Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Search this
Extent:
10.43 cu. ft. (20 document boxes) (1 12x17 box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Books
Brochures
Exhibition catalogs
Date:
circa 1910-1986
Descriptive Entry:
This collection consists primarily of brochures, booklets, and books cataloging single exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art, the National Collection of Fine Arts,
the National Museum of American Art, and the Renwick Gallery. Also included are a few catalogs from exhibitions of SITES. There are catalogs from exhibitions staged by the
Smithsonian alone, those staged in conjunction with one or more other art museums, those organized by other museums but shown at the Institution, those held elsewhere but
consisting in whole or in part of Smithsonian works, and those organized as the Smithsonian contribution to exhibitions in other countries. In a few cases, the connection
between the Institution and the exhibition is not known. The catalogs range in format from the one-page flyers of the pre-World War I period to the lavish publications of
recent years. Also included are miscellaneous publications, such as early catalogs of the entire collection (the two-volume set prepared by Holmes in the 1920s); the checklists
of the opening exhibition of 1968; and The History of the National Gallery of Art, United States National Museum Bulletin 70, by Richard Rathbun. In addition there is one
journal article describing an exhibition of the work of Albert Pinkham Ryder and the text of a dedication ceremony held by the museum.
This record unit chiefly consists of a collection of publications assembled over the years by the library. In addition, catalogs were pulled from two other accessions which
contained many copies. However, the collection does not claim to be complete and should be used in conjunction with other records in the Smithsonian Institution Archives,
such as the records of the Office of the Director, Record Units 311 and 312, and central administrative files, Record Unit 313, and later accessions. In particular, SITES
catalogs produced since the office became independent are not included. For these, researchers should consult Record Units 290 and 316, as well as unprocessed collections.
This record unit contains exhibition catalogs, booklets, and books arranged in alphabetical order. The name of the sponsoring Smithsonian Institution, generally the National
Gallery of Art (NGA), the National Collection of Fine Arts (NCFA), the National Museum of American Art (NMAA), the Renwick Gallery (Renwick), and Smithsonian Institution Traveling
Exhibition Service (SITES), appears in parentheses. The date of the exhibition follows. For items which do not represent exhibitions, the physical format and publication information
are noted. In some cases, the connection of the publication with the Smithsonian is not known.
Historical Note:
Although the Smithsonian had paintings and sculpture in its collections since 1849, the works that remained after the fire of 1865 were dispersed. The turn of the century
brought a renewed interest in building the art collection, and in 1907, William Henry Holmes became the first Curator of the National Gallery of Art, as it was officially
designated a year earlier. In 1920 the Gallery became an administrative entity, separate from the United States National Museum, of the Institution, and Holmes was named its
first Director. The collections were displayed first in the Castle, then in the Arts and Industries Building, and after its completion in 1910, the Natural History Building.
A number of bequests, most notably by Harriet Lane Johnston and William T. Evans, fostered the growth of the Gallery. In 1937, it became the National Collection of Fine Arts.
When Holmes retired in 1932, Ruel P. Tolman became Acting Director until 1946 when he was named Director. Thomas Beggs assumed the title in 1948 and served until 1964 when
David Scott became Director. In 1968 the art collections were at last given a separate building, the Old Patent Office, which was renamed the Fine Arts and Portrait Gallery
Building. In 1980 the museum became the National Museum of American Art. Joshua Taylor served as Director from 1970 until his death in 1981, when Harry Lowe became Acting
Director. Charles C. Eldredge assumed the position of Director in 1982.
The traveling exhibition service was a part of the art museum from its establishment in 1951 until it became independent in 1965. It is now known as the Smithsonian Institution
Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES).
In 1965 the Smithsonian asked that the Renwick Gallery, once home to the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the U. S. Court of Claims, be transferred to the Institution for use
as a gallery of "art, craft, and design." The transfer was accomplished, the building restored, and the museum opened in 1972 with Lloyd Herman as Director. Herman served
until 1986, when Michael Monroe was named Acting Director and Curator in Charge. Administratively, the Renwick is a curatorial division of NMAA.
This accession consists of general correspondence documenting activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971-1986; Michael
W. Monroe, Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003; Jane Milosch, Curator, 2004-2009; and Robyn Kennedy, Chief Administrator, 2004- .
Materials include correspondence, memoranda, and photographs.
Rights:
Restricted for 15 years. until Jan-01-2031; Transferring office; 4/26/2010 memorandum, Toda to Robinson; Contact reference staff for details.
This accession consists of records related to the research and planning of exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery. The majority of the records document the research of
Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge for the proposed exhibition, Silver on the High Seas: United States Navy Presentation Silver Services which was to open in fall
2004. Also included are research materials created and maintained by Trapp in regards to proposed exhibitions on china painting and knives as art, as well as installation
images for Clay Revisions: Plate, Cup, Vase and Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art 1965-1985. Lastly there are some general exhibition records which
are primarily research related. Materials include correspondence; memoranda; checklists; reports; bibliographies; notes; articles; brochures; magazines; black-and-white photographs,
negatives, and slides; color photographs, negatives, and slides; and clippings. Some materials are in electronic format.
This accession consists of records documenting the activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971-1986; Michael W. Monroe,
Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; and Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003. Topics covered include art organizations; craft fairs and craft schools; correspondence with
museums within and outside of the United States and with artists; the museum shop; exhibitions; repair and renovation of the Renwick Gallery building; special events; and
lectures.
Exhibitions documented include: The Object As Poet; Craft Multiples; Americas: The Decorative Arts in Latin America in the Era of the Revolution; Costumes
from Arab World; The Decorative Designs of Frank Lloyd Wright; Design Is. . .; The Grand Renwick Souvenir Show; Ryijy Rugs from Finland: 200 Years
of a Textile Art; Irena Brynner: Jewelry Since 1950; A Feast of Color: Corpus Christi Dance Costumes from Ecuador; Grass; Arne Jacobsen: Danish
Architect and Designer; An Interior Decorated: Joyce Kozloff; The Designs of Raymond Loewy; Glass by Dale Chihuly: The Cylinder and Basket Series;
Signs of Life: Symbols in the American City; Ronald Pearson: Silver and Gold; Bo'Jou Neefee! Profiles of Canadian Indian Art; French Folk Art;
Figure and Fantasy; A Modern Consciousness: D. J. DePree and Florence Knoll; New Stained Glass; Belgian Lace; Man Made Mobile: The Western Saddle;
Contemporary Textile Art from Austria; The New Fabric Surface: Printed, Painted, and Dyed; 200 Years of Royal Copenhagen Porcelain; Boxes and Bowls:
Decorated Containers by the 19th Century Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian Indian Artists; Contemporary Nigerian Art: Craftsmen from Oshogbo; Painted Weavings by
Lia Cook and Neda Alhilali; Twills With Titles: H. Theodore Hallman, Weaver Kenneth G. Mills, Poet; Skoogfors, 20th Century Goldsmith; The Woven and Graphic
Art of Anni Albers; Material Evidence: New Color Techniques in Handmade Furniture; Masterworks of Louis Comfort Tiffany; Bound to Vary: Billy Budd, Sailor;
The Boat Show: Fantastic Vessels, Fictional Voyages; Treasures from the Land, Twelve New Zealand Craftsmen and their Native Materials; Harvey K. Littleton
Retrospective Exhibition; Celebration: A World of Art and Ritual; Dan Dailey: Glass, 1972-1987; Material Evidence: New Color Techniques in Handmade Furniture;
Lost and Found Traditions: Native American Art 1965-1985; Clay Revisions: Plate, Cup, Vase; American Art Pottery; Stephen de Staebler: The Figure;
The Goldsmith; Chicago Furniture; The Tibetan Yak in Art and Craft; Contemporary Australian Ceramics; Edward Colonna; Scandinavian Modern
1880-1980; The Animal Image: Contemporary Objects and the Beast; William Harper: Recent Works in Enamel; Georg Jensen, Silversmithy: 77 Artists, 75 Years;
The Harmonious Craft: American Musical Instruments; Cynthia Schira: New Work; Lafayette Square, 1963-1983: Architecture, Preservation, and the Presidency;
Quilts from the Indiana Amish; Russia: The Land, The People, 1840-1910; Frank Lloyd Wright and the Johnson Wax Building: Creating a Corporate Cathedral;
Fanfare: Fans from the 18th Century - 20th Century, Parts I, II, III; Architecture in Silver; The Art of Turned Wood Bowls; The Flexible Medium: Art
Fabric from the Museum's Collection; Threads: Seven American Artists and Their Miniature Textile Pictures; Paint on Wood: Decorated American Furniture Since
the 17th Century; Venini Glass; American Art Deco; New Glass; American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art; Good as Gold: Alternative
Materials in American Jewelry; Newcomb Pottery; Clay for Walls; Russel Wright: American Designer; and A Century of Ceramics in the U.S., 1878-1978.
Some of these materials date from the time when the Smithsonian American Art Museum was known as the National Collection of Fine Arts and the National Museum of American
Art. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, trip reports, brochures, staff meeting notes, artists' surveys, images, exhibition catalogs, checklists, postcards, invitations,
brochures, exhibition labels, research materials, architectural drawings, floor plans, and clippings.
This accession consists of records that document planning, development and production activities for exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery, as well as reinstallation of
permanent collections and the rotation of existing exhibitions. Some records also pertain to Thomas Moran paintings in the Grand Salon that were used in exhibition planning
for the Department of the Interior's 150th anniversary in 1999. Materials include correspondence, memoranda, and notes; proposals; meeting agendas; production plans; scripts;
object lists; loan information; agreements; reports; press releases; exhibition catalogs; newspapers; brochures; floor and design plans; special events information; drawings;
photographs, slides, and negatives; and supporting documentation.
Rights:
Restricted for 15 years. until Jan-01-2028; Transferring office; 7/12/2010 memorandum, Toda to Robinson; Contact reference staff for details.
2.5 cu. ft. (2 record storage boxes) (1 document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Date:
1978-1999
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of general correspondence documenting the activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971-1986; Michael
W. Monroe, Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003.
This accession consists of the general correspondence documenting the activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971-1986;
Michael W. Monroe, Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; and Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003; and Robyn Kennedy, 2004- , Chief. Materials include correspondence, memoranda,
images, and clippings.
Rights:
Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2028; Transferring office; 04/26/2010 memorandum, Toda to Robinson; Contact reference staff for details.
This accession consists of records documenting the administration of the James Renwick Fellowship and the Frost Prize programs at the Renwick Gallery. Materials include
applications, reviews, correspondence and reports.
This accession consists of the general correspondence documenting the activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971-1986;
Michael W. Monroe, Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; and Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003. Materials include correspondence and memoranda.
1.5 cu. ft. (1 record storage box) (1 document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Date:
circa 1970-1998
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records documenting the activities of the Renwick Gallery during the tenures of Lloyd E. Herman, Director, 1971-1986; Michael W. Monroe,
Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; Kenneth R. Trapp, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003. Materials include general correspondence, and materials created and maintained by Ellen Myette,
Operations Administrator, concerning the American Association of Museums Registrars' Council and collection management issues at the Renwick and the Smithsonian.
1.5 cu. ft. (1 record storage box) (1 document box)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Brochures
Date:
1971-2009
Descriptive Entry:
This accession consists of records that document programs, acquisitions, funding, and exhibitions at the Renwick Gallery. People represented in the collection include
Kenneth R. Trap, Curator-in-Charge, 1995-2003; Michael Munroe, Curator-in-Charge, 1986-1995; and Jane Milosch, curator, 2004-2009. Materials include correspondence, memoranda,
exhibition proposals, acquisition records, brochures, and other related records.
Rights:
Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2025; Transferring office; 06/04/2014 memorandum, Toda to Robinson; Contact reference staff for details.
