This series consists of mixed administrative records and correspondence documenting all aspects of the organization's activities. While no records exist from the original meetings of interested parties from 1940-1942, the series does include fragments of the 1946 certificate of incorporation (with a photocopy of the full document), working copies of the constitution and by-laws from 1944-1946 and a 1946 published copy which includes a roll of membership. Subsequent revisions to the constitution from the 1950s-1980s can also be found here.
Correspondence is found throughout the series, but some correspondence of individual presidents, historians, committee chairs and other individuals can also be found in named files. Of particular interest is correspondence documenting Frederic Whitaker's membership campaign to attract nationally renowned artists, which includes dozens of letters to known American artists. These can primarily be found in the general business and correspondence files for the 1940s and includes replies to Whitaker from artists such as Stuart Davis and Lyonel Feininger. The series also houses an honorable mention award presented to Whitaker in October 1945.
Other correspondents during the 1940s include John Taylor Arms, Thomas Hart Benton, Peter Blume, Jon Corbino, Walt Disney, Robert Gwathmey, Raoul Hague, Malvina Hoffman, Peter Hurd, William Meyerowitz, Henry Varnum Poor, Everett Shinn, Benton Spruance, Stow Wengenroth, and Stark Young. There are also numerous letters from presidents who succeeded Whitaker such as Ralph Fabri, Domenico Facci, Mark Freeman, Renee McKay and Hughie Lee-Smith, and the organization's two historians, Michael M. Engel and Jan Gary.
Correspondence related to Eileen and Frederic Whitaker is from Eileen following Frederic's death and includes papers related to a misunderstanding about whether Frederic Whitaker or John J. Karpick was the first president of Audubon Artists.
General correspondence from the 1970s includes documentation of the organization's attempts to secure publicity by means of a promotional video tape submitted to a local cable public access channel.
Also found here are executive board and director's minutes for the 1960s, and some meeting minutes for 1977-1979, 1985 and 1988. Additional scattered agenda, minutes and reports can be found in the general business and correspondence files. The series also includes the correspondence and related records of various committees including those for admissions, awards, and nominations; lists of executive board members, officers, members and associate members; and some financial records.
Arrangement:
Folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Collection 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.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Audubon Artists records, 1944-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The Audubon Artists records were processed in 2015 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art
