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Oral history interview with Adelyn Dohme Breeskin

Interviewee:
Breeskin, Adelyn Dohme, 1896-1986  Search this
Interviewer:
Haifley, Julia Link  Search this
Names:
Baltimore Museum of Art  Search this
Walters Art Gallery (Baltimore, Md.)  Search this
Cassatt, Mary, 1844-1926  Search this
Extent:
72 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1979 June 20
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Adelyn Breeskin conducted 1979 June 20 and August 1 and August 14, by Julia Link Haifley, for the Archives of American Art.
Breeskin speaks of her childhood and growing up in Baltimore; attending Bryn Mawr College and Radcliffe; her art work; the influence of Katherine B. Child; the Stuart Club; travel abroad; the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Gallery; prints and printmaking; teaching; the Garrett Collection of prints; her experience at the 1960 Venice Biennale; the art collectors Etta and Claribel Cone; and published writings on Mary Cassatt.
Biographical / Historical:
Adelyn Dohme Breeskin (1896-1986) was an art historian and curator from Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound cassette. Reformatted in 2010 as 2 digital wav files. Duration is 1 hr., 30 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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.
Restrictions:
Transcript: Patrons must use microfilm copy.
This interview is open for research. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- Maryland -- Baltimore  Search this
Art museum curators -- Maryland -- Baltimore  Search this
Art museum directors -- Maryland -- Baltimore  Search this
Topic:
Women art historians  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Function:
Art museums -- Maryland -- Baltimore
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.breesk79
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94784c2c3-3595-46ac-b7f5-9f8351d9ca92
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-breesk79
Online Media:

The Art of Memory and Mourning (1 of 2)

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2015-01-06T14:23:28.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_8x-McANQR4s

Accomodating Nature: The Photographs of Frank Gohlke

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2010-07-26T15:46:15.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_eiV0DVjr_e8

Lowery Stokes Sims papers

Creator:
Sims, Lowery Stokes  Search this
Names:
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Studio Museum in Harlem  Search this
Catlett, Elizabeth, 1915-2012  Search this
Colescott, Robert, 1925-2009  Search this
Lam, Wifredo  Search this
Pousette-Dart, Richard, 1916-1992  Search this
Extent:
34 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Interviews
Video recordings
Date:
1967-2019
Summary:
The papers of African American art historian, curator and arts administrator, Lowery Stokes Sims, measure 34.0 linear feet and date from 1967 to 2019. The collection documents Sims's career, and her work towards the inclusion of women artists and artists of color into the mainstream art world. The collection comprises biographical materials, datebooks, correspondence, writings, notebooks, exhibition files, professional files that include Sims's files from the Studio Museum in Harlem, Metropolitan Museum of Art records, research files, files on Robert Colescott, printed materials, photographic materials, and unidentified audiovisual and born-digital materials.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African American art historian, curator and art administrator, Lowery Stokes Sims, measure 34.0 linear feet and date from 1967 to 2019. The collection documents Sims's career, and her work towards the inclusion of women artists and artists of color into the mainstream art world. The collection comprises biographical materials, datebooks, correspondence, writings, notebooks, exhibition files, professional files that include Sims's files from the Studio Museum in Harlem, Metropolitan Museum of Art records, research files, files on Robert Colescott, printed materials, photographic materials, and unidentified audiovisual and born-digital materials.

Biographical materials contain address books, awards, interviews with Sims, and resumes. Fifty datebooks highlight Sims's daily activities for over four decades. Personal and professional correspondence is with Audrey Flack, Za, Betye Saar, Hale Woodruff, Susan Schwalb, Margo Machida, William McKnight, and others.

Writings include drafts and typescripts on Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Wifredo Lam, African American and women artists; a transcript of a conversation between Sims and Maren Hassinger; and born digital material of presentations. Also in the collection are 60 notebooks containing personal and professional notes and journal entries.

Exhibition files consist of correspondence, budget records, writings about the exhibition and for the catalog, clippings, exhibition announcements, loan forms, artist biographies, and artwork lists for Living Space: An Exhibition on Low Income Housing (1977), Art as a Verb (1988), Next Generation: Southern Black Aesthetic (1990), and Richard Pousette-Dart, 1916-1992 (1997).

Professional files document Sims's memberships, conferences, projects, and teaching activities, as well as her work at the Studio Museum of Harlem. The Metropolitan Museum of Art records consist of research on the museum's collection of works by African American artists, program and staff files, and snapshots of Sims with colleagues on a trip to Patagonia.

Research files contain printed materials, notes, 32 audiovisual recordings and nine born digital discs, and biographical material on artists Frederick Brown, Elizabeth Catlett, Stuart Davis, Maren Hassinger, Edgar Heap of Birds, Al Loving, Faith Ringgold, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Kara Walker, and others. The files on Robert Colescott include a book proposal, artwork lists, exhibition files, four sound recordings of an interview between Colescott and Sims, and research material on related topics.

Printed materials consist of clippings featuring Sims, posters, event programs, a few newsletters and magazines, exhibition catalogs that include essays written by Sims, and three documentary recordings. Photographic materials include prints, negatives, transparencies, photograph albums, and slides of Sims, colleagues and friends, exhibitions and professional events, Russ Thompson and Benny Andrews, Beverly Buchanan, Rick Powel, Vaclav Havel, Jeff Donaldson, Samella Lewis, and others.

The final series consists of nine sound recordings and one born digital disc (CD) that could not be placed into a series as the material is either unlabeled or the labels are illegible.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 13 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1980-circa 2005 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)

Series 2: Datebooks, 1975-2017 (4.0 linear feet; Boxes 1-5)

Series 3: Correspondence, 1971-2018 (1.0 linear feet; Boxes 5-6)

Series 4: Writings, circa 1970s-2018 (2.6 linear feet; Boxes 6-8, OV 33)

Series 5: Notebooks, 1975-2016 (2.6 linear feet; Boxes 39-42)

Series 6: Exhibition Files, 1967-2017 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 9-10, OV 36)

Series 7: Professional Files, 1969-2018 (6.3 linear feet; Boxes 10-16, OV 34)

Series 8: Metropolitan Museum of Art Records, 1972-2008 (6.0 linear feet; Boxes 16-22, OV 38)

Series 9: Research Files, circa 1970-2017 (6.0 linear feet; Boxes 22-28, OV 35)

Series 10: Files on Robert Colescott, 1971-2019 (1.6 linear feet; Boxes 28-30)

Series 11: Printed Materials, 1970s-2017 (1.8 linear feet; Box 30, OV 37)

Series 12: Photographic Materials, 1970s-2018 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 31-32)

Series 13: Unidentified Audio and Born Digital Material, circa 1985-2009 (1 folder; Box 32)
Biographical / Historical:
Lowery Stokes Sims (1949-) is an African American art historian, curator, and arts administrator. Sims began her career at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1972 where she became the museum's first African American curator. She left the Met in 1999 for the Studio Museum in Harlem where she served as Executive Director, President, and then Adjunct Curator of the Permanent Collection from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2015, she was curator for the Museum of Art and Design.

Sims was born in Washington D.C. but moved to New York when she was 2 years old. She graduated from Bishop Reilly High School in Queens, N.Y. in 1966. She went on to receive a bachelor of arts degree in art history from Queens College in 1970 and a master of arts degree in art history from Johns Hopkins University in 1972. In 1995, Sims completed her dissertation, published as Wifredo Lam and the International Avant-Garde, 1923-1982 in 2002, to receive her doctoral degree from The Graduate Center, City University of New York.

Sims is a member of the College Art Association, the International Committee of Art Critics, Art Matters Foundation, and has served on the boards of Just Above Midtown (JAM) Gallery, Caribbean Cultural Center, National State Council on the Arts, and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, among others. She was awarded the Frank Jewett Mather Award for Distinction in Art Criticism in 1991, a Leadership by Example Award from the New York coalition of 100 Black women in 1997, and a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from the Queens Museum of Art in 1998. Sims has also lectured at Queens College, the Institute of Fine Art at New York University, the Studio Museum in Harlem, Rutgers University, and Bard College.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview of Lowery Stokes Sims conducted on July 15 and 22, 2010 by Judith Olch Richards, for the Archives of American Art's Elizabeth Murray Oral History of Women in the Visual Arts project, at Sims' home, in New York, N.Y.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2019 by Lowery Stokes Sims as part of the Archives' African American Collecting Initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Restrictions:
Notebooks in Series 5 are access restricted; written permission is required. Contact Reference Services for more information. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Arts administrators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American art  Search this
African American art museum curators  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Video recordings
Citation:
Lowery Stokes Sims papers, 1967-2019. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.simslowe
See more items in:
Lowery Stokes Sims papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9a66e8319-d9c1-4f8d-b005-08f8bc7cf659
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-simslowe
Online Media:

Curatorial Records, 1956-2020

Creator:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Programs/Curatorial Department  Search this
Subject:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Curatorial Department  Search this
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Department of Public Programs/Curatorial Division  Search this
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Programs Department  Search this
Physical description:
28 cu. ft. unprocessed holdings
Type:
Floor plans
Black-and-white transparencies
Books
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Brochures
Clippings
Color photographs
Floppy disks
Color transparencies
Architectural drawings
Electronic records
Electronic mail
Black-and-white negatives
Date:
1975
1975-2020
1956-2020
Topic:
Art museums  Search this
Art, Modern  Search this
Art museum curators  Search this
Local number:
SIA RS00806
Restrictions & Rights:
Materials less than 15 years old Restricted. Contact reference staff for details
Object files Permanently restricted
See more items in:
Curatorial Records 1956-2020 [Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Programs/Curatorial Department]
Data Source:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_arc_225511

Director's Records, 1953-1954, 1985-1986, 1988, 2000-2019

Creator:
Smithsonian Provenance Research Initiative  Search this
Subject:
Milosch, Jane  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Office of the Under Secretary for Museums, Education, and Research/Provost  Search this
Smithsonian Institution Office of the Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture  Search this
Renwick Gallery  Search this
International Schwabing Art Trove Task Force Advisory Group  Search this
German/American Provenance Research Exchange Program  Search this
Physical description:
13 cu. ft. (13 record storage boxes)
Type:
Manuscripts
Collection descriptions
Brochures
Newsletters
Clippings
Compact discs
Electronic records
Floppy disks
Digital versatile discs
Posters
Date:
1953
1953-1954
1953-1954, 1985-1986, 1988, 2000-2019
Topic:
Art museum curators  Search this
International cooperation  Search this
Art--Provenance  Search this
World War, 1939-1945  Search this
Art museums  Search this
Museums--Public relations  Search this
Congresses and conventions  Search this
Professional associations  Search this
Strategic planning  Search this
Research grants  Search this
Fund raising  Search this
Contracts  Search this
Workshops  Search this
Committees  Search this
Meetings  Search this
Museum exhibits  Search this
Web sites  Search this
Budget  Search this
Local number:
SIA Acc. 22-102
Restrictions & Rights:
Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2035; Transferring office; 6/29/2022 memorandum, Johnstone to Carroll; Contact reference staff for details
See more items in:
Director's Records 1953-1954, 1985-1986, 1988, 2000-2019 [Smithsonian Provenance Research Initiative]
Data Source:
Smithsonian Institution Archives
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_arc_404756

Frances Colpitt papers, 1932-2022

Creator:
Colpitt, Frances  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Frances Colpitt papers, 1932-2022. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Theme:
Women  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)22263
AAA_collcode_colpfran
Theme:
Women
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_22263

Frances Colpitt papers

Creator:
Colpitt, Frances  Search this
Extent:
9.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Date:
1932-2022
Summary:
The papers of Frances Colpitt measure 9.0 linear feet and date from 1932 to 2022. The papers document Colpitt's career as an art historian and educator through artist files, research writing project records, teaching files, other professional activities files, printed materials, sound recordings of interviews and lectures, video recordings, and born-digital materials.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Frances Colpitt measure 9.0 linear feet and date from 1932 to 2022. The papers document Colpitt's career as an art historian and educator through artist files, research writing project records, teaching files, other professional activities files, printed materials, sound recordings of interviews and lectures, video recordings, and born-digital materials.

Artist files consist of notes, articles and clippings, exhibition announcements and some catalogs, interview transcripts, and some photographs of artwork related to various artists.

Research writing projects records consist of files on various topics related to abstract art and Los Angeles art compiled by Colpitt for essay and book projects. The files primarily contain photocopies of research articles from the 1930s-1990s with some of Colpitt's notes, but do not typically contain drafts of writings.

Teaching files contain course materials for courses taught by Colpitt at the University of Southern California, University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas Christian University. Records include some lecture notes.

Professional activity files consist of administrative material related to teaching positions, some curatorial projects, and contract writing work.

Printed materials include a copy of Colpitt's dissertation, articles, and exhibition catalogs for exhibitions Colpitt either wrote essays for or helped curate.

Also found are sound recordings of interviews Colpitt conducted with artists and sound recordings of some of Colpitt's lectures.

A series of unidentified born-digital material remains unprocessed.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into seven series.

Series 1: Artist Files, 1933-2022 (2.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-3)

Series 2: Research Writing Projects, 1930-2022 (2.8 linear feet; Boxes 3-6)

Series 3: Teaching Files, 1981-2021 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 6-8)

Series 4: Professional Activity Files, 1977-2020 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 8-9)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1975-2018 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 9)

Series 6: Audio Interviews and Lectures, 1980-1983 (0.3 linear feet; Box 9)

Series 7: Unprocessed Born-Digital Material, undated (0.2 linear feet; Box 9)
Biographical / Historical:
Frances Jean Colpitt (1952-2022) was an art historian, art museum curator, and educator in Fort Worth, Texas, who specialized in American art after the 1960s and wrote extensively on abstract art.­

Colpitt was born in 1952 and completed her undergraduate studies in Fine Arts at the University of Tulsa in 1974. Colpitt then went on to receive a PhD in art history from the University of Southern California in 1982. Colpitt taught at the University of Southern California from 1988 to 1990, the University of Texas San Antonio from 1990 to 2005, and at Texas Christian University from 2005 to 2021. Colpitt died in 2022.
Provenance:
Donated in 2023 by the Estate of Frances Jean Colpitt via Mary Margaret Colpitt, estate executor.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this
Educators -- Texas -- Fort Worth  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Frances Colpitt papers, 1932-2022. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.colpfran
See more items in:
Frances Colpitt papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9770fd7c2-9ca2-4d7f-b926-74afd493792f
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-colpfran

Evangeline J. Montgomery papers

Creator:
Montgomery, Evangeline J.  Search this
Names:
Andrews, Benny, 1930-2006  Search this
Jones, Lois Mailou, 1905-1998  Search this
Saar, Betye  Search this
Waddy, Ruth G. (Ruth Gilliam), 1909-2003  Search this
Extent:
26.1 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drawings
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Date:
1928-2018
Summary:
The papers of African American artist, curator, and arts administrator Evangeline "EJ" Montgomery measure 26.1 linear feet and date from 1929-2019. The papers relate to Montgomery's career and involvement in the African American art scene in California and Washington, D.C. The collection includes biographical materials consisting of calendars and appointment books, certificates and awards, records regarding Montgomery's personal art collection, resumes and biographies, and other personal records; correspondence with colleagues and friends such as Benny Andrews, Willis Bing Davis, Edmund Barry Gaither, Eugene Grigsby, Dele Jegede, Samella Lewis, Nzegwu Nkiru, and A.M. Weaver; professional activity files documenting Montgomery's career as a consultant, curator, member, and volunteer for a myriad of organizations including the American Association for State and Local History, National Conference of Artists, and the Oakland Museum; and research files and notes on African and African American arts and history, Black media, Black photographers, the museum profession, and the artists Betye Saar, Lois Mailou Jones, Nike Davies-Okundaye, Romare Bearden, Ruth Waddy, Sam Gilliam, and Sargent Johnson. Also included are files regarding Montgomery's career as an artist containing material on the Brandywine Workshop, interviews with Floyd Coleman and for The Historymakers, sales and consignment records, and other material; printed and documentary material consisting of art reproductions, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and posters regarding Montgomery and other African American artists; artwork by Montgomery, including student sketchbooks, and others; photographic material of Montgomery, friends and colleagues, events, personal snapshots, and works of art; and unidentified audiovisual material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of artist, curator, and arts administrator Evangeline "EJ" Montgomery measure 26.1 linear feet and date from 1929-2019. The papers relate to Montgomery's career and involvement in the African American art scene in California and Washington, D.C. The collection includes biographical materials consisting of calendars and appointment books, certificates and awards, records regarding Montgomery's personal art collection, resumes and biographies, and other personal records; correspondence with colleagues and friends such as Benny Andrews, Willis Bing Davis, Edmund Barry Gaither, Eugene Grigsby, Dele Jegede, Samella Lewis, Nzegwu Nkiru, and A.M. Weaver; professional activity files documenting Montgomery's career as a consultant, curator, member, and volunteer for a myriad of organizations including the American Association for State and Local History, National Conference of Artists, and the Oakland Museum; and research files and notes on African and African American arts and history, Black media, Black photographers, the museum profession, and the artists Betye Saar, Lois Mailou Jones, Nike Davies-Okundaye, Romare Bearden, Ruth Waddy, Sam Gilliam, and Sargent Johnson. Also included are files regarding Montgomery's career as an artist containing material on the Brandywine Workshop, interviews with Floyd Coleman and for The Historymakers, sales and consignment records, and other material; printed and documentary material consisting of art reproductions, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and posters regarding Montgomery and other African American artists; artwork by Montgomery, including student sketchbooks, and others; photographic material of Montgomery, friends and colleagues, events, personal snapshots, and works of art; and unidentified audiovisual material.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1967-2015 (1.0 linear feet; Box 1, OV 27)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1963-2014 (2.0 linear feet; Boxes 2-4)

Series 3: Professional Activity Files, 1963-2017 (7.6 linear feet; Boxes 4-11)

Series 4: Research Files and Notes, 1928-2018 (4.0 linear feet; Boxes 11-16)

Series 5: Files Regarding Montgomery's Career as an Artist, 1970-2016 (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 16-17)

Series 6: Printed and Documentary Materials, 1964-2018 (7.2 linear feet; Boxes 17-23, 26, OVs 27-29, 31-34

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1957-2006 (0.2 linear feet; Boxes 23, 26, OV 30)

Series 8: Photographic Materials and Moving Images, circa 1965-2017 (3.0 linear feet; Boxes 23-27, OV 27)

Series 9: Unidentified Audiovisual Materials, circa 1990s (1 folder; Box 25)
Biographical / Historical:
Evangeline "EJ" Montgomery (1930- ) is an African American artist, curator, and arts administrator in California and Washington, D.C.

Montgomery was born in New York and moved to Harlem in New York City after the divorce of her parents, Oliver and Carmelite Thompson. Upon graduating from Seward Park High School in 1951, Montgomery worked painting faces on dolls and statues. In 1955, she married Ulysses "Jim" Montgomery and moved to Los Angeles. In California she began working for jewelry designer Thomas Usher while attending Los Angeles City College. She continued her education at California College of the Arts (California College of Arts and Crafts) where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1969. During the late 1960s, Montgomery began curating exhibitions. From 1971 to 1976, she was curator for Rainbow Sign Gallery in Berkeley. Other roles Montgomery held were as the national exhibits workshop coordinator at the American Association for State and Local History and as program development consultant at the African American Museums Association. From 1976 to 1979, she was art commissioner for the city of San Francisco.

Montgomery moved to Washington, D.C. in 1980 to serve as the community affairs director for Howard University's WHMM-TV station. She then began working for the United States Information Agency (USIA) as a program officer in their Arts America program in the early 1980s. In her role, she worked to promote cross-cultural exchanges through art, specializing in American exhibitions touring abroad. Montgomery retired from the USIA in 2008.

As an artist, Montgomery gained recognition for her work in printmaking and metalworking. She was the recipient of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities fellowship in 2012 and an Excellence in the Arts Award from the Brandywine Print Workshop in 2004. Due to her diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in the 1990s, Montgomery had to stop working with metal but continued her printmaking work.
Provenance:
The Evangeline J. Montgomery papers were donated in 2019 by Evangeline J. Montgomery, as part of the Archives' African American Collecting Initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art museum curators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Art museum curators -- California  Search this
Printmakers -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Metal-workers -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Metal-workers -- California  Search this
Printmakers -- California  Search this
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American art museum curators  Search this
Black Arts movement  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women arts administrators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drawings
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Evangeline J. Montgomery papers, 1928-2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.montevan
See more items in:
Evangeline J. Montgomery papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9915d0dc7-2f94-41bd-9b8b-d04432f7df32
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-montevan
Online Media:

The Art of Memory and Mourning (2 of 2)

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
Symposia
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2015-01-06T14:23:29.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_KIj_pDwdBbQ

The Art of William Henry Holmes (Facebook Live Broadcast)

Creator:
Smithsonian Libraries  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2016-12-13T17:02:38.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Library science  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianLibraries
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianLibraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_UPITXy0zAEU

Kenworth Moffett papers

Creator:
Moffett, Kenworth  Search this
Extent:
0.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1959-1988
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Kenworth Moffett measure 0.6 linear feet and date from circa 1959 to 1988. The papers document Moffett's career as a critic and curator through correspondence, slides and photographs of works of art by artists who were subjects of Moffet's research, notes, teaching material from his time at Wellesley College, and unpublished papers written by colleagues and students.
Biographical / Historical:
Kenworth Moffett (1934-2016) was an art critic, curator, and art museum director in Massachusetts and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Moffett studied art history at Columbia University and earned a PhD from Harvard University in 1968. A champion of Color Field painting, he wrote critical essays and reviews for major art periodicals including Artforum and Art International throughout the late 1960s to 1970s.

From 1968 to 1979, Moffett was a professor of art history at Wellesley College. In 1971, he was made founding curator of twentieth-century art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where he organized exhibitions of sculptor Anthony Caro and painters Jules Olitski, Barnet Newman, and Friedel Dzubas. He also curated the first museum exhibition of realist Albert York. In 1989, Moffett was appointed director of the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, where he remained until 1997. Moffett died in 2016.
Provenance:
Donated by Lucy Baker, former wife of Kenworth Moffett, 1993.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Occupation:
Art museum curators -- Massachusetts  Search this
Art museum directors -- Florida -- Fort Lauderdale  Search this
Art critics -- Massachusetts  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.moffkenw
See more items in:
Kenworth Moffett papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw96e882743-58c1-44a8-8324-c4fad2669ed7
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-moffkenw

Only the young experimental art in Korea, 1960s-1970s edited by Kyung An and Kang Soojung

Editor:
An, Kyung  Search this
Kang, Su-jŏng (Art museum curator)  Search this
Host institution:
Kungnip Hyŏndae Misulgwan  Search this
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Hammer Museum  Search this
Physical description:
275 pages illustrations 28 cm
Type:
Exhibitions
Expositions
Exhibition catalogs
Place:
Korea (South)
Date:
2023
20th century
20e siècle
Topic:
Art, Korean  Search this
Arts--Experimental methods  Search this
Art coréen  Search this
Data Source:
Smithsonian Libraries
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_sil_1164617

Evangeline J. Montgomery papers, 1928-2018

Creator:
Montgomery, Evangeline J.  Search this
Subject:
Andrews, Benny  Search this
Saar, Betye  Search this
Jones, Lois Mailou  Search this
Waddy, Ruth G. (Ruth Gilliam)  Search this
Type:
Drawings
Interviews
Scrapbooks
Sketchbooks
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Evangeline J. Montgomery papers, 1928-2018. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
African American artists  Search this
African American art museum curators  Search this
Black Arts movement  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Women arts administrators  Search this
Theme:
African American  Search this
Women  Search this
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)21682
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)398437
AAA_collcode_montevan
Theme:
African American
Women
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_398437
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Suellen Rocca

Interviewee:
Rocca, Suellen, 1943-2020  Search this
Interviewer:
Silverman, Lanny  Search this
Names:
Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project  Search this
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Extent:
121 Pages (Transcript)
4 Items (sound files (3 hrs., 22 min.), digital, wav)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Interviews
Sound recordings
Date:
2015 November 5-6
Scope and Contents:
An interview with Suellen Rocca conducted 2015 November 5-6, by Lanny Silverman, for the Archives of American Art's Chicago Art and Artists: Oral History Project, at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Biographical / Historical:
Suellen Rocca (1943-2020) was an artist, curator, and educator in Romeoville, Illinois. Interviewee Lanny Silverman (1947- ) is a curator at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art 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 administrators.
Occupation:
Art museum curators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Sculptors -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Art, American -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women sculptors  Search this
Hairy Who (Group of artists)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Identifier:
AAA.rocca15
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw94c8a93c2-0fcb-4511-a3a4-55c4b9053012
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-rocca15
Online Media:

Ruth Fine papers

Creator:
Fine, Ruth, 1941-  Search this
Names:
Crown Point Press (Oakland, Calif.)  Search this
Gemini G.E.L. (Firm)  Search this
National Gallery of Art (U.S.)  Search this
Bearden, Romare, 1911-1988  Search this
Extent:
24.1 Linear feet
22.43 Gigabytes
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Gigabytes
Interviews
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Date:
1929-2016
Summary:
The papers of curator and art historian Ruth Fine measure 24.1 linear feet and 22.43 GB and date from 1929 to 2016, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s to 2016. Fine's career is documented through correspondence with art historians, museum professionals, and notable figures; files pertaining to writing projects, lectures and speeches, her time at the National Gallery of Art, and research subjects; association and membership records; and printed and digital material. The bulk of the collection is composed of artist and subject files, which include correspondence, printed and digital material, exhibition and writing files, photographs, and some artwork. These records include a significant number of audiovisual recordings, including dozens of interviews with artists and others. Notable within the collection are extensive interviews documenting the works of Romare Bearden, Crown Point Press, and Gemini G.E.L.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of curator and art historian Ruth Fine measure 24.1 linear feet and 22.43 GB and date from 1929 to 2016, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1950s to 2016. Fine's career is documented through correspondence with art historians, museum professionals, and notable figures; files pertaining to writing projects, lectures and speeches, her time at the National Gallery of Art, and research subjects; association and membership records; and printed and digital material. The bulk of the collection is composed of artist and subject files, which include correspondence, printed and digital material, exhibition and writing files, photographs, and some artwork. These records include a significant number of audiovisual recordings, including dozens of interviews with artists and others. Notable within the collection are extensive interviews documenting the works of Romare Bearden, Crown Point Press, and Gemini G.E.L.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 10 series.

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1953-2013 (Box 1, 5 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1958-2014 (Box 1, 0.5 linear feet)

Series 3: Interviews, 1970-2009 (Box 1-2, 0.5 linear feet)

Series 4: Writings, 1979-2013 (Box 2, 0.8 linear feet, ER01-ER04; 5.44 GB)

Series 5: Lectures and Speeches, 1963-2012 (Box 3-4, 1.8 linear feet, ER05-ER08; 0.292 GB)

Series 6: National Gallery of Art Administrative Records, 1971-2011 (Box 4-5, 0.8 linear feet)

Series 7: Artist Files, 1947-2016 (Box 5-18, OV 25, 15 linear feet, ER09-ER26; 14.11 GB)

Series 8: Subject Files, 1929-2014 (Box 19-22, 3.5 linear feet, ER27-ER29; 0.604 GB)

Series 9: Association and Membership Files, 1962-2014 (Box 22-23, 0.5 linear feet, ER30; 1.99 GB)

Series 10: Printed Material, 1936-2015 (Box 23-24, 1 linear foot)
Biographical / Historical:
Ruth Fine (1941-) is a curator and art historian most active in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fine received her B.F.A from the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts, 1962), an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania (1964), and was a student at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (1961). She was an instructor at the Philadelphia College of Art from 1965 through 1969, and at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) from 1968 to 1972 and 1978 to 1979, and also taught at the University of Vermont (1976, 1977). Fine continued lecturing on a variety of topics throughout her career.

From 1972 to 1980, Fine served as curator, under the auspicies of the National Gallery of Art, for the Lessing J. Rosenwald collection of prints and drawings housed at Rosenwald's Alverthorpe estate in Jenkintown, PA. After his death in 1979, Fine followed a portion of the collection to the National Gallery of Art where she went on to become curator of modern prints and drawings until 2002. Fine organized exhibitions, oversaw catalogue raisonnés, and coordinated special projects on artists including Romare Bearden, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, John Marin, and Georgia O'Keeffe; printmakers Crown Point Press, Gemini G.E.L., and Graphicstudio; and the collections of Lessing J. Rosenwald and Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. She contributed essays to exhibition catalogs and other printed material on Mel Bochner, Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, James McNeill Whistler, Tyler Graphics, and The Brandywine Print Workshop, among others.

As an artist, Fine's exhibitions include those at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Beaver College, Ryder University, Bryn Mawr College, Bennington College, and Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was awarded a grant from the Ingram Merrill Foundation for work in etching (1989), and had studio residencies at The Vermont Studio Center (1992) and the Anni and Josef Albers Foundation (2000).
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Ruth Fine in 2017.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Access to original papers and audio visual material requires an appointment, and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Art museum curators -- Washington (D.C.)  Search this
Topic:
Women art historians  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Video recordings
Citation:
Ruth Fine Papers, 1929-2016. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.fineruth
See more items in:
Ruth Fine papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw92a0924b2-8110-4096-8f90-c8a1182fb3db
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-fineruth
Online Media:

Dorothy C. Miller papers, 1853-2013, bulk 1920-1996

Creator:
Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this
Subject:
Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich)  Search this
Cahill, Holger  Search this
Rothko, Mark  Search this
Coggeshall, Calvert  Search this
Hicks, Edward  Search this
Still, Clyfford  Search this
Calder, Alexander  Search this
Gorky, Arshile  Search this
Charlton, Maryette  Search this
Feininger, Lyonel  Search this
Pereira, I. Rice (Irene Rice)  Search this
Johns, Jasper  Search this
Horwitt, Will  Search this
DeFeo, Jay  Search this
Christo  Search this
Nevelson, Louise  Search this
Sheeler, Charles  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert  Search this
Karpel, Bernard  Search this
Copley, Alfred L.  Search this
Davis, Stuart  Search this
Newman, Barnett  Search this
Sage, Kay  Search this
Byars, James Lee  Search this
Mather, Eleanore Price  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr.  Search this
Feitelson, Lorser  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia  Search this
Hartigan, Grace  Search this
Noguchi, Isamu  Search this
Chryssa  Search this
Levy, Julien  Search this
Asher, Elise  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad  Search this
Scharf, William  Search this
Matisse, Pierre  Search this
Bontecou, Lee  Search this
Canady, John  Search this
Picasso, Pablo  Search this
Guggenheim, Peggy  Search this
Sterne, Hedda  Search this
World Trade Center (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Rockefeller University  Search this
Smith College. Museum of Art  Search this
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey  Search this
Chase Manhattan Bank  Search this
Municipal Art Exhibition (1st : 1934 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Mark Rothko Foundation  Search this
Smith College  Search this
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this
PepsiCo, Inc.  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Sketches
Christmas cards
Drawings
Citation:
Dorothy C. Miller papers, 1853-2013, bulk 1920-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Corporations -- Private collections  Search this
Art -- Private collections  Search this
Folk art  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Theme:
Women  Search this
Research and writing about art  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)6469
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215653
AAA_collcode_milldoro
Theme:
Women
Research and writing about art
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_215653
Online Media:

Dorothy C. Miller papers

Creator:
Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this
Names:
Betty Parsons Gallery  Search this
Chase Manhattan Bank -- Art collections  Search this
Federal Art Project  Search this
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this
Mark Rothko Foundation  Search this
Municipal Art Exhibition (1st : 1934 : New York, N.Y.)  Search this
PepsiCo, Inc.  Search this
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- Art collections  Search this
Rockefeller University  Search this
Smith College -- Students  Search this
Smith College. Museum of Art  Search this
World Trade Center (New York, N.Y.) -- Art collections  Search this
Asher, Elise, 1914-  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this
Bontecou, Lee, 1931-  Search this
Byars, James Lee  Search this
Cahill, Holger, 1887-1960  Search this
Calder, Alexander, 1898-1976  Search this
Canady, John  Search this
Charlton, Maryette  Search this
Christo, 1935-  Search this
Chryssa, 1933-  Search this
Coggeshall, Calvert, 1907-1990  Search this
Copley, Alfred L.  Search this
Davis, Stuart, 1892-1964  Search this
DeFeo, Jay, 1929-1989  Search this
Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956  Search this
Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this
Gorky, Arshile, 1904-1948  Search this
Guggenheim, Peggy, 1898-1979  Search this
Hartigan, Grace  Search this
Hicks, Edward, 1780-1849  Search this
Horwitt, Will  Search this
Johns, Jasper, 1930-  Search this
Karpel, Bernard, 1911-1986  Search this
Levy, Julien  Search this
Mather, Eleanore Price, 1910-  Search this
Matisse, Pierre, 1900-1989  Search this
Nevelson, Louise, 1899-1988  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Noguchi, Isamu, 1904-1988  Search this
O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986  Search this
Pereira, I. Rice (Irene Rice), 1902-1971  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Rauschenberg, Robert, 1925-2008  Search this
Reinhardt, Ad, 1913-1967  Search this
Rockefeller, Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich), 1908-1979 -- Art collections  Search this
Rothko, Mark, 1903-1970  Search this
Sage, Kay  Search this
Scharf, William, 1927-  Search this
Sheeler, Charles, 1883-1965  Search this
Sterne, Hedda, 1910-2011  Search this
Still, Clyfford, 1904-1980  Search this
Extent:
34.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Sketches
Christmas cards
Drawings
Date:
1853-2013
bulk 1920-1996
Summary:
The papers of contemporary and folk art curator, historian, and consultant Dorothy C. Miller measure 34.6 linear feet and date from 1853-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1996. The papers primarily concern Miller's private art consulting work outside of her curatorial work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Found are scattered biographical materials, extensive correspondence and subject files, and project files for her art consulting work for the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the World Trade Center, and other miscellaneous corporate and private clients. Miller's work as a trustee and committee member of various public and private boards and commissions is also represented here. Additionally, the papers contain Miller's research files on Edward Hicks and folk art, and a small number of files of her husband Holger Cahill about his work as Director of the Federal Art Project. There is a scattered documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Also found is Dorothy Miller's collection of artists' Christmas cards and photographs of Miller and others. An addition to the papers includes biographical material; family papers; correspondence; professional files; art collection and client files; printed material; and photographic material. While a small number professional files are included, the majority of the addition relates to her personal life, including correspondence with her husband Holger Cahill, and files pertaining to her personal art collection.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of contemporary and folk art curator, historian, and consultant Dorothy C. Miller measure 34.6 linear feet and date from 1853-2013, with the bulk of the material dating from 1920 to 1996. The papers primarily concern Miller's art consulting work outside of her curatorial work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York city. Found are scattered biographical materials, extensive correspondence and subject files, and project files for her art consulting work for the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and other miscellaneous corporate and private clients. Her work as a trustee and committee member of various public and private boards and commissions is also represented here. Additionally, the papers contain Miller's research files on Edward Hicks and folk art, and a small number of files related to Miller's husband Holger Cahill and his work as Director of the Federal Art Project. There is important documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center. Artwork includes scattered sketches and drawings enclosed with correspondence and original Christmas cards sent to Miller by various artists. Photographs of Miller date from 1926 - circa 1950.

Scattered biographical material mostly concerns Miller's education at Smith College and awards and honorary degrees that she received. Extensive correspondence and subject files document her professional and personal relationships with family, friends, colleagues, museums, art dealers and artists, as well as her research interests. Individual files may contain a mix of correspondence with, as well as about, the person or subject, compiled research documents, printed materials, and scattered photographs. Files are found for Lewin Alcopley, Alfred Barr, Betty Parsons Gallery, Cahill family members, Lee Bontecou, James Byars, Holger Cahill, Alexander Calder, Christo, Chryssa, Calvert Coggeshall, John Canaday, Maryette Charlton, Stuart Davis, Jay DeFeo, Lorser Feitelson, Arshile Gorky, Peggy Guggenheim, Grace Hartigan, Will Horwitt, Jasper Johns, Julien Levy, Pierre Matisse, Louise Nevelson, Barnett Newman, Isamu Nauchi, Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Ad Reinhardt, Kay Sage, Charles Sheeler, Hedda Sterne, travel, Clyfford Still, William Scharf, among many others.

Detailed records of Miller's art consulting and advisory work for the Rockefeller family include correspondence with Nelson A. Rockefeller and David Rockefeller about building their personal collections of contemporary and folk art, meeting notes and minutes, research notes and writings, and printed materials. The largest group of records concerns the writing and publication of The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art. Miller's curatorial work for David Rockefeller and the Rockefeller University's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall art collection is documented in Series 4 through curatorial files, correspondence, printed materials, photographs and slides, artists files, and design records.

Series 5 contains files relating to Miller's work as the first art consutant to the Chase Manhattan Bank and the building of the corporation's extensive collection of contemporary art. There is a draft of Miller's text for the bank's published catalog, Art At Work: Chase Manhattan Bank Collection. A smaller set of records is found in Series 6 documenting Miller's work on the Art Committee of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, including files about selecting artwork for the World Trade Center during the early 1970s. Files concerning Miller's advisory work with additional public and private clients, boards, and commissions are arranged in Series 7 and 8 and concern the Amstar Corporation, Fidelity International Bank, First National Bank of Tampa, First National City Bank, Inmont Corporation, Pepsico, United Mutual Savings Bank, the Empire State Plaza Art Commission, the Hancock Shaker Village, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Mark Rothko Foundation, the Museum of American Folk Art, and the Smith College Museum of Art.

Miller's papers include a small group of files relating to the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP)created by her husband Holger Cahill when he was director of the FAP, Holger Cahill. A small series is devoted to Miller's work with Eleanore Price Mather researching and writing Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdom and Other Paintings. A series of general research files contain miscellaneous research notes and photographs related to Miller's interests in early American art and folk art. Series 12 contains important documentation of Miller's early curatorial work with Holger Cahill on the First Municipal Art Exhibition (1934) held at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center.

Works of art are primarily in the form of Christmas cards sent to Miller by various artists including Elise Asher, Lyonel Feininger, Bernard Karpel, and Irene Rice Pereira. A small group of photographs includes photographs of Miller from 1926-circa 1950 and a few photographs of others.

The addition includes biographical material; family papers; correspondence; professional files; art collection and client files; printed material; and photographic material. While a small number of professional files are found here, the majority of material relates to Miller's personal life, including correspondence with her husband Holger Cahill, and files pertaining to her personal art collection. Scattered correspondence, inventories, research, and notes created by curator and donor of the papers, Wendy Jeffers, are found throughout the collection. These materials date from the 1980s-2000s.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 15 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1917-1986 (Box 1; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 2: Correspondence and Subject Files, circa 1912-1992 (Boxes 1-8, OV 27; 7.2 linear ft.)

Series 3: Rockefeller Family Art Collections, circa 1949-1985 (Boxes 8-12, 25; 3.9 linear ft.)

Series 4: Rockefeller University Collection, 1923-1984 (Boxes 12-13, OV 27; 1.0 linear ft.)

Series 5: Chase Manhattan Bank Collection, 1959-circa 1985 (Boxes 13-14, 26; 1.4 linear ft.)

Series 6: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Art Committee, circa 1965-1987 (Boxes 14-15, OV 27; 0.8 linear ft.)

Series 7: Other Corporate and Private Clients, 1968-1984 (Boxes 15-16; 1.3 linear ft.)

Series 8: Other Boards, Committees and Commissions, 1925, 1949-1985 (Boxes 16-20; 3.6 linear ft.)

Series 9: Works Project Administration Federal Art Project Files, 1935-1979 (Box 20, OV 27; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 10: Edward Hicks Catalog, 1934-1984 (Boxes 20-22; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 11: Research Files, 1930s-1980 (Boxes 22-23; 0.8 linear ft.)

Series 12: Exhibition Files, 1932-1986 (Box 23; 0.6 linear ft.)

Series 13: Works of Art, circa 1924-circa 1982 (Boxes 23-25; 1.5 linear ft.)

Series 14: Photographs, 1926-circa 1970s (Boxes 24-25; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 15: Addition to the Dorothy C. Miller Papers, 1853-2003, bulk 1920-1996 (Boxes 28-38, OVs 39-41; 9.9 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Dorothy Canning Miller (1904-2003) worked in New York City as a highly influential curator of contemporary and folk art at the Museum of Modern Art and as the first curator of the museum. Later, she was the primary art consultant for Nelson A. Rockefeller, the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller University, Chase Manhattan Bank, and the Port Authority of and New Jersey. Dorothy Miller was also married to Holger Cahill, director of the WPA Federal Art Project.

Dorothy C. Miller was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts in 1904 and received her Bachelor of Arts from Smith College in 1925. She was first introduced to modern art through classes at the Newark Museum taught by John Cotton Dana and Holger Cahill. Miller joined the curatorial staff of the Newark Museum in 1926. The museum was one of the first to organize exhibitions of American folk art, American Primitives (1930-1931) and American Folk Sculpture (1931-1932). Miller worked with Cahill and others on the exhibition and developed a life-long interest in folk art.

After four years at the Newark Museum, Miller moved to New York city, hoping to get involved with the newly opened Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and, likely, to be with Holger Cahill, with whom she lived with on 8th Street prior to their marriage in 1938. Between 1930 and 1932 she took odd jobs and worked with Mrs. Henry Lang cataloging, researching and installing Lang's collection of Native American art Lang donated to the Montclair Art Museum. At the same time, Holger Cahill was serving as Acting Director of the Museum of Modern Art during an absence of Director Alfred H. Barr. In 1932, Cahill asked Miller to assist him with curating the American Painting and Sculpture, 1862-1932 exhibition at MoMA, and together they also curated the First Municipal Art Exhibition, 1934 at the Rockefeller Center.

In 1934, Barr hired Miller as his assistant and one year later appointed her as MoMA's first curator. Miller spent the next 35 years organizing many of this country's most important exhibitions of contemporary art and building personal relationships with new artists and photographers, as well as the collections of MoMA. Miller retired from MOMA in 1969 and focused more on her art consulting work begun in the late 1950s.

Dorothy Miller's most notable client was Nelson A. Rockefeller. She assisted and advised Rockefeller as he acquired a vast personal collection of modern art - some of which was later donated to MoMA. Just prior to her retirement, Miller organized a large exhibition of Rockefeller's collection. The exhibition catalog written by Miller was the basis for the book she worked on with Rockefeller up until and following his death in 1979, ultimately published as The Nelson A. Rockefeller Collection: Masterpieces of Modern Art. In the preface, Rockefeller credited Miller with being one of the four people to whom he was indebted "for the understanding and endless joy I have found in the collecting of modern art in all forms."

Miller also served as the primary art consultant for projects to furnish federal spaces, including Henry Kissinger's State Department office suite, and the official Vice-Presidential residence at the Admiral's House in Washington D.C.

In 1959 Miller was invited to join the art collection committee of the Chase Manhattan Bank and served on the committee until the mid-1980s, contributing her expertise to the development of one of this country's oldest and largest corporate collections of modern and contemporary art.

Miller was also an advisor to other members of the Rockefeller family, including David Rockefeller, and assisted with developing the art collections of Rockefeller Institute/University. From 1960 through the late 1980s Miller was a member of the art committee for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANJY) and was responsible for selecting much of the artwork for the World Trade Center in the 1970s. She served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Hancock Shaker Village, the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Empire State Plaza in Albany, Smith College Museum of Art, and the Museum of American Folk Art. She also became a member of the Mark Rothko Foundation Board of Directors after the litigation following Rothko's death between Rothko's executors and his daughter.

In the mid-1970s Miller assisted the Whitney Museum of American with planning an exhibition and supporting catalog of the work of folk artist Edward Hicks. Although the exhibition and catalog were only partially realized in 1980, Miller and Eleanore Price Mather compiled and published a book on Hicks, Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdoms and Other Paintings, published in 1983.

In 1982-1983 Miller received the Art Dealers Association Special Award, an honorary degree from Williams College, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture governor's award. In 1984 she was named honorary trustee of the Museum of Modern Art. In 1985 the Smith College Museum of Art honored her important contributions to museum connoisseurship with the exhibition Dorothy C. Miller: With An Eye to American Art.

Dorothy Miller died in 2003 at the age of 99 at her home in Greenwich, New York.
Related Material:
The Archives of American Art holds two oral history interviews with Dorothy C. Miller. The first was conducted by Paul Cummings between May 26, 1970 and September 28, 1971, and details Miller's life from childhood up to, and including, her years at the Museum of Modern Art. The second was conducted by Avis Berman on May 14, 1981 and covers Miller's relationships with Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. Also found among the holdings of the Archives are the papers of Holger Cahill, Dorothy Miller's husband and colleague.

The Museum of Modern Art Achives holds Dorothy Miller's papers related to her curatorial work at the museum.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Dorothy C. Miller via Wendy Jeffers between 1986 and 1997, and Reid White, Executor of Miller's estate, in 2004. Two subsequent additions were donated by Wendy Jeffers in 2014 and 2015.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Art historians -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Topic:
Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Corporations -- Private collections  Search this
Art -- Private collections  Search this
Folk art  Search this
Women museum curators  Search this
Women art historians  Search this
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Sketches
Christmas cards
Drawings
Citation:
Dorothy C. Miller papers, 1853-2013, bulk 1920-1996. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.milldoro
See more items in:
Dorothy C. Miller papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9f1ed6cb6-f194-4b76-a8dd-fce3352c09b8
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-milldoro
Online Media:

Barbara Aubin papers

Creator:
Aubin, Barbara, 1928-2014  Search this
Extent:
8.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Scrapbooks
Video recordings
Date:
circa 1949-2006
Scope and Contents:
The papers of painter, teacher and curator, Barbara Aubin, measure 8.6 linear feet and date from circa 1949-2006. Included is biographical information; personal and professional correspondence; writings; personal business records; photographs of Aubin, her works of art and family; scrapbooks; two VHS videos and printed material relating to Aubin. Also included is a miniature portrait of a man "Joshua" (presumably a relative of Aubin's) painted on ivory in a medallion, possibly dated 1867.
Biographical / Historical:
Barbara Aubin (1928-2014) was a painter, teacher, and curator in Chicago, Illinois.
Provenance:
Donated 2016 by the Barbara Aubin estate via Amie Hyman, executor and in 2023 by the Union League Club of Chicago via Mark Tunney, General Manager, and Jane Stevens, trustee.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Occupation:
Educators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Painters -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Art museum curators -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Genre/Form:
Scrapbooks
Video recordings
Identifier:
AAA.aubibarb
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9dee97ff6-4aa6-4978-87a5-189e8b64d858
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-aubibarb

Oral history interview with Dorothy C. Miller, 1981 May 14

Interviewee:
Miller, Dorothy Canning, 1904-2003  Search this
Interviewer:
Berman, Avis  Search this
Subject:
Rothko, Mark  Search this
Still, Clyfford  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Putzel, Howard  Search this
Newman, Barnett  Search this
De Kooning, Willem  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr.  Search this
Cahill, Holger  Search this
Panicali, Carla  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Mark Rothko and His Times Oral History Project  Search this
Type:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Dorothy C. Miller, 1981 May 14. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Abstract expressionism  Search this
Art museum curators -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)12250
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)215641
AAA_collcode_miller81
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_oh_215641
Online Media:

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