The papers of African American art historian, educator, and painter, Floyd Coleman, measure 8.1 linear feet and date from 1954 to 2017 with the bulk of the material dating from the 1980s to the 2000s. The collection contains biographical material; correspondence; writings, including drafts of essays and lectures; material related to his professional activities, including teaching files, files related to the National Conference of Artists, project files, and other files related to his professional life; artist and subject files; printed material; and a small amount of photographic material. The collection also contains audiovisual material and born-digital records.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of African American art historian and painter, Floyd Coleman, measure 8.1 linear feet and date from 1954 to 2017 with the bulk of the material dating from the 1980s to the 2000s. The collection contains biographical material, including contact lists, certificates, interviews, and resumes; correspondence with artists and other art historians, including Reginald Gammon, Jeff Donaldson, Bing Davis, and Tritobia Hayes Benjamin; and writings, including drafts of essays and lectures. Also included are materials related to Coleman's professional activities, including teaching files, files related to the National Conference of Artists (NCA), project files, and other files related to his professional life; artist and subject files, including files related to the Spiral artist group; printed material, including clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, conference materials, and other publications; and a small amount of photographic material. The collection also contains audiovisual material and born-digital records.
Arrangement:
This series is arranged as 7 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1969-2012 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1975-2017 (Box 1; 0.6 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1970s-circa 2015 (Boxes 1-3; 1.2 linear feet)
Series 4: Professional Activities, circa 1960s-2015 (Boxes 3-5; 2.7 linear feet)
Series 5: Artist and Subject Files, 1954-2016 (Boxes 5-7; 2.2 linear feet)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1968-2016 (Boxes 7-8, OV 9; 1 linear foot)
Series 7: Photographic Material, circa 1980s-2000s (Box 8, 2 folders)
Biographical / Historical:
Floyd Coleman (1939-2018) was an African American art historian, painter, and educator in Washington, D.C. He was the chair of the art department at Howard University and organized the James A. Porter Colloquium on African American Art.
Born in Sawyerville, Alabama, Coleman attended Alabama State College (now Alabama State University), where he studied under Hayward Oubre. He later earned a doctorate from the University of Georgia. Coleman taught at Clark College, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Jackson State University, and Howard University. His work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, San Francisco Museum of Art, Mount Holyoke College, High Museum, Smithsonian Institution Art & Industries Building, Yale University Art Gallery, and Parish Gallery.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 2019 by Floyd Coleman, Jr., Floyd Coleman's son.
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 Reference 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.
