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Catalog Data

Creator:
Van Ness, Beatrice Whitney, 1888-1981  Search this
Progressive Education Association (U.S.)  Search this
Names:
D'Amico, Victor, 1904-1987  Search this
Hale, Philip Leslie, 1865-1931  Search this
Rebay, Hilla, 1890-1967  Search this
Tarbell, Edmund Charles, 1862-1938  Search this
Extent:
1.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1883-1985
Scope and Contents:
Letters, writings and notes, art works, printed material and photographs.
Brief resumes, a genealogy of Van Ness' family and a citation from Beaver Country Day School for "Meritorious Service"; correspondence from family members, colleagues and friends includes 5 letters from Victor D'Amico and the Progressive Education Association regarding her participation in upcoming events; extensive notes and writings by Van Ness and others regarding art education theory and practice and a brief history of Beaver Country Day School written by Van Ness in 1981; teaching files, undated and 1932-1944, containing course outlines, exams and class assignments for courses taught at BCDS;
a notebook describing the dimensions, locations and types of various picture frames; a card file describing paintings by Van Ness; figure drawings, still lifes, contour drawings and charcoal studies done when she was a student; studies of people done in preparation for paintings, portrait sketches and 2 sketches of Van Ness done by her students; photographs of Van Ness, her family, models (for paintings), colleagues and teachers (includes a photo of Philip Hale and Edmund Tarbell, ca. 1905-1980), numerous photos of paintings by Van Ness, ca. 1910-1980, and photos of drawings by her students.
Printed materials include 2 articles by Van Ness on art education published in ART EDUCATION TODAY (1939) and HIGH SCHOOL JOURNAL (1940); exhibition catalogs, announcements, clippings and an essay by Hilla Rebay entitled "The Beauty of Non-Objectivity."
Biographical / Historical:
Painter, educator; Chesnut Hill, Mass. Founder and head of the Art Department at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill (1921-1949). She studied child and adolescent behavior as applied to art education practice. Through articles, essays and presentations she advocated a more vital and integral role for art education in overall curriculum strategy.
Provenance:
Donated 1983 by Van Ness's daughters Mary Crocker and Silvia Martin.
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.
Topic:
Art -- Study and teaching -- United States  Search this
Women artists  Search this
Women art teachers  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.vanness
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9fdacdd3e-983c-4a7c-b752-87b359f8035a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-vanness