding, organization, and activities of the school and museum; excerpts from RISD yearbooks pertaining to the museum, 1877-1944, including exhibitions (complete listing after 1901), loans, gifts, lectures, and prizes awarded from year to year; "Lists of articles belonging to RISD, 1898," a notebook containing handwritten lists of donations and donors and receipts of purchases of works of art and supplies needed for teaching;
Six volumes of minutes of the Museum committee, 1894-1950, also included within the volumes are museum "rules adopted before 1901," correspondence regarding the acquisition of a Chinese fresco, 1949, and a six-page undated list of "European Acquisitions" of drawings and prints including prices paid, names of dealers, and countries represented. Presidents' and Directors' correspondence with dealers, artists, curators, donors, educators, and others. Included in the Isaac Comstock Bates correspondence file are his will, a three-page memorial tribute to him, and a list of articles willed to the school by him. Also included are correspondence and writings of Heinrich Schwartz, Curator of Prints and Drawings;
exhibition files, 1885-1950, containing catalogues, price lists, checklists, insurance valuations, clippings, a few letters, an incomplete list of exhibitions (1885-1951), and a list of artists and titles of paintings in annual fall exhibitions; a scrapbook of Isaac Comstock Bates, 1877-1889, containing letters from artists and dealers; and 27 scrapbooks, 1877-1889, containing clippings, notices, and catalogues relating to the school and museum.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1985 by the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Rhode Island -- Providence
Correspondence, exhibition files, printed material, photographs, and business records.
Files on exhibitions, lectures and special events including exhibitions of Edgar Degas, Victor Hammer, Fernand Leger, Jose Clemente Orozco, Hans Richter, John Sloan, Chicago artists, architects, and collectors. Files contain correspondence with director Frances Strain Beisel, museums, lenders, and artists; press releases, exhibition announcements and catalogs, reviews, checklists, photographs of artists and their work, loan records, and clippings; and files on "Artist Members" exhibitions and the Christmas exhibit and sale, "Contemporary Art for Young Collectors."
Correspondence; a record book, financial, membership, and administrative records, annual reports, and minutes from Board of Directors' meetings; photographs; clippings, press releases, exhibition announcements, brochures and newsletters; and one painting and a print by Albert Bloch.
A ledger, 1960-1964, containing brief entries for exhibitions and memberships.
Biographical / Historical:
The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago (founded 1915) is an art society in Chicago, Illinois. Founded to advance understanding and appreciation of art in all forms. A non-profit organization presenting major shows by established and undiscovered artists.
Provenance:
Donated by the Rennaissance Society, 1979-1987.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Function:
Arts organizations -- Illinois
Art museums, University and college -- Illinois -- Chicago
Correspondence; donor files; inventories; and printed material relating to the Museum's collection and exhibitions.
REELS 566-567: Correspondence relating to the museum's collections, particularly to the Albert M. Todd Collection, the Henry C. Lewis Collection, photography acquisitions, Randolph Roger's sculpture, and WPA prints loaned to the museum; files on 96 donors; manuscripts and notes for a history of Michigan museums and collections; an inventory of works in the museum and of works in the College of Architecture; proceedings of the University of Michigan Regents relating to exhibitions; six exhibition catalogs, 1857-1906; and typed extracts from the Michigan Alumnus.
REEL 74: Photocopies of correspondence, 1948-1962, regarding the Museum's purchase and later repair of David Smith's sculpture "Tahstvant." Correspondence is between Jean Paul Slusser, director, and Marian Willard of the Willard Gallery regarding the purchase of the sculpture and drawing, and between Slusser and Smith regarding its repair from damage which occurred in 1960. Also included are a photograph of the sculpture, a shipping invoice, and damage, publication and exhibition reports.
Other Title:
David Smith (microfilm title)
Provenance:
Material on reel 74 donated 1970; material on reels 566-567 lent for microfilming 1973 all by the University of Michigan, Museum of Art.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Michigan -- Ann Arbor
Gallery files containing mainly administrative and exhibition related correspondence of the director, Ruth Lawrence; reports on WPA projects; and inventories.
Biographical / Historical:
Art gallery, University of Minnesota. Founded 1934 as the Little Gallery with Hudson Walker as its part-time curator; renamed University Gallery in 1935 and University Art Museum in 1983. Ruth Lawrence was curator and then director, 1934-1957.
Provenance:
Lent for microfilming 1986 by the University Archives, University of Minnesota.
Restrictions:
The Archives of American art does not own the original papers. Use is limited to the microfilm copy.
Function:
Art museums, University and college -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis